Ohio’s Little Miami Scenic Trail: February 2026 Trail of the Month
I’m sitting at a long wooden table inside Yellow Springs Brewery, just steps from the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Across from me is Gary Zaremsky, a retired engineer and devoted cyclist. It’s mid-October, and he’s already logged an impressive 4,000 miles this year. Even though the air has turned cool and leaves carpet the trail, he assures me there are still many more miles to come.
We’ve only just met, but talking with Zaremsky, a village resident of 38 years, feels like catching up with an old friend. He shares stories from his five decades of cycling, reminiscing about adventures in Alaska, his recent three-day bike trip with his son and the many rides up to Kenyon College, where all three of his children attended school. He shows me pictures of his intricate stained-glass art crafted just up the road at his workshop.
The brewery is the sort of place that invites these connections. “That concept is really the whole idea,” said Lisa Wolters, cofounder of Yellow Springs Brewery. “We wanted this place to feel like Yellow Springs’ living room … a place that anybody new in town can come and learn about what’s going on or make a friendly connection.”
Spanning 78 miles in southwestern Ohio, the rail-trail connects 11 towns and five counties, and is the longest single section of the Miami Valley Trails network, which offers more than 350 miles of paved trail across the region.
“The trail has become a thread of our community,” Wolters said.
Zaremsky has watched that community connection deepen over time, noting the growth of bike tourism and the development of school programs, like McKinney Middle School’s “Into the Wild” trips, which provide three-day biking and camping adventures on the trail for students.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of Rails to Trails magazine and has been reposted here in an edited format. Subscribe to read more articles about remarkable trails while also supporting our work.
Great Potential
During a time when rivers and canals were Ohio’s highways, the Little Miami Railroad was born from a vision to connect the state’s growing towns to new centers of trade. For over a century, locomotives roared between Cincinnati and Springfield, carrying passengers, freight and even President-elect Abraham Lincoln on his way to his inauguration. When rail service waned after World War II, the line’s final train pulled into Loveland in 1974, ending over 130 years of operation. The story of the corridor, however, was far from over.
The Little Miami Conservancy—then known as Little Miami Inc.—was founded in 1967 by Dayton newspaper editor Glenn Thompson alongside conservationists Arthur Morgan, Skeets Fred and Charles Sawyer. Together, they spearheaded efforts to protect and restore the Little Miami River, which later earned the state’s first National Wild and Scenic River designation.
Soon after, the conservancy organized a pivotal meeting with U.S. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum in Washington, D.C., rallying state and federal support for transforming the old rail line into a continuous recreational trail along the river. Among those present was Chris Delaporte, director of the federal Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, who traveled to Ohio to evaluate the proposed trail. Then, State Rep. Bob Taft (later Ohio’s governor) and his wife, Hope, joined him aboard a railroad car rattling along its scenic stretches.
“We wanted to impress Chris Delaporte with the opportunity here—to show what this corridor could become if we could secure federal funding to acquire the right-of-way,” recalled former Gov. Taft. “The potential was great.”
After that trip, Delaporte was convinced and allocated $1 million in federal funds (that were matched with state dollars) to purchase the Little Miami Railroad corridor. The first section of the rail-trail, stretching 13 miles, was built between Loveland and Morrow, opening in 1984.
“It was truly amazing,” said Taft. “It really became a demonstration project. Proof of the benefit and potential of converting rail corridors all across Ohio into recreational trails. I think it opened people’s eyes, and now we’re one of the leading rails-to-trails states.”
As downtown Loveland continues to grow, city leaders increasingly see the Little Miami Scenic Trail as a driving force behind how people move through and experience the area. Decisions about where to place bike racks, expand public seating or add additional public parking are made with the trail in mind. As Dave Kennedy, Loveland’s city manager, explained, “We created a town square by the clock tower, put out these beautiful Adirondack chairs and kept expanding it and investing in amenities that support the people who are using the trail. We’re always thinking about how to complement it, and I don’t think we’ll ever stop.”
About the Trail
Winding its way northeast from Cincinnati for 78 miles through state parks and more than a dozen small towns, the Little Miami Scenic Trail plays a key role in a vast network of paved, off-road trails that connect southwestern Ohio’s Miami Valley.
LENGTH: 78 miles
COUNTIES: Clark, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton, Warren
SURFACE: Asphalt, concrete
TRAIL USES: Walking, running, biking, inline skating, horseback riding, cross-country skiing; wheelchair accessible
Changed Perceptions
Initially, the trail project wasn’t embraced by all. Some communities worried about its impact on nearby nature preserves, while others harbored safety or privacy concerns.
When Zaremsky moved to Yellow Springs in 1983, the trail debate was in full swing. “It was not universally loved,” he said. “People fought it tooth and nail.” The village of Terrace Park was among the most vocal opponents, fearing the trail would increase crime. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) ultimately refused to purchase the final 2 miles of right-of-way, effectively halting trail development.
