What's New in Miami Valley Rail
Trails?
Older Material
Saved for historical information
I've decided to put the older material on another page but
not eliminate it. That way if you want to see the progress of trail development
in the Miami Valley, you have here the month-by-month record as I've reported it
to you.
04 September 2001
Riding
Minnesota's RailTrails (Summer 2001) I've added Glenn
Oster's newest article to the website. Glenn does those long beautiful
bicycle trail rides that many of us would like to. His newest article is on a new
page. I'll be adding more pictures when I get them from Glenn.
I understand that ground was broken a few weeks ago in
South Charleston for the extension of the Cedarville
Trail from Xenia to Cedarville (already open) to South Charleston.
My source tells me that the Greene County Parks folks are hoping to have the
trail complete by November 2001.
My paper tells me that the City of Waynesville has
approved the funding to make a bicycle spur from the City to the Little
Miami Scenic Trail at Corwin.
As you all know, the new bridge on the Creekside Trail
in Montgomery County over Spinning Road is still under construction. It is
hoped that the bridge can be finished before Winter this year, 2001.
05 August 2001
Tipp
City Park Update There is new information about the status of
the construction for bicycle trails in Tipp City. The section from City Park
north to the Nature Center will be completed this year. Also the section
through the new Canal Lock Park will be done this year. The connectivity
between Kyle Park and Canal Lock Park to the North and the connection
between Canal Lock Park and City Park will be delayed for 2-3 years. I have
been told that land easements need to be obtained and more funding grants
will be necessary to complete the trails in Tipp City.
15 July 2001
"Piqua Linear
Park" I added this new page to the site. I have been in
Piqua several times this Spring and Summer watching the construction of the
new bicycle trail, or "linear park" as they call it. I now have
the page up with new photos of this beautiful, new trail. Eventually it will
connect with the North-South trail that that Miami County is planning.
16 June 2001
New Website on Wildflowers
Along The Cedarville Trail. Professor John Silvius of Cedarville
College has
built a website about wildflowers that are along the
Cedarville Trail from Xenia Station to Cedarville I'll have a link
on the Cedarville Trail web page as well. I would not be surprised if the
wildflowers he shows on his website are on many of the trails in the Miami
Valley. So if you see a wildflower on one of our trails that you cannot
recognize go to John's website for information. For questions or to report
new plant species observed on the bikeway, please contact John
Silvius
Englewood Bike Path Construction Starts
Construction on the trail in Englewood along the Stillwater River will start
behind the Samarian North Health Center 9000 N. Main Street and head east to
Jason Grossnickle Park. It follows the Stillwater River north, veering west
under the spillway and east into Englewood MetroPark where it joins trails
in the MetroPark that run north towards Union. This is a part of the Miami
Valley Regional Planning Commission's master plan for bicycle trails within
Montgomery, Greene and Miami counties. Eventually, it is hoped that this
trail can be run south along the Stillwater River to terminate downtown and
connect with the area-wide trail system.
3 June 2001
New Bicycle Trail in Piqua. The City of Piqua in Miami County inaugurated their first bicycle trail and dedicated
French Park, which is phase one of the $10 million Loop Project. The 5.5-mile trail
segment will be enlarged next year by 8 more miles to make a 13.5-mile East-West Trail.
There are pictures of the new bridge over Stat Route 35 and the conversion of the railroad
bridge over the Great Miami River on the Miami Valley RailTrails website at Trails in Miami County.
I hope to ride the new trail soon and bring back some good photos for the website. This trail will eventually run into the planned
county-wide trail being planned to run from Taylorsville MetroPark in Montgomery
north through Tipp City, Troy and then on to Piqua.
New Bicycle Trail Proposed in South West Ohio
In May a new trail was proposed trail that would connect the Little Miami Scenic Trail to
the Great Miami Trail in Butler and Warren counties. The trail dubbed the "Miami To
Miami" trail would run through Fairfield, Hamilton, Mason, Liberty and West Chester.
When completed the trail and the trail spurs to connect all of the towns would total 67
miles. The coalition of towns and cities is seeking funding. There is no completion date
given as yet. As you may know the Great Miami Trail is being extended south from
Montgomery County at Crains Run MetroPark 18 miles along the Great Miami River to
Hamilton. This is the Great Miami Trail that the proposed East-West trail would connect
to in the West. On the East of the proposed trail is the existing Little Miami Scenic Trail.
