The Miami Valley Trails in their current stage of development offer a pair of linked Trail "hubs" and numerous "spokes" to explore. The hubs are in Xenia and Dayton. The spokes stretch out from those hubs across ten counties and over 330 miles of trails. A potential visitor from out of state recently asked for some assistance in planning a bike touring trip along the Miami Valley Trails. These visitors set pretty specific parameters: they only wanted to ride on trails - paved separated trails. They did not want to ride on roads, sharing space with motor traffic. And they wanted to ride about 30 miles per day - give or take. Here are two itineraries we worked out for them to consider.
OPTION 1
This itinerary has just two bases for overnight stays - the hub cities of Dayton and Xenia. Each day involves an out-and-back trip in a different direction.
| Day | Start Location | Route/Distance | Stops Along the Way | Side Excursions? | End Location |
| 1 | Dayton | Head north on the Great Miami River Trail to Tipp City, then return to Dayton by same route – 32.8 miles total | Taylorsville MetroPark | Dayton | |
| 2 | Dayton | Head south on the Great Miami River Trail to Miamisburg, then return by the same route – 26.6 miles total | West Carrollton, Carillon Park | Opossum Creek MetroPark | Dayton |
| 3 | Dayton | Head east on the Mad River Trail to the National Museum of the US Air Force, Huffman Flying Field and then backtrack to the Creekside Trail to Xenia – 29.3 miles total | Beavercreek | Iron Horse Trail | Xenia |
After these three days, the tour sets a new base in Xenia for additional day trips:
| Day | Start Location | Route/Distance | Stops Along the Way | Side Excursions? | End Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Xenia | Head south on the Little Miami Scenic Trail from Xenia Station to Corwin/Waynesville, then head back on same route – 28.2 miles total | Spring Valley | Xenia | |
| 5 | Xenia | Head east on the Ohio-to-Erie Trail to South Charleston, and return on the same route – 38 miles total. | Cedarville | Xenia | |
| 6 | Xenia | Head north on the Little Miami Scenic Trail to Springfield, and return by the same route - 40 miles total | Yellow Springs | Xenia | |
| 7 | Xenia | Ride west from Xenia to Dayton on the Creekside and Mad River Trails – 18.9 miles | Iron Horse Trail | Dayton |
End of Itinerary.
OPTION 2
This itinerary uses a different stopping point each day, so careful lodging planning will be required.
| Day | Start Location | Route/Distance | Stops Along the Way | Side Excursions? | End Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dayton | Head north on the Great Miami River Trail to Piqua – 33.2 miles | Troy | Piqua | |
| 2 | Piqua | Head south on the Great Miami River Trail From Piqua to Dayton – 33.2 miles | Tipp City | Dayton | |
| 3 | Dayton | Head south on the Great Miami River Trail to Middletown, OH – 28 miles | Franklin | Opossum Creek MetroPark | Middletown |
| 4 | Middletown |
Ride north on the Great Miami River Trail to Dayton – 28 miles |
Miamisburg | Medlar Conservation Area | Dayton |
| 5 | Dayton | Head east on the Mad River Trail to the National Museum of the US Air Force, Huffman Flying Field and then backtrack to the Creekside Trail to Xenia – 29.3 miles total | Beavercreek | Iron Horse Trail | Xenia |
| 6 | Xenia | Head north on the Little Miami Scenic Trail/Simon Kenton Trail to Urbana, OH – 35.2 miles | Springfield | Buck Creek Trail | Urbana |
| 7 | Urbana |
Ride south on the Simon Kenton Trail/Little Miami Scenic Trail to Yellow Springs – 25 miles |
Springfield | Buck Creek Trail | Yellow Springs |
| 8 | Yellow Springs | Ride south on the Little Miami Scenic Trail and then west on the Creekside Trail and Mad River Trail to Dayton - 26 miles | Xenia, Great Council State Park (opening 2024) | Ohio to Erie Trail, Xenia-Jamestown Connector, Little Miami Scenic Trail south | Dayton |
End of Itinerary
