Quick answer: Almost. The Great Miami River Recreation Trail (GMRRT) will total 102.2 miles once the currently identified gaps are closed. As of today, 92.8 of those miles — about 91% — are open and ridable. The 4.7-mile gap MetroParks of Butler County will build is partially funded and moving through preliminary design and construction phases. That leaves another 4.7-mile gap between Piqua and the Sidney area, still waiting on funding to make the trail whole for now (just a coincidence they are both 4.7 miles long). But future goals could take the trail even farther.
If you've ridden, run, or walked any piece of the GMRRT, 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 take to finish it.
Why This Question Actually Matters
The GMRRT 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 350-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 connects directly to U.S. Bike Route 25 and Adventure Cycling's Chicago to New York City route, which runs right through the trail network via the Wolf Creek, Great Miami River, Mad River, and Creekside trails.
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.
A continuous 100+-mile trail from Shelby to Hamilton County 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 Riverway community 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 Hamilton in Butler County north through 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 Recreation 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:
Add it up and that's 92.8 miles open today.
Two gaps, partially funded and moving.
Gaps, still unfunded. That leaves a 4.7-mile stretch between Piqua Roadside Park and Kuther Road — the connection that would link the Sidney area into the main trail. Funding requests for this segment are in progress, but as of now, it's a major piece of the connected vision without secure funds or a place to build the trail.
The Momentum Is Real
Beyond the headline gaps, 2025 and 2026 have been active years for building the trail network:
None of this happens by accident. It happens because cities, counties, park districts, trail advocates, 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 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 — twenty 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
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 Middletown to the Piqua Roadside Park (86 miles), plus several additional completed segments. Two gaps totaling 4.7 miles are partially funded and under active development. Another 4.7-mile gap, between Piqua and the Sidney area, remains unfunded. And there are future plans to build the trail south from Fairfield to Hamilton County.
Where are the current gaps in the Great Miami River Trail? Three gaps remain as of 2026: a 3.1-mile gap between Timberhill MetroPark and Monroe (partially funded, in design for construction in 2029/2030), a 1.6-mile gap between Monroe and Trenton/Middletown (partially funded, in design for construction expected 2027/2028), 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. Maintenance is shared among Miami Conservancy District, Five Rivers MetroParks, the Miami County Park District, MetroParks of Butler County, Hamilton Parks Conservancy, Greene County Parks, and the cities of Piqua, Troy, Dayton, Tipp City, Englewood, Moraine, and Franklin.
How can I support completing the trail? Contact your local city or county officials to voice support for trail funding, follow the Great Miami Riverway and Miami Valley Trails for updates and advocacy opportunities, and use and share the trail to demonstrate regional demand.
The Great Miami River Recreation Trail is the backbone of the Great Miami Riverway, and the Miami Valley Trails network — 350-plus miles of connected paved trail across southwest Ohio. The Riverway is coordinated by the Miami Conservancy District on behalf of twenty-three partner communities. Follow the Riverway for the latest on trail openings, events, and how to get involved.