Although my information does not state the connection point, it will probably connect
near Mason, Ohio.
14 April 2001
Simon Kenton Trail Groundbreaking I attended
the Groundbreaking ceremony for the Simon Kenton Trail today. It was at
10:00 AM and well attended. I'll have pictures on the website soon. The
ceremony was for the construction of the first phase of the trail which will
be built from the Cedar Bog north to State Route 55, a distance of 2.5
miles.
While at the Groundbreaking I met members of two groups
who are planning trails in their county.
Logan County Trails met a group from Logan
County who are planning a trail. I have no more information as of
this writing but will provide information to you as soon as I get it.
Madison County Trails I also met Mr. Wayne
Roberts, a member of
a Madison County group who are planning for the Ohio to Erie
Trail to go through London, Ohio on its way to "The Flats" in Cleveland.
More from them as soon as I get information.
13 April 2001
My friends at Five
Rivers MetroParks inform me that the contract to build the bridge on the Creekside
Recreation Trail at Spinning Road has been let. The bridge will be completed by
Fall 2001 and will cost approximately $330K. That means trail users will not
have to brave the traffic on Spinning Road to use the trail.
Yes! It's Friday the
Thirteenth! However I've completed adding the pictures to Glenn Oster's new
article. "What A Wonderful
World". Glenn is a former trustee of the North County Trail and is
a international cyclist. His latest article takes him riding to Australia and
New Zealand with Stunning Pictures! See his other articles at Glenn
Oster's Rail Trail Reviews.His other review is one of the Little
Miami Scenic Trail he did in the Summer of 2000.
15 March 2001
New Bicycle Trails are
being built in Miami County That's right! I'll be adding new information to
the site on the proposed trail from Taylorsville MetroPark in Montgomery County to Tipp
City, Troy and finally to Piqua. Watch this space for more! OR Join my mailing list and learn all about
it fast!
7 January 2001
Holmes County
Rails-To-Trails to get Funding Holmes County has received funding from
ODOT to build trails in that county. The trail currently runs from Holmesville to
Millersburg. Plans are in progress to run from Fredericksburg to
Holmesville.
Holmesville to Millersburg to Killbuck & beyond 'ODOT
representatives, Karen Young and Sharon Todd reported that of the $5 million allotment,
the Holmes County Trail, will receive $1,793,528.00. ODOT will fund $1,242,334.00 for
Phase 1 and $551,194.00 for Phase 4 of the $4.7 million dollar project with the first
round of TEA-21 funding. Phase 1 will include construction of a tunnel under State Route
83 south of Holmesville, an asphalt bike lane from Holmesville to Millersburg, and
construction of a limestone horse and buggy path from Holmesville to Millersburg.
Phase 4 includes construction of an asphalt bike lane, a limestone buggy path from
Fredericksburg to Holmesville and repair or replacement of several grade crossings. This
funding will complete 10 of the 29 mile project. Additional funding will be sought in the
future for other portions of the project " .http://www.holmesrailstotrails.org
The Holmes County coalition is requesting members and now has a great website which
you should see
Ohio to Erie Trail News My "Ohio to Erie
Trail" newsletter tells me of progress in finishing the trail from Cincinnati on the
Ohio River to "The Flats" in downtown Cleveland on Lake Erie. When completed the
trail will be the longest in the United States. For more information on their progress
check their new website which is http://www.ohiotoerietrail.org
Little Miami Scenic Trail to be Repaved My
reading tells me that all the users of the Little Miami Scenic Trail got a early Christmas
present. A 6.4 mile section of the trail from Kings Mills to Loveland will be closed for a
time during the Winter to widen the trail from eight to ten feet. The construction will be
complete before we begin cycling in the Spring of 2001.
16 November 2000
Piqua Bike Trail Construction The city of Piqua
(Miami County) announced recently that they would be building a trail along the Conrail
corridor East and West from Lock Nine Park to the city's new French Park another 3.9 miles
to Patrizio Place. This section is planned for completion by the end of 2001. A third
phase, not yet for bid will extend the East-West trail to a total of 6.5 miles for $1.6
million. The plan includes a renovation of the 550' railroad bridge over the Great Miami
River. The city also is making plans to build a North-South trail 6.6 miles trail along
the canal and river levee. This trail will be designed next year and will complete the
13.5 miles of the trail.
