Little Miami Scenic Trail

History

The largely wooded corridor was created along the right-of-way of the old Little Miami Railroad. The original railway bed is still visible beside the trail in various places along the trail route.

Together with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the local governments of Xenia and Yellow Springs purchased land along the abandoned railroad from 1973 and 1983. In 1979, the land became an Ohio State Park. The Loveland Bike Trail was added to the state park in 1984. Two years later, the Ohio Department of Transportation received a grant from the Federal Highway Administration to complete the trail.

By 1989, the trail stretched 13 miles (21 km), with its northern terminus at Morrow. The original portion of the trail was dedicated on December 20, 1991. The route ran mostly along the eastern bank of the Little Miami River, from Spring Valley in Greene County to the limits of Terrace Park in Hamilton County, across the river from Milford. The trail was extended northward to Xenia later that year and to Springfield in 1998. In 2006, after a protracted, 26-year battle with Terrace Park residents, it was extended southward to Newtown.

In the late 2000s, state budget cuts caused portions of the trail to fall into disrepair, resulting in the temporary closure of some wooden bridges and rest areas. However, an organization called the Friends of the Little Miami State Park Group was founded late 2008 to focus attention and finances on critical portions to keep the trail open and make it safer. Most of the bridges within state park boundaries were paved or re-planked in 2009. In 2010, a failed parks levy prompted the Clark County Park District to indefinitely close its 5.6-mile (9.0 km) stretch of the trail, posting "No Trespassing" signs at park entrances. Because this stretch of trail was partially built with federal funds, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources attempted to force its reopening. The district reopened its parks in April 2011 with volunteer support.

Originally designated State Bike Route 1, the Little Miami Scenic Trail was renumbered in 2011 as State Bike Route 1 south of Xenia and State Bike Route 3 throughout. The concurrency from Newtown to Xenia is marked with "⅓" signs.

Current route

Xenia made a deal to be the official start of the trail for a donation of land, making the mile markers change from the previous start. For the first 9 miles (14 km) to Xenia, the Little Miami Scenic Trail is operated by the Clark County Park District and the National Trail Parks and Recreation District. From the Simon Kenton Trailhead in Springfield, the Little Miami trail runs southward parallel to U.S. Route 68 and continues to Yellow Springs. Near John Bryan State Park, the North Country Trail and Buckeye Trail enter from Dayton to the west. For the next 15 miles (24 km) to Spring Valley, the Little Miami trail is managed by Greene County. At Xenia Station, it meets the Creekside Trail, as well as the Prairie Grass Trail, on which the Ohio to Erie Trail continues north to Columbus. A brief segment of the Little Miami trail that connects the Creekside and Prairie Grass trails is designated as U.S. Bike Route 50.

Little Miami State Park begins at Hedges Road in Spring Valley, quickly meets the banks of the Little Miami River, and follows U.S. 42 into Warren County. It passes through Corwin (near Waynesville), Caesar Creek State Park, and Oregonia, where the Buckeye Trail rejoins. At Fort Ancient, the trail runs under the imposing Jeremiah Morrow Bridge (Interstate 71). It then passes through the downtown districts of Morrow and South Lebanon to the former Middletown Junction, where the Lebanon Countryside Trail begins.

The Little Miami trail continues southward, opposite the river from Kings Mills and the rear of the expansive Kings Island park grounds. At this location the historic Peters Cartridge Company facility overlooks the bike trail. The trail passes under U.S. 22/State Route 3 at Fosters, across the river from the Landen Mounds. It continues by a few final cornfields before entering Clermont County and downtown Loveland, where it is known as the Loveland Bike Trail.

At Miamiville, the trail crosses to the western, Hamilton County side of the Little Miami River, as it meets State Route 126 (Glendale–Milford Road). The trail passes by Camp Dennison and its former southern terminus in Milford. A 2006 extension carries the Little Miami State Park along U.S. 50 (Wooster Pike) to Avoca Park in Terrace Park. From here, the Loveland section of the Buckeye Trail branches off, following local roads southwest to Eden Park in Cincinnati. Finally, a short Great Parks extension leads the Little Miami trail back across the river, beside local roads, to the Little Miami Golf Center in Newtown. The North Country Trail and the Williamsburg section of the Buckeye Trail continue southeast along heavily trafficked roads to Batavia and East Fork State Park.

Planned extensions

Great Parks of Hamilton County and the Anderson Township Park District are extending the Little Miami Scenic Trail another 3.2 miles (5.1 km) from the Little Miami Golf Center south to Clear Creek Park and along State Route 32 to Beechmont Avenue (State Route 125), across from Otto Armleder Memorial Park. The new segment is scheduled to open by December 2015.

Plans call for a dedicated bike bridge over the Little Miami River that would connect the Little Miami Scenic Trail to an existing system of bike paths around Armleder Park and Lunken Field. In turn, these paths connect to a segment of the Ohio River Trail that continues westward toward downtown Cincinnati.

The Adventure Cycling Association and OKI Regional Council have proposed designating the Little Miami Scenic Trail as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 25.

Economic effects

Studies in 2008 and 2011 found that single-family residential properties increased in value with increased proximity to the Little Miami Scenic Trail.