Explore the best rated trails in Dayton, OH, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Great-Little Trail and Mad River Trail . With more than 54 trails covering 4615 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We started at Mile Marker .5 in Chillicothe on a delightful ride through South Eastern Ohio. We stopped after 19 miles at Austin next to a new establishment (Austin Mill) selling beverages and food. This trail is fabulous! We were thrilled to see how well the trail is being maintained; finding the trail quite smooth with normal asphalt separations that had been filled. Yes, there are occasional root bumps; nothing to worry about as the tree canopy provides great shade. Yes, there are a couple of places where the big arrows had faded to direct us but trail sense kept us on trail. Thank you to the three Ohio counties teaming up to make/maintain the memorable bike trail.
The bike path leading to Huffman Prairie offers a scenic journey, albeit with minimal shade, so lather up on sunscreen. Its gentle terrain makes for an easy ride, perfect for cyclists of all levels. As you pedal through, you're reminded of the profound historical connection between bicycles and the Wright brothers, who honed their flying skills on these very grounds. It's not just a bike path; it's a ride through history.
A wonderful trail that slowly climbs out of Xenia. It begins with a canopy of trees and later turns to fields. An Inn on the trail in Cedarville warmly welcomes cyclists for a rest stop. It saved us from a passing thunderstorm.
Five Stars. We rode 51 miles.
Xenia is a casual cyclist's version of heaven. Five trails radiate out of this town. "Xenia Station" is the nucleus. Find yourselves a nice bed and breakfast and spend the week.
This is a great warm up trial. Nicely maintained. We did 42 miles in May 2024 to start our week.
South out of Xenia this trail deserves a five-star-plus rating. Well maintained, wooded with a river, you will be tempted to ride this forever. We did 60 miles.
North is a little more urban but still a five-star trial. We did 41 miles. Thank you, Xenia!
Another one of the five great trails out of Xenia. This is a good one to close out a week of riding. Thank you, Xenia!
Jogged on this during a recent trip. Right along the Ohio river. On one side it goes right by the stadiums, and the other side is right alongside the river. Great scenery and the pavement is in very good condition. can be accessed from the purple People Bridge down a flight of stairs.
I loved going over this bridge, both walking and jogging. Connects to the riverfront on both sides. Easy access to the stadiums and downtown Cincinnati. Lots of artwork on it. The bridge can actually be rented for special events!
We rode from Beatty Station near Springfield south to Xenia station on 4/9/2024. We liked the trail just fine. Not too many road crossings, paved, rail trail grades, etc. If headed south, when you get to Xenia be aware that the trail turns right at a street with virtually no signage except for a sign that said Xenia Station .5 straight ahead. So we stayed straight ahead which encompassed the sidewalks of Xenia instead of the actually bike path. Other than that mixup we were happy with the trail. We hope to do the rest of it at a future date.
Road trip to Indy. Needed a quick run to stretch the legs. Just a few minutes off i70 and just a few minutes to run the 0.6 mile trail. Runs along a main road. Nice "trail". Wouldn't go out of my way for it... But it served it's purpose.
This was a fairly decent trail, if you like straight paths and wide open spaces. I ran this trail in February 2024. I divided it up in to 7 days and started in Springfield. The first mile or so is road side and there is a specific lane to stay in. This turns to some wooded areas and over some busy roads while in town. The path from lagonda to Eagle City was probably the most scenic part of the trail, crossing over the Buck Creek trail. Once past Eagle City soccer fields the terrain seems to be newly paved but there are a lot of little dips that I was very aware of since I was on foot and not on a bike. Coming in to Urbana there were some wooded areas and I am sure in the early spring and summer there may be more to look at, but it wasn't very scenic in February. There was little to no signage other than the SKT mile markers noted sporadically along the trail. It seems like once you get past Railroad street in Urbana there isn't much to look at other than railroad tracks. This is also where the trail changes from asphalt to the chip and seal. I hadn't ran this kind of terrain but was pleasantly surprised how smooth it was. I was concerned about flipping bits of stone in to my shoes but that didn't happen. There is another segment of roads to run and again, there is no signage to direct you on the right path. I did see bike signs, which to most of you reading this will take as signage, however, I would like to see signs of the actual trail listed. The map listed here on trailink shows the red line to insinuate the trail, however, when looking at it more closely, there is more route around a park in Urbana that was missed. Again, after Railroad rd in Urbana the path is straight and there is no place to stop for rest or parking and that makes for a lengthy run/ride for anyone on the trail. There is always a safety concern in this regard too. Overall, the trail is decent, however, I wouldn't run it again...maybe the part from Lagonda to Eagle City...but that's it. This was trail #35 for me, and I would say it wouldn't make the top 10 for me.
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