City of Lebanon to build Spur to Little Miami Scenic Trail
The city of Lebanon (Warren County) is planning to connect to the existing trail via
Deerfield Road and Kingsview Drive as a way to get downtown or to the YMCA. The YMCA
started the $250,000 trail and paid for the engineering and design work. No estimate was
given for completion
City of Waynesville to build Spur to Little Miami Scenic
Trail The city of Waynesville in Warren County is planning to build a spur from
the City to the trail at the Town of Corwin. No date was given for completion
9 October 2000
Main Street Station 19 S. Main St. Cedarville, Oh
(937) 766-4847. Check out this restaurant that has been at the intersection of the
Ohio-To-Erie Trail in Cedarville with State Route 72. They have been open one year, and
they are expanding with a outdoor (see it next year) dining area especially for cyclists.
I am also told that a local firm will be building a 20 room hotel at the same intersection
in Cedarville! Great!
26 Sept 2000
Glenn Oster's Trail
Reviews Glenn is a Cyclist who has ridden
the Little Miami Scenic Trail (1998) and this year (2000) rode many trails in the Far
West. Read his most interesting Trail Reviews. I've had to make a special page for them!
10 Sept 2000
I attended the dedication of the North Miami Bikeway in Taylorsville
MetroPark. I'll have pictures on this site soon.
Five Rivers
MetroParks Levy.
Five Rivers MetroParks is requesting that you vote for the parks levy on 7 November, 2000.
Do you remember what our Montgomery Parks looked liked before
the last levy? I do. They were Dirty, Dangerous and Unkempt! Under the levy that
previously was passed our parks were cared for and became clean and safe places for our
families. As a part of the levy, bicycle trails became a priority of Five Rivers
MetroParks. They are asking you to approve a levy that will give us more parks, and more
importantly to those who read these pages, more bike trails. There is additional
information at their Five Rivers
MetroParks Official Levy 2000 Website. Please read it and vote FOR the levy! This website endorses the Five Rivers
MetroParks Levy
16 July 2000
The Buck Creek Trail (Photos) from
Buck Creek State Park east of Springfield, Ohio down the Buck Creek 3.1 miles and
ending at Veteran's Park in Springfield is completed. This trail continues on city streets
and trail segments south and west through Springfield until it reaches the end of theLittle Miami Scenic Trail
at Interstate 70 (I-70)
23 June 2000
The North Miami Bikeway (Phase I) [Photos]
is open. Since it's a part of the Great Miami Trail, they are changing
its name to Great Miami Trail. I had a guided tour of the 3.5 miles trail from
Taylorsville MetroPark to the Soccer Fields in Huber Heights. The next section is planned
for construction next year (2001). I'll have information and pictures for you Watch
for the Grand Opening! Tell them you saw it first it Miami Valley Rail Trails!
5 June 2000
New Creekside Trail Dedication: The dedication was
held last Saturday 6/3/00, see below. I took pictures and will be providing them on the Creekside Trail as soon as I get them back from the photo
shop. We now have :
"125 Miles of paved, connected,
multiuse trails in the Miami Valley"
Isn't It Wonderful!! More trails are coming soon,
and I'll report them here for you.
30 April 2000
Great Connection Receives Sponsorship
Good news for the Great Connection! A number of local communities and
townships have geared up to help out with funding the Great Connection.
The list includes Clearcreek Township, Carlisle, Springboro and Franklin Township. The
project still requires more funding, but this is a great start! The Great Connection will connect the
Great Miami Trail with an existing path in Hamilton.
Cedarville Trail to South
Charleston and New London may receive Funding The Ohio to Erie Trail may be
receiving $2,000,000! The House and Senate will be considering proposed projects under
House Bill 640, which includes funding 18.4 miles of the Ohio to Erie trail from
Cedarville to London. This funding will also cover the cost to construct three bridges.
Hamilton County Park District applies for funds for Little
Miami Scenic Trail Bridge Hamilton County Park District applied to the Ohio
Kentucky Indiana Council of Governments for a bridge over the Little Miami River near
Newtown. This bridge will also carry a sewer pipe across the river and is an important
link in the Trail between Cincinnati and Milford. (Ohio to Erie Newsletter).
Dedication of the Buck Creek Trail13
May 2000 (10 AM) The Ribbon Cutting ceremony will take place at Old Reid Park on
Pumphouse Road. A commemorative gift will be given to the first 150 people! For more
information, contact the National Trail Parks and Recreation District
at (937) 328-PARK. Also, visit their website at http://www.ntprd.org/
.It's still under construction, but they'll be including a bikeway maps and other
information for the Clark County Area. The Buck Creek Trail will run East and West from
Buck Creek State Park to the trail being built north from Springfield to Urbana called
"The Simon Kenton Trail."
