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Print Friendly MapThe Shaker Trace Trail forms a loop around Miami Whitewater Forest, the largest county-run park in Hamilton County. The fully-accessible, paved trail runs for nearly 8 miles through the park’s wetlands, tall grass prairie and farmland. Begin your journey at the harbor on the park’s large lake, where an informative visitor center features exhibits on the local wildlife.
Bikes can be rented at the boathouse just beyond the visitor center, but trail users should be aware that the trail is open only between dawn and dusk. The pathway has a gentle grade and is a cyclist’s and runner’s dream with mile markers at every 0.2 mile. Those looking for a shorter trek will appreciate the 1.2-mile inner loop that also begins and ends at the harbor.
Parking for the Shaker Trace Trail is available at a large lot in Miami Whitewater Forest on Harbor Ridge Road. From Interstate 74 northwest of Cincinnati, take the exit for Dry Fork Road and head north. Turn right once you reach West Road and then take the first left onto Timberlakes Drive at the park entrance. Harbor Ridge Road is the first left; take it to access the park’s visitor center and trailhead.
I find it can be really hard to find a good trail for inline skating, but this one is one of my absolute favorites! If I want to push myself for a workout, I could usually finish the loop in an hour. Of course there are some tricky spots like when crossing the roads or the giant hills at the beginning and end, but this still remains as one of my top trails for roller blading. It’s a great workout, is nice and long, and has beautiful changing scenery throughout the entire trail.
Great ride on a beautiful day.
I came from Florida to do this trail. It’s very well maintained, sections have shade with other areas open, and it’s not crowded.
Great run
My wife and I are wanting to be outside and get some exercise. Riding this trail does the trick. Not to hilly but enough of a challenge for us. You ride through some nice woods and several fields. I think we saw about 25 rabbits on the trail last night. We also saw a turkey earlier this week. I should add that we are starting around 7pm so the trail is not to busy but it is still being used by lots of people. It is very clean and as I said a good ride.
Rode this trail in June of 2019. It is a very nice, well-maintained trail. It mostly runs through scenic open meadows. There are a couple of underpasses with a rippling stream if you enjoy stopping and exploring areas like that.
My only caution is that, on a sunny summer day, this turns into a very hot ride, as there is little to no shade for the majority of the trail.
While not a rail trail, I rode the Shaker Trace Trail in April of 2017. This trail is found in the Miami Whitewater Forest northwest of Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio. Upon entering the park, there is a $5 user's fee, $3 if you are a Hamilton County (Ohio) resident. Season passes are available. The trail consists of two loops. I rode both of them twice for a total of 19 miles. The trail is relatively flat and the area is generally wide open. Riders could encounter strong head/tailwinds on windy days. This early in the season I passed just a few walkers on the inner loop of the trail. I had entire trail to myself throughout both laps of the outer loop.
Nice and mostly flat. The trail could use better signage. Got confusing on the inner and outer loop.
This trail is not only excellent in its own right, but resides in an area that one can bike local roads with relative safety and some of the roads include more significant hills. Even roads within the park are not bad for bicycling. Easy to put together 15 or 25-mile loops in this area. Avoid the trail on weekends, like most park trails, but otherwise enjoy the variety.
Most of the trail is surrounded by meadows, but there are some bogs and wooded areas. Mostly level, but there are some slight hills. Not much shade on sunny days. The trail surface is wide and excellent and once you get beyond the much smaller "inner" loop there are few walkers.
I liked the trail so much - I submitted the trail and GPS data!
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