Great Parks is starting construction on a new 1.5-mile natural surface trail at Avoca Trailhead, in Columbia Township. Once complete, it’ll be the first part of a 10-mile, braided network of natural surface trails planned along the Little Miami River and the Little Miami Scenic Trail.
The trail will be accessible at key points along the Little Miami Scenic Trail and the Avoca Trailhead, near U.S. 50 and a stretch of river just east of Mariemont.
(Photo by Great Parks volunteer Dave Beitz)
The goal is to provide increased recreational opportunities throughout the lower Little Miami River Valley. The trail will be open to mountain bikers, adaptive mountain bikers, hikers and runners.
Plans call for the trail at Avoca Park to open later this year.
“Adding trail expansions and connections is the number one priority the public established for Great Parks, and we’re excited to start building the first piece of this new network,” said Todd Palmeter, Great Parks CEO.
Trails a top priority for Great Parks
Great Parks, the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance and Cincinnati Parks worked together to develop the plan for the new trail system.
Jason Reser, trail development director for CORA, described the design as a “strategic extension of the popular paved Little Miami Scenic Trail.” Since the terrain is relatively flat, it’ll work well for both experienced and beginning mountain bikers, Reser said. Great Parks is considering other natural surface trail concepts in this area for development as well.
Inspiration for the project came from Bentonville, Arkansas, which features a 70-mile stretch of trails that weave through the city and into a larger system of trails in Northwest Arkansas.
“These new trails will replace informal paths with environmentally sustainable, purposefully designed routes, providing residents with a scenic and responsible way to enjoy the woods and river,” Reser said.
The natural surface path will add to the 84 miles of trails Great Parks currently maintains throughout Hamilton County, including the 8.1-mile mountain bike trail at Mitchell Memorial Forest.
A list of additional future trails and other projects is available on the Great Parks website.
Discover more from Movers & Makers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.