Bike Bridge Constructed over Great Miami River built This
week saw the steel erected for the bike bridge across the Great Miami River at Rip-Rap
Road and Anglers Lane. The bridge will take the North Miami Bikeway across the river to
the East bank where the trail will be build south to Fishburg Road where (it is hoped) the
new spur will be build east to connect Huber Heights to the trail system at "Canal
Locks Park". The North Miami Bikeway will continue south along the Great Miami River
to the new road and bicycle bridge mentioned below will take the trail back to the East
bank of the River to continue south and connect with the Great Miami Bikeway at Triangle
Park.
20 March 2000
New Bridge announced over Great Miami River at Rip Rap Road Montgomery
County approved a $6.3M construction over the Great Miami River which will contain a 10
foot bikeway separated from the roadway by a concrete barrier. This continues the
construction of the North Miami Bikewayfrom
Taylorsville MetroPark, along the Great Miami River south to connect with the
Great Miami Trail at Triangle Park in downtown Dayton.
Another section of the bikeway along the river from US-40 to Little York Road should be
completed by October 2000. The next section includes the new bridge and construction south
of it should be complete by the year 2004 say Five Rivers MetroParks planner Judith Vargo
The trail that I had called for years the Mad River Bikeway Extension
has a new name. It's called the Mad River Trail.I'm
rewriting any references to the old name.
The Simon
Kenton Trail in Clark and Champaign County has a web site! This trail
will run from Clark Road in Urbana County run through Champaign County, connect south to
the Cedar Bog and finally connect
in the south to the Little Miami Scenic Trail
I have added a Miami Valley RailTrails Search Tool
to the site. By using it you can find any information from the website. Use it to find
trails, accommodations, names of organizations; whatever.
My friends at Five Rivers Metroparks inform me that the contract to
pave Rip-Rap Road has been let. More on this later but this is a part of the construction
of the North Miami Bikeway the new trail from
Taylorsville MetroPark south along the Great Miami River to connect with Triangle Park in
Dayton and the Great Miami Trail
The specifications for the contract to build the Spinning Road Bridge
on the Creekside Trail is at the contractors.
With a bit of luck the bridge will be accomplished this year, 2000.
The new trail being built called the Buck Creek Bikeway
, running east and west from Buck Creek State Park (near Springfield) is
partially paved. It is planned to end at the State Campground in the park and at Veteran's
Park to the west. More on this later, including pictures!
30 Jan 2000
I've added new pictures to the Cedarville
Trail page. We visited South Charleston about 9 or 10 miles Northeast of
Cedarville to look at the trail right-of-way that will carry the Ohio To Erie Trail to
South Charleston, on its way eventually to Cleveland
I'm adding more pictures to the "T-Connector"
page. This is the bridge from the Wright
Brothers Memorial which is the current terminus for the Kauffman Avenue Bikeway We celebrated
recently because about about $500,000 or 1/3 of the money needed to build the
"T-Connector" bridge from the Memorial across the CSX tracks and State Route 444
in Fairborn to Huffman MetroPark was found. See below at "T-Connector"
for more information
8 January 2000
The "H" Connectortrail,
now renamed the Creekside Trail is completely paved! (See
Creekside/"H" Connector Photos)
We went out on the trail New Years Day and saw over 100 bicyclists, runners, bladers and
walkers using a not yet completed trail. I took pictures and some of them are on the
H-Connector web page. The north south trail from Eastwood MetroPark to Woodbine (1 mile
South of Linden where the trails crosses) is yet unnamed. Does anyone have a suggestion
for a name? Five Rivers Metroparks is looking for a name for this trail that will extend
into Kettering and re-enter Greene County near the Research Park in Beavercreek.
28 December 1999
Waynesville to build trail spur to Little Miami Scenic Trail.
My reading tells me that the city of Waynesville is planning a extension to the Little Miami Scenic Trail at Corwin. An Ohio Department of
Transportation grant for $51,832 was secured in order to provide a bike path on the Mill
Creek and the river bridges.
18 December 1999
News Release12/15/1999 Governor
Bob Taft Announces Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Funds "Funding for a part of the
"Great Connection" in Franklin, Ohio" (Editor)
In a December 14, 1999 press release, Governor Taft announced the
bicycle/pedestrian projects in Ohio that were selected to receive funding through the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) monies.