That is, until Frederick Hauck, a Cincinnati businessman and trail advocate, donated funds to the Little Miami Conservancy to purchase the contested stretch. The nonprofit later transferred the land to the Hamilton County Park District, preserving the opportunity to complete the route.
Don Mills and his wife Judy are bike enthusiasts and Terrace Park residents of 58 years. When Don would attend events in Cincinnati, he always heard the same feedback after people learned which neighborhood he lived in. “You’re the people that blocked the trail,” Don recalled. “Being publicly embarrassed by what Terrace Park had stopped in the ‘90s sent me on my way to see if there was a way to get [the trail] connected,” he said. In 2000, the Mills met with the ODNR to do something about it. Together they went street by street, talking to residents who lived near the trail, listening to their concerns about safety and privacy. “By going to their houses and talking to them directly—and inviting them to go on bike rides to see the trail firsthand—their opposition melted,” Don said.
Decades later, those fears have faded. Towns that once questioned the trail now see it as a cornerstone of local life and business. Tri-State Trails, in partnership with Friends of the Little Miami State Park and Great Parks of Hamilton County, counted 1.79 million uses of the trail in a 2024 trail monitoring report.
“The trail is an anchor to our downtown—it’s their front door,” said Kennedy, noting that businesses now orient themselves toward the trail.
And the economic ripple is measurable. A 2008 University of Cincinnati study found that homes saw their values rise by $7.05 for every foot closer to the trail, with buyers willing to pay a $9,000 premium to live within 1,000 feet of the trail.
“The residential component is the future for downtown districts,” said Kennedy. “And what are people drawn to? The bike trail, the river and the amenities nearby.”
Great Council State Park
Ohio’s 76th state park, Great Council State Park, opened in 2024 to honor and preserve the deep history and enduring presence of the Shawnee people. Located at the heart of the Shawnee village of Old Chillicothe, the park tells a story that stretches back thousands of years, beginning with the Hopewell and Adena cultures. Its name, “Great Council,” reflects the importance of decision-making in Shawnee governance and community life.
In creating the park, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) worked with the three federally recognized Shawnee tribes: the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Shawnee Tribe. “[The tribes] helped with the coordination from the beginning and throughout the entire project—from the design of the building [to] the architecture and the exhibits inside,” said Melissa Clark, the ODNR’s southwest district manager.
At its center is a 12,000-squarefoot interpretive facility modeled after a historical Shawnee longhouse. Nearby, a new bicycle/pedestrian bridge over U.S. Route 68, slated for completion in 2027, will safely connect the Little Miami Scenic Trail to the park’s entrance. The bridge will give people walking and bicycling direct access to the site, making it an ideal stop for families, school groups and travelers exploring Ohio’s trail network.
“We really wanted to find a way to be able to bring folks that were on the trail over to the facility and make that connection safe for everyone,” said Clark. “We think it’s going to be a great asset.”
Not Another Like It
True to its name, the rail-trail delivers a picturesque experience—from its rolling farmland and shaded forests to limestone cliffs and narrow gorges carved by ancient glaciers. “There are wide areas where you’re looking at farms, or at the river, or covered in the forest, and then you come along to a really cute town with restaurants and all of the amenities that you would need. I don’t think there’s a trail quite like it,” said Tiffany DeChant-Hunt, an ODNR park manager.
Established in 1979, the Little Miami State Park protects about 50 miles—or nearly two-thirds—of the trail. And the route follows the federally designated Little Miami National Wild and Scenic River, offering opportunities for exploring by both land and water. “That’s what makes this trail special,” said DeChant-Hunt. “It really brings together paddling, biking, hiking and even horseback riding.”
Behind the scenes, the trail’s success depends on a network of dedicated partners who keep it safe, welcoming and well maintained. At the forefront is the Friends of the Little Miami State Park, a volunteer organization that oversees daily upkeep and coordinates closely with the ODNR.
“We have 137 volunteers, with about 90 very active,” said Becky Retzer, president of the nonprofit. “Most are retired engineers or architects and committed community members who take pride in problem-solving and improving the trail. They’re out every week—leaf-blowing, repairing and responding to maintenance calls.”
“We created an asset that has benefited millions of people to this day, improving the quality of life for Ohioans and also attracting visitors from outside the state to enjoy what we have to offer.”
—Former Ohio Governor Bob Taft
Strong Connections
Much like the Little Miami River flows into the Ohio River, the trail itself feeds like a tributary into a larger body of trail systems. The Little Miami Scenic Trail is part of the Ohio to Erie Trail that cuts a diagonal across the state, as well as the Buckeye Trail that forms a long-distance hiking loop around Ohio.
“There are people all over the region and the country that come and stay downtown just to use the bike trail,” said Leann Castillo, director for the Clark County Park District, which is headquartered in Springfield. “It’s cool that Ohio has become a regional entity for its trails. It really draws a national eye here.”
