Is the Great Miami River Trail Finally Complete? Here's the Definitive Answer

Quick answer: Almost. The Great Miami River Recreation Trail (GMRRT) will total 102.2 miles once every currently identified gap is closed. As of today, 92.8 of those miles — about 91% — are open and ridable. Another 4.7 miles are fully funded and moving through design and construction. That leaves exactly one stretch, a 4.7-mile gap between Piqua and the Sidney area, still waiting on funding to make the trail whole from end to end.

If you've ridden, run, or walked any piece of the Great Miami River Trail, you've probably asked this question yourself. Maybe you hit a "trail ends" sign somewhere south of Middletown and had to backtrack. Maybe you've heard someone at a Riverway Summit talk about "closing the gap" and wondered which gap they meant, because — spoiler — there's more than one.

So let's settle it. Here's exactly where the Great Miami River Trail stands in 2026, mile by mile, gap by gap, and what it will actually take to finish it.

Why This Question Actually Matters

The Great Miami River Trail isn't just a nice place to ride a bike. It's the backbone of the Great Miami Riverway, and the Miami Valley Trails network — a 330-plus-mile connected trail network across southwest Ohio that is, by mileage, the largest paved trail system in the United States. The GMRRT itself is a designated National Recreation Trail, has been named Ohio's favorite trail twice by Ohio Magazine, and forms a key link in two national routes: the Great American Rail-Trail (a 3,700-mile coast-to-coast route from Washington, D.C. to Washington State) and U.S. Bike Route 50.

For many miles, it also happens to sit on top of flood protection infrastructure built after the Great Flood of 1913 — the disaster that created the Miami Conservancy District in the first place. Every mile of trail on a levee or a dam embankment is doing double duty: protecting river communities from flooding and giving them a reason to fall in love with the river again. That's not a coincidence. It's the whole point.

And when it's finished, a continuous 102-mile trail from Sidney to Fairfield does something a patchwork of disconnected segments never could: it turns a regional amenity into a national destination, the kind of thing that shows up on "best bike trails in America" lists and pulls tourism dollars into every river town along the way.

The Map: Where the Trail Stands Right Now

Here's the segment-by-segment picture, from south to north.

The 86-mile core (complete). The heart of the trail — from Fairfield in Butler County north through Hamilton, Middletown, Franklin, Miamisburg, West Carrollton, Dayton, Vandalia, Tipp City, and Troy, all the way to the Piqua Roadside Park — has been complete for years. This is the stretch most people picture when they think of the Great Miami River Trail, and it's genuinely one of the best extended rides in the Midwest.

Six completed connector segments (6.8 miles). Beyond the core, a string of smaller projects has quietly stitched the trail together over the past several years:

  • Rentschler Forest soccer fields to Reigart Road (0.5 miles), added in 2017
  • Boat Club Road segment (0.3 miles), added in 2018
  • Timberhill Extension (0.7 miles), added in 2022
  • The Canal Feeder Trail extension from I-75 to Kuther Road (0.9 miles)
  • The original Canal Feeder Trail in Sidney (3.4 miles)
  • The Island MetroPark extension from Helena Street to Keowee Street (1 mile)

Add it up and that's 92.8 miles open today — roughly 91% of the finished trail.

Two gaps, fully funded and moving. The next 4.7 miles are already paid for and in the pipeline:

  • A 3.1-mile gap between Rentschler Forest MetroPark and Monroe, funded through $3.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act and OKI Regional Council of Governments funding that MetroParks of Butler County secured in 2023. Construction is expected in phases between 2026 and 2028.
  • A 1.6-mile gap between Monroe and Trenton/Middletown (0.9 miles of new trail plus 0.7 miles of shared roadway along Old Oxford State Road), thanks to funding from the BUtler County Commissioners, where Butler County MetroParks has submitted preliminary layout plans for a new alignment along the river side of the Miami Conservancy District levee, crossing Dicks Creek on a new bridge. 

One gap, still unfunded. That leaves a single 4.7-mile stretch between the Piqua Roadside Park and Kuther Road — the connection that would finally link the Sidney area into the main trail system. Funding requests for this segment are actively in progress, but as of now, it's the one piece of the 102-mile vision without a dollar behind it. The City of Sidney submitted a Priority Development and Advocacy Committee (PDAC) application in 2025 in support of finally closing this longstanding gap — a priority for the city for years.