Among the local projects selected was the Miami Conservancy District's Warren County
section of The Great Connection, which received
approval of a grant for $1,135,928. The 28-mile Great Connection when
completed would link the 28.4-mile Great Miami River Pathway
(AKA (River Corridor Bikeway- Editor) with the City of Hamilton's 3.7-mile
bikeway. The Great Miami River pathway begins at Sinclair Park in Harrison Township and
ends at Crains Run Park in Miami Township near the Warren County line.
The 3.3-mile section funded in Warren County lies entirely within the City of Franklin and
would follow the Great Miami River. The grant covers 80% of the construction cost of the
project. The portion of the project cost not covered by the TEA-21 grant would be paid by
local government entities. The total cost of the project is expected to be about 1.9
million dollars.
The funding, planning and construction of The Great Connection is managed by the Miami
Conservancy District. For further information, please contact Mr. Hans
Landefeld,
937.223.1278 ext. 3223.
12 December 1999
Rubicon Bikeway - Five Rivers MetroParks in
coordination with the University of Dayton is building a 0.5 mile trail from the
University to the Great Miami Trail. It should be complete
sometime in 2001
Dunbar Connector (my name) to be built. Five Rivers
MetroParks is in planning stages with Dodson-Stilson as the project engineer, to run a
connector from the Great Miami Trail up Wolf Creek Northwest to Blaine Street near
the Paul Laurence Dunbar House. (MAP)
Eventually, plans are being made (hoped) to connect this first step to the Wolf Creek RailTrail itself.
Tadmor Bikeway Bridge - The Tadmor Bikeway Bridge is
expected to be near complete by the end of 1999.. The Tadmor Trail is a portion of the North Miami Bikeway that exists within the borders of the
Taylorsville MetroPark. When completed the North Miami Bikeway will follow the Great Miami
River from the MetroPark to connect with the Great Miami Trail.
at Triangle Park in Dayton.
4 December 1999
T-Connector! On
Monday 15 November 1999, U.S. Congressman David Hobson, celebrated the receipt of
$500,000, one-third of the funds necessary to build the "T-Connector". This
bridge will connect the Wright Brothers' Bikeway which
ends in downtown Fairborn, with the Huffman MetroPark at Huffman Dam. A trail will be
built from there to Eastwood MetroPark on Harshman Road. This will connect Fairborn to
downtown Dayton via the Mad River Bikeway Extension and to Xenia via
the Creekside Trail. The funds should pay for engineering plans
pending the remainder of the funds necessary to build the bridge.
23 October 1999
It's the Great Connection! The
Miami Conservancy District is taking the lead to
develop the extension of the River Corridor Bikeway south 28 miles to Hamilton. The trail
begins at the Warren-Montgomery Line and parallels the Great Miami River and Miami-Erie
Canal through Warren and Butler counties. It ends by joining an existing 3.6 mile pathway
downstream of the Main-High Bridge in Hamilton.
11 October 1999
It's been a while but we have good news!
The Creekside Trail AKA as The "H" Connector is being paved! Its current
terminal point, is just East of I-675 and US-35. The paving is from there to Eastwood
MetroPark. The first course of asphalt is down and I expect the trail to be finished by
this year. Unfortunately, the plans for the bridge at Spinning Road were not completed in
time, so they are ramping the trail down to street level for now and they will erect the
bridge next year.
Cedarville Trail is being
extended! Funds have been made available and the trail is being extended to South
Charleston. I don't have pictures as yet, but will get some soon. This continuation will
go on to London, Columbus and Akron as the Ohio-To-Erie Trail takes shape. The entire 350
or so mile Ohio-To-Erie Trail is planned to be completed by 2003.
The Central
State Connector was dedicated! The connector, from the Cedarville Trail to
Central State University and providing access for Wilberforce College nearby, was
dedicated Friday, 8 October 1999. Named for Dr. Vivian F. Lewis, a longtime advocate of
cycling in Greene County, the "spur" provides connectivity for both colleges to
the Cedarville Trail and from it to the entire Miami Valley Trails system.
Little Miami Scenic Trail is being
extended! This year, 1999 saw the extension of the Little Miami Scenic Trail to
John's Road in South Springfield. We have word that construction has begun on the
extension of the trail from the North side of Springfield to Cedar Bog. I have no news on
the completion of this trail but as funds are released it is planned to take the trail
North to Urbana with a spur to Buck Creek State Park.
