Dayton, OH Bikeways
Dayton, Ohio bike trail development began with the River Corridor Bikeway, now known as the Great Miami River Trail. [Scroll past 'Trail Facts' to continue reading.]
Great Miami River Trail - Dayton, OH
Latest News: 6/14/19 - Mad River Trail Reopens, GMRT Section Remains Closed
Dayton, OH - "Mad River Recreation Trail is open! Trail users should be cautious where debris piles reduce sight distance. Over the next 30-60 days we will need to close the trail again temporarily to dispose of these piles..." more
Dayton, OH - "The Great Miami River Recreation Trail between Wagner Ford (a.k.a. Rip Rap Road) and Keowee is closed until further notice..." more
6/10/19 - Dayton-Area Trails Storm Damage Update
Dayton, OH - "...The following paved recreation trails also are closed until further notice:
- Great Miami River Recreation Trail between Wagner Ford (a.k.a. Rip Rap Road) and Needmore Road
- Stillwater River Recreation Trail through Sinclair Park
- The Wolf Creek Recreation Trail and Stillwater River Recreation Trail through DeWeese Parkway and Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark are now open.
- All MetroParks are open, including Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark. However, due to significant damage, the Marie Aull Trail and the boardwalk at Wegerzyn Gardens will remain closed until further notice. more...
6/6/19 - Dayton-Area Trails Storm Damage Update
Dayton, OH - "...The following paved recreation trails also are closed until further notice:
- Great Miami River Recreation Trail between Wagner Ford (a.k.a. Rip Rap Road) and Needmore Road
- Stillwater River Recreation Trail through Sinclair Park, DeWeese Parkway and Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark
- The Wolf Creek Recreation Trail is now open.
Learn more about storm damage in this area.
6/1/19 - Dayton Area Trail Closures due to Storm Damage
Dayton, OH - From metroparks.org, "The following paved recreation trails also are closed until further notice:
- Great Miami Riverway Trail between Wagner Ford And Needmore Road
- Wolf Creek Trail
- Stillwater River Trail through Sinclair Park, DeWeese Parkway and Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark"
Stillwater update: "...Stillwater River Recreation Trail in Dayton is clear and open between Island MetroPark and Siebenthaler Avenue -- through Triangle and Deweese parks. Our friends at Five Rivers MetroParks tell us the trail north of Siebenthaler Avenue will remain closed through the weekend..." more
5/8/19 - Retired Huffy CEO Bill Smith Dies
Dayton, OH - "...Smith was at Huffy for 25 years, including 8 years as CEO, before announcing last September that he would retire in December 2018..." more
5/1/19 - Huffy Bicycles Partners with Together We Rise
Dayton, OH - "...During the month of May, Huffy will partner with nonprofit Together We Rise and donate bikes to foster families across the US to encourage family togetherness and bonding as they hit the road, trail or bike path." more
1/10/19 - $150K Settlement Expected in Apparatus Crash
Dayton, OH - "In 2015, a then-18-year-old bicyclist was hit by and trapped under a Dayton Fire Department apparatus. Now, the city is expected to settle a civil lawsuit by the bicyclist." more...
12/16/18 - New Trails & Bike Lanes Coming to Dayton
Dayton, OH - "West Dayton has few bike lanes but some major projects in the works will make it easier to ride a bicycle there." more...
9/20/18 - Wesleyan MetroPark About to Grow
"...The added space includes ponds, new accesses to portions of Wolf Creek and opportunities to connect existing sections of the Wolf Creek bike trail." more...
8/31/18 - Huffy Making Comeback
"Years after a bankruptcy refocused the company on its core of bicycles, Huffy Corp. has moved into new headquarters, increased hiring and again has what one analyst calls a 'a solid share' of the U.S. market." more...
7/24/18 - Dayton Looks to be Better for Bikes
"...Dayton wasn’t always so bike friendly, and cycling advocates say there’s still room for improvement." more...
7/18/18 - Help Authorities Find Suspected Bike Thieves
Dayton, OH - "Dayton Police have released images of three individuals suspected of stealing bikes in the hopes that the public may be able to help identify them." more...
Dayton Trail Facts:
Location: Montgomery County
Number of Trails: 8
Trail Miles: 83.1 (does not include Great Miami River Trail or Creekside Trail mileage outside Montgomery County)
Worth Noting: Another 50+ miles of the GMRT lie outside Montgomery County.
Trails in this Region: SW OH Trails List
Ambitious Expansion Plan
When nearby trails were built and the Great Miami River Trail expansion became reality, opportunities to travel by trail multiplied dramatically.
Dayton Trails
- Creekside Trail
- Dayton-Kettering Connector
- Great Little Trail
- Great Miami River Trail
- Iron Horse Trail
- Mad River Trail
- Stillwater River Trail
- Wolf Creek Trail
Today, the extensive expansion of the Great Miami Trail has set the tone for trail development in the area. Recent years have seen the expansion of the Mad River Trail, along with its connection with the Wright Bros/Huffman Prairie Trail, the creation of the Dayton-Kettering Connector, and the beginnings of another connector with the Little Miami Trail, the Great Little Trail route.
The number of communities linked by trail continues to grow in this area as two remaining gaps in the Great Miami River Trail have yet to be closed.
A Well-Established Trail Network
While the Dayton-area bikeway network would be sufficient for most trail travelers, there's more to the bigger picture here. The close proximity of the Xenia Trail Network, a mere 18 miles to the east, means that two extensive networks lay literally side-by-side. And of course, the Creekside Trail serves as the bridge that connects the two.
For enthusiasts, that's about as close as you can get to trail nirvana. When all the connections are completed, it'll be closer yet!
RiverScape Metropark
On the banks of the Great Miami River, RiverScape Metropark can be both a destination and a launching point. Bike rentals are available here, right alongside the Great Miami River Trail!
Bicycle Advocacy
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) played an active role in bike advocacy long before other Ohio planning commissions regarded bikes as a serious form of transport.
That likely played an important role in SW Ohio trail development, allowing it to lead the state in that regard.
Dayton Bike Share
Link Dayton, the area bike share, was launched on May 5, 2015.