Clearing "flood mud" off the trail will be much easier after this project

Heading north as one approaches the underpass under Needmore Road on the Great Miami River Trail, you will pass a couple of signs...

Simon Kenton Pathfinders Upgrade Equipment

The Board of Directors of the Simon Kenton Pathfinders (SKP) recently invested in the future of the Simon Kenton Trail (3) by upgrading their mowing equipment. The SKP purchased from their maintenance funds a 2023 Ventrac Model 4520P tractor, to replace a similar 20-year-old piece of equipment. Cost of the new equipment was $27,700, purchased through a trail partner, Koenig Equipment in Urbana.

Continuing a theme, we're looking at how communities along the Miami Valley Trails are building connections to/from the trails to better connect their neighborhoods, parks, amenities, and destinations.

On Friday, October 20, 2023 the Miami Conservancy District and the University of Dayton jointly celebrated the installation of a new "storybook trail" along the Great Miami River Trail in Dayton. It was a blustery and misty afternoon, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the people that worked very hard to create the children's book, Into the River, and to transform it into the series of kiosks that unfold the story as one moves upriver along the trail. As can be seen in the picture above, the new features are on the trail near Jerome B.

The major project by the City of Riverside and ODOT to upgrade the intersection of US 35 and Woodman Drive was certainly overdue and will make that area function better for traffic when it is completed. It has had the unfortunate effect of closing and detouring the Creekside Trail in the vicinity. But it also will leave a permanent beneficial legacy for a couple of neighborhoods in Riverside that in years past had no safe and convenient connection to the trail right next to their community.

Trail users on the Mad River Trail (8) have a new, more direct route to reach Webster Street, the Second Street Market and other destinations in Dayton's Water Street District (such as Day Air Ball Park). A recently-completed ramp from the trail, up the levee, and to Webster Street has been opened by the Miami Conservancy District.

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.

After a short project to address areas of the trail that were consistently wet, the trail through the Five Rivers MetroParks Medlar Conservation Area has been re-opened. The project was undertaken to improve safety and contribute to a longer life for the trail pavement.