7 August 1999
Ohio House Of Representatives May Force RailTrails Be Fenced!
The Ohio House of Representatives is considering a bill; HB353, that
would allow adjacent property owners to force the RailTrail to fence the land
bordering their property. This could make the development of a new RailTrail prohibitively
expensive and cost an existing RailTrail enough of its budget that would force its closure
This is my opinion. If you also think that this is a bad idea, then go to Bike
Miami Valley's Don't Fence Me In
(Link Removed) page and see what you can do to help
I have added a page that provides information on restaurants and
hotels near all of the RailTrails. Called Accommodations and
Restaurants
27 June 1999
Did You Know Department. Did you know that according to a
survey commissioned by the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (try
to say that three times fast), that The Little Miami Scenic Trail could serve as many
as 150,000 people in 1999!
The Ohio To Erie Trail ,AKA Cedarville
Trail, that ends currently in Cedarville has gotten its funding for the next extension to
South Charleston. I also understand that acquisition of the next section to London is
going apace. I understand, but have not seen, that the spur to Wilberforce College has
been completed. I'll go check on it and take pictures soon.
The Little Miami Scenic Trail currently
ending at John's Street, Springfield, has funding to extend the trail from the North of
Springfield to the Cedar Bog, about 7 miles. Then the trail will be extended to Urbana
with a spur to Buck Creek State Park.
The River Corridor Bikeway has had the trail
split at Marina Drive in West Carrolltown. The trail now has it's own right-of-way on the
left part of Marina Drive from "K" Station, past Whitman's Bike Shop. The trail
then crosses Marina Drive just South of the bike shop and rejoins the trail.
My Dayton Daily News tells
me that the River Corridor Bikeway's extension to Franklin and Hamilton is in planning.
Called "The Great Connection" the proposed 28 mile extension to the River
Corridor Bikeway, would put the trail much closer to Cincinnati. The Ohio,
Kentucky & Indiana Consortium (which is planning trails in the three states) plan
for this trail to reach the Ohio River, go through Cincinnati and link up with the Little
Miami Scenic Trail.
Construction should start soon on the extension of the Creekside Trail AKA "H-Connector" from just West of the
Interstate 675, US-35 intersection, to Eastwood MetroPark. The work should be completed
before Fall. However the plans for the bridge over Spinning Road were not completed in
time, so the construction will end this Fall without a bridge over the road. My sources
tell me that there will be stairs on both sides of the trail to bring the trail down to
Spinning so that you can cross the road and go up the other staircase to resume riding the
trail. Maybe next year....sigh.
9 May 1999
Donna and I have been riding since March this year, 1999. I've
already updated the Kaufmann Avenue Bikeway page, the Yellow Springs to Springfield
section of the Little Miami Scenic Trail as well as updating the Creekside
Trail page. We have ridden from Morrow to Loveland and will provide a
review with pictures soon. Our last ride was from Xenia to Corwin this weekend. Wonderful
Ride! More news things are coming here and on my other site Bike Miami Valley. Watch for
them!
26 April 1999
Yellow Springs Station was dedicated Saturday 8 May 1999. I'll have
picture up soon. The Station contains the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce office as
well as restroom and a "year-round" water fountain. It is designed to work all
year round.
14 March 1999 Mark your calendars. There are two
upcoming events you may want to attend
Saturday 17 April 1999. Dedication of the Little
Miami Scenic Trail extension from Yellow Springs to Springfield. Dedication in Springfield
at 10AM
What: Grand Opening Festivities - Little Miami
Scenic Trail Springfield to Yellow Springs When: Saturday, April 17 Where: Downtown Springfield, corner of S. Center and W. Jefferson Streets
– just south of Clark County Public Library Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Ceremony & Ribbon Cutting at Noon)
Activities:
Food
Music
Fun
Local and Statewide Dignitaries
High Wheel Bicycle Demonstrations
Displays by Bicycle Shops
Physical Fitness Clubs
Health Care Providers
Bike Maps
Discussion of Bicycle Trails in Southwest Ohio.
Presenters: Clark County Park District & City of Springfield Park District
Sunday 18 April 1999 Bike Expo
When: Noon-4pm, Sunday, April 18 Where: The newly-refurbished Wegerzyn Horticultural Center,
1301 East Siebenthaler Road, Dayton Features:
1. This free event will include rides on new Santana tandems (courtesy of International
Pro Bike Shop).
