Whether you’re a Sunday rider or an off-trail blazer, when it comes to riding your bike, it’s good to know you have safe and scenic options. There are miles and miles of trails—both paved and natural surfaces—that lead through wooded vistas to connect Cincinnati to neighboring towns such as Newtown, Loveland and Lebanon. One trail will even take you as far away as Lake Erie. And closer to home, another will soon loop you through 34 miles in Greater Cincinnati.
“Hamilton County is at the epicenter of one of the country’s most extensive multi-use trail systems,” says Todd Palmeter, CEO with Great Parks of Hamilton County. “Bikers, walkers and hikers have access to over 840 miles of trails in Greater Cincinnati alone—and that distance keeps on growing. More connections are being added every year.”
THE LOVELAND BIKE TRAIL
Probably the most well-known of all, this paved, flat trail also known as the Little Miami Scenic State Park, runs alongside the Little Miami River and was one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country. It’s the fourth longest paved trail in the United States—78.1 miles traversing five southwestern counties in the state of Ohio.
On the southern end it begins near the Lunken Airport end of Beechmont Avenue then crosses through Newtown, Milford, Miami Township, Loveland, Lebanon and on to its northernmost point, Springfield. There are free parking spaces and restaurants found at many trailside locations.
MAKING THE CONNECTION
The Loveland Bike Trail is only one of several trails that connect at various access points leading east, west and points in between. Here are just a few:
• The Ohio to Erie Trail begins as the Loveland Bike Trail and then joins other trails to span from the Ohio River in the south to Lake Erie in the north.
• The Great Miami Trail runs somewhat parallel to The Loveland Bike Trail. It travels from Middletown to Piqua where it connects with westward-reaching, Ohio-to-Indiana Trail, which culminates in Greenville, Indiana.
• To the east, the Xenia-Jamestown Connector provides 18.5 miles of trail traveling through rural Greene and Fayette Counties, with its final stop in Octa, Ohio.
CROWNING THE QUEEN CITY
Work is underway to complete our city’s first urban loop trail, the CROWN, a 34-mile trail that will traverse 54 neighborhoods connecting people to parks, schools, workplaces, stores, recreational areas and entertainment venues.
By weaving together existing trails including Wasson Way, Ohio River Trail East, Little Miami Scenic Trail, Ohio River Trail West, Mill Creek Greenway Trail, and Canal Bikeway, the CROWN will allow for a complete loop that travels from downtown Cincinnati’s riverfront, along the Ohio River, past Lunken Airport to Anderson Township and circling back to the riverfront via communities including Mariemont, Hyde Park and Norwood.
The Columbia Connector begins at Newtown Road and runs alongside the Little Miami River, parallel to Wooster Pike. Plans are to connect that 1.6-mile segment to a Mariemont Connector and eventually to Murray Path which is part of the CROWN.
OFF THE PAVED PATH
If you yearn for dirt under your tires or toes, the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance (CORA) maintains 115 miles of multi-use natural surface trails for mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners, in several southwestern Ohio areas, along with Covington, Fort Thomas and Burlington in Northern Kentucky.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Ohio offers 1,523 miles of trails—that’s more than any other state in the U.S. Whether you’re ready for a Sunday afternoon excursion, or if you are looking for a multi-mile challenge, the following websites will help you get started.
coratrails.org • crowncincinnati.org
greatparks.org/about/projects/columbia-connector
miamivalleytrails.org • ohio.org/things-to-do/cycling-bike-paths
ohiotoerietrail.org • traillink.com • tristatetrails.org
Article originally appeared in April 2024