Hydraulic Canal Run begins in picturesque French Park, where stands of mature trees provide the perfect shady spots to picnic. From here, you can also connect to Piqua City Linear Park, a rail-trail that extends 5.5 miles across the city.
From the park, the path heads north through a wooded area and then follows the eastern bank of Frantz Pond along a levee. Enjoy the waterside view here and at Echo Pond a little farther north. You'll continue through Fountain Park, where you'll find the trail's namesake, the Hydraulic Canal. The 35-acre park offers plenty of places to play with a baseball diamond, tennis courts, basketball court, volleyball court and playground.
The trail ends at Roadside Park on the banks of Swift Run Lake, but connects to the Great Miami River Trail, so you could continue your adventure on the 86-mile paved pathway that links Piqua to Dayton, Fairfield and other communities south of the city.
Trail-goers should note that there are three street crossings along the way, but they are well marked.
At the southern end of the trail, a parking lot is available in French Park (intersection of Steele and Water Streets). At the northern end, you can park in Roadside Park (off State Route 66 near Hardin Road). Mid-trail, park at the lot along Fountain Boulevard in Foundation Park.
I rode the Hydraulic Canal Run Path in August of 2018. What I found interesting about this trail, which follows the canal's original towpath, was that a good part of the canal along the trail was still preserved. It is obviously, used for recreation as I saw people fishing and kayaking in the canal and associated lakes. What was also interesting was how the canal was actually elevated above the nearby neighborhoods. There are also a cemetery (Forest Hill) and a park (Fountain Park) to the east of the trail route. I would categorize this trail as a community recreational trail, but when combined with the Piqua City Linear Park, and the Great Miami River Trail a large loop is formed that travels through and around the city. For those approaching Piqua from the south on the Great Miami River Trail it certainly would make for a more interesting ride rather than simply turning around when they reached the end of the GMRT.
love the way it joined the other trails to walk around piqua , total walk was 6.8 miles ,walked through cematary and around ecko lake and along river and cannal , one area was bad for masquitos ,but most of trail was not , have walked it several times since and have added it to our walk areas
The trails in and around the city of Piqua, OH include the 5.5-mile Piqua Linear Bike Path, the 3.5-mile River's Edge path, and the 2.3-mile Hydraulic Canal Run. The combination of the three trails makes for an enjoyable ride and form a loop around the city. This review is for the Hydraulic Canal Run and the River's Edge trail.
The Piqua Linear Bike Path runs through the city of Piqua and forms the southern edge of this trail loop. The Hydraulic Canal Run runs from the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge at French Park on the Piqua Linear Bike Path and runs north along the western edge of the city past Frantz Pond, Echo Lake, along the canal, and up to Swift Run Lake. It is a very scenic and nearly level ride along the canal for a great 2.3-mile trip. Along the route you are likely to see numerous waterfowl, several families fishing, and even a kayak or two. As other reviewers have mentioned, this leg of the loop is particularly nice and very peaceful. Toward the north end of this trail, the path runs behind what I thought to be the best-maintained cemetery that I have ever seen, behind a water plant, and then the path dives steeply into Roadside Park. I recommend parking in Roadside Park, located at 40-10.542N and 084-15.577W. This will allow you to ride either the Hydraulic Canal Run, the River's Edge, or both while keeping your car safe and visible.
From Roadside Park, the trail passes under OH-66 where it becomes the River's Edge trail that runs along the eastern edge of Piqua between the city and Great Miami River. The northern mile of this trail serpentines through a nice wooded area and emerges out into the open for another mile before it finally reaches Lock 9 Park, located at the intersection of the River's Edge Trail and the Piqua Linear Bike Path. This intersection is directly beneath the railroad bridge over the Great Miami River.
Overall I would rate the Hydraulic Canal Run as (at least) 4 stars, the River's Edge as 3 stars, and the Piqua Linear Bike Path as 2 stars. I'll post some pictures that I took in April 2012. See a similar review of the Piqua Linear Bike Path.
~ Trail Jogger ~
I submitted this one. Nice pavement and great views and connects to a larger trail system around Piqua.
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