2. Free bike helmets and bike rodeo for the kids
3. Door prizes.
4. Bike registration
5. Interesting seminars:
1pm: DCC Commuter Committee will stage a bicycle commuting demonstration/discussion
including an entertaining videotape.
21 January 1999
We have news that the Huffman Prairie Overlook
Trail will soon have a pedestrian (or cyclist) operated crossing at the corner of
Kauffman and National Roads. The contract for this crossing has been let. Also the City of
Fairborn are investigating the same thing at Colonel Glenn Rd.
Twin Towers Park in Bath Township of Greene County will be more
accessible to cyclists soon. Plans are being made to widen Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road
with a paved shoulder from I-675 to the park, a distance of about 3 miles. Expect
completion by September this year.
Plans are being made in Miami County to build a trail along the
towpath of the old Miami-Erie Canal. Currently the group is concentrating on a 3 mile
stretch between Dye Road to Cowelsville Road in Concord Township near Tipp City. Plans are
being made to eventually connect with the Montgomery trails system at Taylorsville
MetroPark and the North
Miami Bikeway being planned.
A new trail from Lunken Airport to New Richmond Indiana is being
planned by the Ohio,
Kentucky & Indiana Consortium and others in the Cincinnati area. The contract for
the Feasibility Study has been let for the proposed 14 mile trail. More on this later
The Yellow Springs to Springfield Ohio section of the Little Miami Scenic Trail was opened on Saturday 11/14/98. I'll get
a review up here and more info as soon as I can.
12 October 1998:
The construction of the trail from Yellow Springs to Springfield
(John Street) should be complete by the end of October 1998.
The trail from Springfield to Buck Creek State Park should be done by
the end of 1999
The Jamestown Trail will be paved from Xenia
Station to the Miami Trails Brewery in 1999
The extension of the Cedarville Trail to
London Ohio (18 miles) should be begun next year and will be completed in two years. The
trail will go through South Charleston and London, where staging areas will be
constructed, to Hillary, Plain City and then on to Columbus. This is all a part of the
Ohio to Erie Trail, from the Ohio River near Cincinnati to Cleveland and Lake Erie
The Creekside Trail will get a spur about
one mile East of Kilkare Speedway. A bridge will spar the Beavercreek there to enter James
Ranch. The new Xenia Bypass will continue through James Ranch and the Greene County
Fairgrounds and will connect with the Yellow Springs Trail at the
McDonalds on US-68 North of Xenia. More details after I go look over the area.
The planned "H-Connector" which
will extend the Creekside Recreation Trail West along US-35 to connect with the Mad
River Extension at Eastwood MetroPark will start construction next spring, in 1999 and
should be completed by Fall 1999. That means you can ride the Little Miami Scenic Trail to
Xenia, turn West and ride Creekside and "H" connector to downtown Dayton and the
River Corridor Trail, along the Great Miami River!
15 September 1998
The Xenia to Cedarville Trail was opened to the
public Monday 7 Sep. 98.
22 August 1998
The 9 mile Xenia to Cedarville
Trail is being paved now. It will be completed by Monday 7 Sep. and will
be opened at 8 AM as a part of the Cedarville "Trail-A-Bration" Festival.
14 August 1998
We had been told that
the Yellow Springs Station would be completed at the same time as the
extension of the Little Miami Scenic Trail from Yellow Springs to Springfield. We were
mistaken. Since the Village received only one bid for the project and that bid was above
the available funds, the project will be re-bid.
The Yellow Springs Station Committee is raising
money to help in the construction of the Yellow Springs Station by selling bricks at $100
each. The Station will house the Chamber of Commerce and will have public restrooms and
water. In order to purchase a brick contact:
Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce
(937) 767-2686
Fax (937) 767-7876 or
Write to 108 Dayton Street, Yellow Springs Oh 45387
The 8" x 4" bricks can have three lines of 13 letters each
of text. The station will have a railway "track" made of engraved brickwork that
will border the entrance to the station
1 August 1998
New Trail from Taylorsville Reserve South to Huber Heights
and River Corridor Bikeway. Five Rivers Metroparks intends to build a trail South
from Taylorsville Reserve to Huber Heights where the city is developing a new park called Canal
Locks Park The new park is based on the renovation of Lock 18 on the Miami-Erie Canal.
The new park is on Endicott Rd. that runs North to Fishburg Rd and South to Powell Road.
