Explore the Little Miami Scenic Trail

Little Miami State Park introduces a new concept to the state park system--a trail corridor • This non-traditional approach focuses on offering numerous recreational pursuits--bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, rollerblading, backpacking and horseback riding. The corridor also provides access to canoeing the Little Miami River

Little Miami State Park is approximately 50 miles in length • It averages 66 feet in width and runs through four counties of southwest Ohio (Greene, Warren, Clermont and Hamilton) • This abandoned railroad right-of-way, converted for public use, boasts 47 miles of paved trail from Milford to Hedges Road • The remainder of the trail to Springfield is paved and operated by Greene County Parks and Recreation (for more information on the bikeway north of Hedges Road, contact Greene County Parks and Recreation at 937-376-7440)

Three staging areas (Loveland, Morrow and Corwin) have been located along the developed portion of the park • These include parking lots, restrooms, public phones and trail access points • These facilities are wheelchair accessible

Detailed information available at these links

http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/little-miami-scenic-trail

http://www.littlemiamibiketrail.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miami_Bike_Trail

http://www.traillink.com/trail/little-miami-scenic-trail.aspx

http://trailsfromrails.com/miami_scenic_trail.htm

http://www.yellowsprings.com/bikepath.html

http://ohiobikeways.net/miami.htm

History of the Area

The Little Miami River Valley is historically significant to the state of Ohio • The wooded lands were home to several early Ohio Indian cultures • Nearby are the largest and best known earthworks in the state known as Fort Ancient • Fort Ancient was built by the Hopewell Indians who inhabited the area from 300 B.C. to 600 A.D.

In more recent history, this area was inhabited by the Miami Indians and the Shawnee • After the War of 1812, the Indian threat dissipated and the area attracted settlers • Numerous mills were developed on the river bank and several still stand today • Clifton Mill near Yellow Springs is still in operation • By the mid 1800s, the river corridor was bustling with grist mills, textile mills, stagecoach trails and a railroad line

Indian mounds and relics, historic buildings, grist mills and stagecoach trails can still be found in this historic river valley • The Little Miami Scenic Park became a state park in 1979

Nature of the Area

The Little Miami Scenic Park is located within the beautiful and historic Little Miami River Valley • The Little Miami is a designated federal and state scenic river • It is protected because of its high water quality, panoramic setting and the many historic sites that can be found along its banks

A trail meanders with the river through four counties encountering rolling farm country, towering cliffs, steep gorges and forests along the way • This steep gorge offers evidence of the erosional forces of glacial meltwater. Outcroppings of dolomite and shale are now exposed • Mammoth sycamores border the river's edge where great blue herons reside • Because of the relatively cool sheltered climate in the gorge, eastern hemlocks and Canada yew are able to survive here

Birdwatchers delight in the abundance and variety of colorful warblers and other songbirds in the park • The shaded slopes offer a variety of woodland wildflowers for visitors to enjoy • More than 340 species of wildflowers are known in the river's corridor • Virginia bluebells, bellworts, wild ginger and wild columbines are only a few to be seen in the park