Mill Creek Greenway Trail

The growing Mill Creek Greenway Trail follows one of Cincinnati’s most important urban waterways and will one day stretch 14 miles through the city's northern neighborhoods. Groundwork Cincinnati is a community-based nonprofit that works to develop the trail and maintain it.

Currently, the trail is open in two short, disconnected segments. The southern section is nearly 2 miles long through mostly light industrial development. A highlight of the route is Salway Park, which boasts some excellent habitat restoration projects as well as a superb public art installation. Farther northeast, another mile of trail reaches Caldwell Park. Both sections are paved.

Parking and Trail Access

To reach the two Salway Park trailheads from Interstate 75, take the Mitchell Avenue exit. Go north on Mitchell toward Spring Grove Avenue. Take a left on Spring Grove Avenue. The first trailhead is just over 0.5 mile on the left. The second trailhead is only another 0.3 mile farther on the left.

Parking is also available on the north end of the trail in Caldwell Park (415 W. North Bend Road).

A Recreational, Possibly a Commuter Trail in Industrial Cincinnati

July 2018 orangedoug

Like most urban trails the two parts of the Mill Creek Greenway seemed to have started out well when new, but succumbed to neglect and lack of planning and resources. The northern section was the worse of the two. Signs have been tagged with graffiti and plants and shrubs along the trail need to be cut back in spots. The southern section was in better shape as the Salway Park was not as isolated as the Caldwell Playground Park in the northern section. Both sections suffered from a lack of directional signage as it was not clear that the path picked up on the other side of a bridge over Mill Creek in the north section and in the south the trail seems to dead end into a commercial building but continued on the other side of that building.

If you lived in these Cincinnati neighborhoods checking out and riding this trail may be worthwhile if you live nearby. Otherwise don't go out of your way. It is hard to see the gap between the two sections being bridged by additional trail considering that the trail runs along the creek and much of the break in between the two sections is filled with commercial and industrial properties that are unlikely to give an easement to connect both parts to each other.

4/24 biking experience

April 2016 graveys

The bike trail itself was fine for my wife and myself since we are both relatively new at cycling off road. Not overly challenging, but simple to master. Our biggest concern was the physical conditioning of the grounds that directly abutted the trail. High grasses, dandelions, weeds, overflowing trash receptacles, broken glass are just a few examples of what we saw as a lack of routine grounds care and/or maintenance.

Ohio

2 Reviews