Little Miami Scenic Trail

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Little Miami Scenic Trail
Yellow Springs Station in Greene County
Yellow Springs Station in Greene County
Length 76 mi (122 km)[1]
Location Southwestern Ohio
Designation Ohio State Bike Route 1 Ohio State Bike Route 1
North Country National Scenic Trail
Trailheads Springfield to Newtown, Ohio
Use Multi-use
Elevation Change -486 ft (−148.1 m)[1]
Highest Point Springfield trailhead
Lowest Point Little Miami Golf Center trailhead, Newtown
Trail Difficulty Easy (fully-accessible[2])
Season Year-round

The Little Miami Scenic Trail, also known as the Little Miami Scenic River Trail[3] and Little Miami Bike Trail, is a rail trail that runs though five southwestern counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2008, it is the longest paved trail in the United States,[4] stretching 76 mi (122 km)[1] from Springfield to Newtown, Ohio. The multi-use trail sees frequent use by hikers and bicyclists, as well as the occasional horseback rider. Over 350,000 people made use of the trail in 2005.[5]

Most of the trail runs along a dedicated, car-free corridor maintained by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as Little Miami State Park. The unusually linear state park passes though four counties, running about 50 miles (80 km) long and averaging 66 feet (20 m) in width[6] for a total of about 707 acres (286 ha).[citation needed] Elsewhere, the corridor ranges from 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.0 m) in width.[7]

The Little Miami Scenic Trail is signed in Clark, Greene, and Hamilton Counties as State Bike Route 1;[8][9][10] elsewhere, the trail uses the Ohio to Erie Trail's green-on-white logo. The Little Miami trail is an incrementally-growing section of not only the Ohio to Erie Trail, but also the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, Buckeye Trail, and North Country National Scenic Trail.[11]

Contents

[edit] 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.[12] The Loveland Bike Trail was added to the state park in 1984.[13] Two years later, the Ohio Department of Transportation received a grant from the Federal Highway Administration to complete the trail.[12]

By 1989, the trail stretched 13 miles (21 km), with its northern terminus at Morrow.[14] The original portion of the trail was dedicated on December 20, 1991.[15] 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[16] and to Springfield in 1998.[17] In 2006, after a protracted, 26-year battle with Terrace Park residents,[4][18] it was extended southward to Newtown.[19]

Recently, state budget cuts have caused portions of the trail to fall into disrepair, resulting in the temporary closure of some wooden bridges and rest areas.[20][21]

[edit] Current route

The Little Miami Scenic Trail as it approaches the former Peters Cartridge Company factory in Warren County

For the first 9 miles (14 km) to Xenia, the Little Miami Scenic Trail is operated by Clark County's National Trail Parks and Recreation District.[17] From the Buck Creek Scenic Trailhead in Springfield, the Little Miami trail runs southward parallel to U.S. Route 42 and continues to Yellow Springs. Near John Bryan State Park, the North Country Trail and Buckeye Trail enter from Dayton to the west.[11][22] 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, another part of the Ohio to Erie Trail.

Little Miami State Park begins at Hedges Road in Spring Valley, quickly meets the banks of the Little Miami River, and follows State Route 47 into Warren County. It passes through Corwin (near Waynesville), Caesar Creek State Park, and Oregonia, where the Buckeye Trail rejoins.[22] 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 Landen Mounds I and II. It continues by a few final cornfields before entering Clermont County and downtown Loveland, where it is known as the Loveland Bike Trail.

Loveland Bike Trail in Clermont County

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 Hamilton County Park District extension leads the Little Miami trail back across the river, beside local roads, to the Little Miami Golf Center in Newtown.[19] 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.[23]

[edit] Planned extensions

The Hamilton County Park District intends to extend the Little Miami Scenic Trail to Clear Creek. From there, it will follow the Little Miami River to its mouth, just past Lunken Field. At the Ohio River, the trail will meet the Ohio River Trail and continue westward towards downtown Cincinnati.