The Metroparks intend to continue to run the trail South until they reach the River Corridor Bikeway. It is estimated that the trail will
reach Canal Locks Park by the year 2000.
Tadmor Trail (Unofficial name; i.e. mine) reaches
1.3 miles. The trail North from Taylorsville Reserve to the extinct town of Tadmor has
reached a length of 1.3 miles. It will be a part of the trail that is being build South
from the Reserve to Huber Heights and Dayton (see above)
11July 1998
We have reviews of some of the wonderful RailTrails in Ohio on our
Bike Reviews Page (Link Removed) We have received several trail reviews from
Peter Medek of Mansfield Ohio. If you'd like to provide a review for a trail in your area
that you have ridden, walked or run, look at Peter's format
and submit a Trail Review to me, Tom Recktenwalt So
far Peter has provided reviews of the
The Little Miami Trail will be extended 7
miles from Yellow Springs, where it currently ends, to Springfield Ohio at John's Street
by October 31, 1998.
Yellow Springs will have its own Train Station Again! It is planned
to have it completed with the 7 mile extension to Springfield. (New 8/10/98 We're told
that there has been a delay in the contract award for the station. More news later.
We are told that Springfield is planning a trail to extend the trail
North from Springfield to Urbana. It will be called the Simon Kenton Trail .
It will follow a current rail corridor and will skirt the Cedar Bog. We have no date for
completion at this time.
Springfield is also extending the Little Miami Trail East to Buck
Creek State Park. Expect a late 1998 or early 1999 completion on this one.
The Ohio to Erie Trail is seeking more
funding to finish another 18.4 miles of the trail from Cedarville, through South
Charleston to London Ohio. The Xenia to Cedarville section will be compete by September
1998!
8 June 1998
Great News! The Wolf Creek Bikeway that runs from Trotwood to Verona is being PAVED!
It should be ( It Was) completed by 30 June 1998. There were two dedications as follows:
30 June 1998 10:00 AM Trotwood, at the Rail Station,
Union Road & Main Street on the Bikeway.
30 June 1998 12:00 (Noon) Brookville, on the Bikeway
at Golden Gate Park.
We all know that the Xenia Station was dedicated Saturday 23 May 1998. Did you know that
the Xenia Community Development Director Ms. Joy Wright is selling bricks
by the Xenia Station to help defray construction costs? You can buy a
brick and have three lines of your choice of text engraved on your brick. Bricks in front
of The Station are $100; those on each side of The Station are $75. Call Ms. Joy
Wright at (937) 376-7286 for more information
The Xenia to Cedarville section of the Ohio
to Erie Trail will be paved by September 1998.
Xenia has been named one of America's "best walking towns"
by Walking magazine!
"What do you do when your town is a railroad hub and the
railroads stop running? The citizens of Xenia turned the railroad corridors into trails,
and an old train depot into an alternative transportation hub with bike and auto parking
facilities... They've created more than 32 miles of bicycle/walking trails connecting
homes to parks, schools and stores in the restored historical district."
7 May 1998
New Schedule of
Events for Dedication of Xenia Station-
Saturday 23 May
8:30 AM Dressler Dash - 5KM Race Applications call Ms. Jamie Mooney;
Executive Director Miami Valley Regional Biking Council (937) 463-2707
Train display - Historical society - All Day
Barbershop quartet, face painting booth, vendors,exhibitions of
bicycle rodeo and roller hockey
Evening concert with music of
David Wilcox,
Mike Snider and the Central State University Jazz Ensemble at Benner
Field House. Free tickets available at the Station all day.
27 April 1998
We have been told that the Little Miami Scenic
Trail that now terminates at Yellow Springs, will be extended to Springfield Ohio this
Fall.
22 March 1998
Xenia Station is almost completed! It will
(was) be dedicated Saturday 23 May 1998 at 10:00 AM. The Station is on US-68 about 1 mile
South of the Courthouse.
19 March 1998
The
contract to pave the Huffman Prairie Overlook Trail has been
let!. The trail will be paved from Fairborn to the Wright Brothers Memorial along Kauffman
Avenue.
Glenn is a Cyclist who has ridden
the Little Miami Scenic Trail (1998) and this year (2000) rode many trails in the Far
West. Read his most interesting Trail Reviews. I've had to make a special page for them! The Thunder Road Bike-Walk-Skate was was held Saturday 6 June 1998 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , Carillon Historical Park Historical Park and at the Xenia Station.