A gap that's already history. Worth celebrating: a 1.7-mile stretch between the Trenton Trailhead on State Route 73 and Monroe's trail segment used to force riders onto the shoulder of a divided, high-speed state route. MetroParks of Butler County closed it using $1.1 million in OKI funding secured in 2022. Riders can now go from the Trenton Trailhead all the way north to Piqua without ever leaving the trail. It's proof that these gaps get closed — with the right funding, at the right time.

The Momentum Is Real

Beyond the headline gaps, 2025 and 2026 have been genuinely active years for the trail network:

  • Old North Dayton Trail, Segments 2 and 3 will add nearly 2 miles of new trail along the river's left bank between Keowee Street and Eintracht Park, closing a prominent in-city gap. Segment 2 is fully designed, with construction scheduled for the second half of 2026. Segment 3's design work is underway now.
  • Troy's GMRRT Riverfront Recreation Trail is part of a $12.1 million river connectivity and low-dam-removal project, with $11.6 million already secured. Dam removal construction is targeted for summer 2026, with trail construction following that fall.
  • The Taylorsville-to-Vandalia Bikeway Connector — a brand-new link between the City of Vandalia and the GMRRT at Taylorsville MetroPark — was completed in 2025, with a ribbon-cutting held that October.
  • Looking further out, Great Parks of Hamilton County has begun exploring a plan to extend the trail south from Fairfield toward the Ohio River, which would push the system well past its current southern terminus.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because cities, counties, park districts, and the Miami Conservancy District keep showing up to the same table, year after year, chipping away at a shared 100-mile vision one funded segment at a time.

What It Actually Takes to Finish the Job

Here's the part that doesn't always make it into the celebratory version of this story: closing that final 4.7-mile gap between Piqua and Sidney isn't a technical problem. It's a funding problem. The engineering is understood. The route is known. What's missing is the money — and the political and community will to go get it.

That's not a small ask, and it's not one agency's job alone. Every mile of this trail that exists today exists because a city, a county, a park district, or a state or federal grant program decided it was worth the investment. The Riverway Coalition — nineteen cities, counties, park districts, and partner organizations working together — exists precisely because no single community can build a 102-mile regional asset on its own.

How You Can Help Close the Gap

  • If you live or work in a Riverway community: ask your local officials to support funding applications for the Piqua-to-Sidney connection, the way Sidney and Troy have already done through PDAC.
  • If you're a business or civic leader: the Riverway's tourism and economic development numbers — from the Dayton Dragons partnership reaching roughly 500,000 fans to sponsored coverage in regional media — show what a completed trail is worth to the local economy. Completing it is an investment, not a favor.
  • If you just love the trail: show up. Ride it, talk about it, tag the Riverway in your trail photos, and show funders that this isn't a niche request — it's something the whole region wants finished.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the Great Miami River Trail? The Great Miami River Recreation Trail will be 102.2 miles once all identified gaps are closed. Today, 92.8 miles — about 91% — are open, with another 4.7 miles funded and in the design or construction pipeline.

Is the Great Miami River Trail complete? Not quite. The trail is complete and continuous from Fairfield to the Piqua Roadside Park (86 miles), plus several additional completed segments. Two gaps totaling 4.7 miles are funded and under active development. One 4.7-mile gap, between Piqua and the Sidney area, remains unfunded.

Where are the current gaps in the Great Miami River Trail? Three gaps remain as of 2026: a 3.1-mile gap between Rentschler Forest MetroPark and Monroe (funded), a 1.6-mile gap between Monroe and Trenton/Middletown (funded, in design), and a 4.7-mile gap between the Piqua Roadside Park and Kuther Road near Sidney (not yet funded).

Who manages the Great Miami River Trail? The trail runs through the jurisdictions of multiple partners, including the Miami Conservancy District, MetroParks of Butler County, Five Rivers MetroParks, the Miami County Park District, and the cities and townships along the route. The Great Miami Riverway, led by the Miami Conservancy District, coordinates the regional vision across all nineteen partner communities.

How can I support completing the trail? Contact your local city or county officials to voice support for trail funding applications, follow the Great Miami Riverway for updates and advocacy opportunities, and use and share the trail to demonstrate regional demand.


The Great Miami River Trail is the backbone of the Great Miami Riverway — 330-plus miles of connected paved trail across southwest Ohio, coordinated by the Miami Conservancy District on behalf of nineteen partner communities. Follow the Riverway for the latest on trail openings, events, and how to get involved.