The Adventure Cycling Association has proposed designating its Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, including the Little Miami Scenic Trail, as U.S. Bicycle Route 25.[24]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Recktenwalt, Thomas J. (2008-11-16). "Little Miami Scenic Trail". Miami Valley RailTrails. http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/miami.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. 
  2. ^ Menke, Bill (August 1996). "Standards for Trail Construction" (PDF). North Country National Scenic Trail: A Handbook for Trail Design, Construction and Maintenance. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/noco/parkmgmt/upload/NCT_CH4.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-02-06. 
  3. ^ Recktenwalt, Thomas J. (2008-11-24). "Lebanon Countryside Trail". http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/Lebanon%20Countryside%20Trail.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-25. 
  4. ^ a b "Longest trails: longest paved trail and longest ice skating trail". American Trails. National Trails Training Partnership. 2007-04-15. http://www.americantrails.org/resources/info/longest.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.  The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is given as the longest, at 73 miles (117 km).
  5. ^ Ohio Department of Natural Resources (2006-08-25). Little Miami Scenic Trail Through Terrace Park Now Open Full Time. Press release. http://dnr.state.oh.us/news/aug06/0825miamitrail/tabid/14496/Default.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-11-16. 
  6. ^ "Little Miami State Park". Ohio State Parks. Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 2008. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/lilmiami/tabid/756/Default.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-11-18. 
  7. ^ "Little Miami Scenic Trail". Trails From Rails. 2008-11-16. http://www.trailsfromrails.com/miami_scenic_trail.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-18. 
  8. ^ Recktenwalt, Thomas J. (2008-11-16). "About Multi-Use Trail Names and Route Numbers". Miami Valley RailTrails. http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/trail_names.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-17. 
  9. ^ City of Xenia, Ohio. Greene County Greene Ways [map]. Available at the Xenia Station kiosk.
  10. ^ Conn, J. Stephen (May 2006). "The Little Miami Scenic Trail through Loveland". Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/83372564@N00/2984958699/. Retrieved on 2009-04-20. 
  11. ^ a b Boyd, Wes (2003-12-12). "Ohio: Heart of the North Country Trail". Following the North Country Trail (3rd ed. ed.). Lowell, Michigan: North Country Trail Association. http://www.northcountrytrail.org/explore/ex_oh/oh.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-22. 
  12. ^ a b "Little Miami Scenic Trail". YellowSprings.com. 2006-06-11. http://www.yellowsprings.com/bikepath.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-18. 
  13. ^ City of Loveland (2004-09-28). "Amendment and Addition to the City of Loveland Downtown Historic Redevelopment Plan" (Word). Historic Downtown Loveland Request For Proposals. http://www.lovelandoh.com/upload/attachment%20c.doc. Retrieved on 2007-05-28. 
  14. ^ Cutter, John A (1989-08-14). "Backers say trails lead to prosperity". North Pinellas Times (St. Petersburg Times) (St. Petersburg, Florida: Times Publishing Company): p. 1. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=btANAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VHcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3075,6240066. Retrieved on 2009-01-18. "Morrow sits at the start of the Little Miami Scenic Park trail, a 13-mile recreational path." 
  15. ^ Haidet, Janice (1992-07-22). "Stop Means Stop, Even on Greene Bike Path" (fee required). Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio: Cox Enterprises): p. Z6-1. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0F5052190D13C003. Retrieved on 2009-01-18. "There have been relatively few problems on the bikeway since it was officially dedicated Dec. 20, Schneider said." 
  16. ^ Editorial board (1991-12-05). "From Dayton to Xenia and Beyond, Congress Offered Right Connection" (fee required). Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio: Cox Enterprises): p. 14A. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0F5050B74D2664F2. Retrieved on 2009-01-18. "The Yellow Springs-to-Xenia portion of the Little Miami trail was paved in the fall." 
  17. ^ a b "Trails". National Trail Parks And Recreation District. 2008-08-19. http://www.ntprd.org/trails.htm. 
  18. ^ Edwards, Jennifer (2004-03-01). "Trail's happy median sought". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/01/loc_loc3terr.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16. 
  19. ^ a b Ohio Department of Natural Resources (2006-06-10). Governor Taft Cuts Ribbon on Little Miami Scenic Trail Extension in Hamilton County. Press release. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/jun06/0610lilmiami/tabid/13410/Default.aspx. Retrieved on 2008-11-16. 
  20. ^ Whitaker, Carrie (2008-11-11). "Unsafe conditions on bike trail". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081111/NEWS01/311110028. Retrieved on 2008-11-16. 
  21. ^ McCall, Ken (2008-10-31). "Little Miami Scenic Trail needs help from its friends". Dayton Daily News (Cox Enterprises). http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/columns/2008/10/31/ddn103108getout.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16. 
  22. ^ a b "Caesar Creek Section". Buckeye Trail Association. 2007-02-07. http://www.buckeyetrail.org/sec-caesarcreek.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-22. 
  23. ^ "Williamsburg Section". Buckeye Trail Association. 2007-02-07. http://www.buckeyetrail.org/sec-williamsburg.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-22. 
  24. ^ "2 Digit Number Designation" (PDF). Missoula, Montana: Adventure Cycling Association. 2008-12-03. http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/nbrn/USBRSCorridorMap.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-01-10. 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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