From Springfield, the trail heads south through restored prairie and farmland down toward Yellow Springs with its bike-friendly cafés, restaurants, and the nearby Glen Helen Nature Preserve and John Bryan State Park. Farther south, at Xenia Station, the Little Miami Scenic Trail reaches a unique trail hub, joining the Creekside Trail, Prairie Grass Trail, Ohio to Erie Trail and Jamestown Connector Trail. The replica 1880s depot at the juncture serves as a museum and iconic trailhead for the region.
The Miami and Shawnee peoples once built villages and ceremonial earthworks in this region. In Oregonia, trailgoers can visit the interpretive center at the Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to learn about the Indigenous peoples who inhabited the area and walk the grounds to understand its geographical and cultural significance.
At its end, the trail reaches Cincinnati, linking with trails through Armleder Park and looping around the municipal Lunken Airport. For years, the connection to the Ohio River remained out of reach. That is, until 2022, when the Beechmont Bridge Connector finally closed the gap after nearly 20 years of planning. The short but critical link carries trail users safely over the Little Miami River and beneath state Route 32. It also ties into Cincinnati’s CROWN trail system, a 34-mile urban loop that connects neighborhoods, business districts and parks throughout the city.
“We’ve built great relationships with the communities all along the trail,” said DeChant-Hunt. “It only works because everyone shares a sense of ownership. When local governments, volunteers and businesses all pull in the same direction, we’re able to make better decisions and create an experience that truly reflects each community.”
The Gold Standard
Eric Oberg, Rails to Trails Conservancy’s senior director of programs, works just blocks from the trail at RTC’s Midwest Regional Office in Yellow Springs. He noted that the Little Miami Scenic Trail was one of the state’s earliest rail-trail conversions and became a model for how to do it right, entering RTC’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
“It created a template,” Oberg explained. “When people in Ohio ask, ‘How do you build a rail-trail?’ They look at the Little Miami. The Friends group that manages a large portion of it has also been the gold standard for volunteer management and trail maintenance.”
Communities from Springfield to Cincinnati continue to invest in and expand the trail and its amenities. In Loveland, a master plan to revitalize Nisbet Park—located along a popular section of the trail in the heart of downtown—is nearly complete, including an amphitheater project to expand the park’s capacity for concerts, festivals and other events. And in November 2025, the Elstun Trail connection to the southern end of the Little Miami Scenic Trail was completed, linking hundreds of households and businesses in Anderson Township and Mt. Washington into the local trail system.
That cooperative approach has become the trail’s hallmark. “Southwestern Ohio was at the forefront of the [rail-trail] movement and acted with vision and speed to take advantage of it,” said Taft, adding that over the years, “we created an asset that has benefited millions of people to this day, improving the quality of life for Ohioans and also attracting visitors from outside the state to enjoy what we have to offer.”
Related Links
- Miami Valley Trails network
- Little Miami Conservancy
- Friends of the Little Miami State Park
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Trail Facts
Name: Little Miami Scenic Trail
Used railroad corridor: Little Miami Railroad (LMRR)
Trail website: Miami Valley Trails network
Length: 78 miles
Counties: Clark, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton, Warren
Start point/end point: W. Jefferson St. and S. Center St. (Springfield); Armleder-Lunken Connector Trail at Beechmont Ave. (Anderson)
Surface type: Asphalt, concrete
Grade: The trail has a slight downward grade heading north to south (Springfield to Anderson).
Uses: Walking, running, biking, inline skating, horseback riding (within Greene County), cross-country skiing; wheelchair accessible
Difficulty: The Little Miami Scenic Trail offers a route suitable for most abilities as it’s fully paved and offers the relatively level grade of a typical rail-trail.
Getting there: There are two major commercial airports near the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The northern leg of the trail is about 30 miles from Dayton International Airport (3600 Terminal Drive, Dayton, OH), and the southern end of the trail is about 20 miles from the Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International Airport (3087 Terminal Drive, Hebron, KY).
Access and parking: There are numerous places to park along this 78-mile trail, including (from north to south):
- Yellow Springs: Yellow Springs Station, 101 Dayton St.
- Xenia: Old Town Reserve Park, 1360 Old Springfield Pike
- Xenia: Xenia Station, 150 S. Miami Ave.
- Morrow: Phegley Park, 200 Center St.
- Loveland: Nisbet Park, 126 S. Karl Brown Way
- Loveland: Linda J. Cox Trailside Parking, 205 Broadway St.
- Milford: Terrell Park Trailhead, 130 Longworth St.
- Cincinnati: Avoca Trailhead, 7949 Wooster Pike
- Cincinnati: Bass Island Trailhead, 3949 Newtown Road
- Cincinnati: Clear Creek Park, 6200 Batavia Road
To navigate the area with an interactive GIS map, and to see more photos, user reviews and ratings, plus loads of other trip-planning information, visit TrailLink™, RTC’s free trail-finder website.
Rentals: The Miami Valley Trails website and Loveland Bike Trail website list several options for renting bikes along the Little Miami Scenic Trail.
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