Little Miami Bike Trail questions.... (Columbus, Cincinnati: hotels, home, neighborhoods)

[Dayton Sux]

...I am extending my bike riding range, and have made it as far as South Lebanon via the Little Miami trail...so starting to penetrate the CIncy metro area.

Which opens some questions for y'all.

A Connector Trail to Lebanon?
The signs make mention of this. Is there really a bike trail that goes all the way into Lebanon? Has anyone biked this and could they tell me about it?

Can I bike into downtown Cincy?
I think the Little Miami Trail ends in Terrace Park. Is it possible to safely bike into downtown Cincy on city streets and roads? I think there is one of those painted bike paths between Columbia and downtown along the river, but not sure if there is anything safe to cycle on west of Terrace Park.

Overnights in Milford or Loveland?
Ideally I would prefer to overnight in central Cincy somewhere. But if thats not an option and the bike trail doesnt go there....are there bed & breakfasts or small hotels/motels in Milford (or Loveland). I notice there is one in Morrow so wonder about other bike-path oriented overnight accomodations.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

...I am extending my bike riding range, and have made it as far as South Lebanon via the Little Miami trail...so starting to penetrate the CIncy metro area.

Which opens some questions for y'all.

A Connector Trail to Lebanon?
The signs make mention of this. Is there really a bike trail that goes all the way into Lebanon? Has anyone biked this and could they tell me about it?

Can I bike into downtown Cincy?
I think the Little Miami Trail ends in Terrace Park. Is it possible to safely bike into downtown Cincy on city streets and roads? I think there is one of those painted bike paths between Columbia and downtown along the river, but not sure if there is anything safe to cycle on west of Terrace Park.

Overnights in Milford or Loveland?
Ideally I would prefer to overnight in central Cincy somewhere. But if thats not an option and the bike trail doesnt go there....are there bed & breakfasts or small hotels/motels in Milford (or Loveland). I notice there is one in Morrow so wonder about other bike-path oriented overnight accomodations.

I know the bike trail is being extended to downtown Cincy. I know this because my son is the Hamilton Co. Parks engineer and in charge of making it happen. I just don't know what stage it is in. But it will be there.

I don't know specifically about Lebanon, but I would think there is one.

How far have you gone north? The entire distance is 330 miles. I would think you could find some stopovers in that distance.

[RustBeltOptimist]

In the interim before the downtown connection is finished, if it were me making that trek, I'd push a little farther on US 50 from Terrace Park to Mariemont and stay at the Mariemont Inn. It's about 1.4 miles from the terminus of the trail. The hotel might be out of your price range, but it would be a great way to explore the area and there's a bit more to do in Mariemont than Milford.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by RustBeltOptimist

In the interim before the downtown connection is finished, if it were me making that trek, I'd push a little farther on US 50 from Terrace Park to Mariemont and stay at the Mariemont Inn. It's about 1.4 miles from the terminus of the trail. The hotel might be out of your price range, but it would be a great way to explore the area and there's a bit more to do in Mariemont than Milford.

Hey, there is always more to do in a higher priced motel, right?

[RustBeltOptimist]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Hey, there is always more to do in a higher priced motel, right?

You would think, right? But if not you can at least sit in the higher priced lobby and look important. At least Mariemont has the theater and looks pretty. It's all so very very nice. I guess the other option might be to call up Peter Frampton in Indian Hill and see if he has a couch you can crash on. He's probably not in town most of the time, anyway. There really aren't that many east side lodging options that I can think of.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

Can I bike into downtown Cincy?
I think the Little Miami Trail ends in Terrace Park.

The trail now ends at the Little Miami Golf Center in Newtown, if I recall correctly. Terrace Park finally got tired of fighting the losing battle to continue the trail through town. It only took 30 years.

From there, you can continue on Wooster Pike through Mariemont and Fairfax, and then you have several choices to get downtown: through Fairfax and Hyde Park; on Wooster Road/Wilmer Road/Kellogg Avenue/Eastern Avenue/Riverside Drive; or through Mt. Lookout. I'm not sure which would be the best to ride on, or which streets have bike lanes (I never ventured too far away from my home in Madisonville). Wooster Pike turns into Columbia Parkway in Fairfax; no bicycles allowed.

Ideally I would prefer to overnight in central Cincy somewhere. But if thats not an option and the bike trail doesnt go there....are there bed & breakfasts or small hotels/motels in Milford (or Loveland). I notice there is one in Morrow so wonder about other bike-path oriented overnight accomodations.

There is at least one B&B in Loveland; sorry, I don't know about Milford. Out near I-275 in Milford there are some typical national hotel chains as well.

On Wooster Pike in Mariemont Square, there is the Best Western - very nice, moderately $$$$.

[RustBeltOptimist]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

On Wooster Pike in Mariemont Square, there is the Best Western - very nice, moderately $$$$.

The Best Western is the Mariemont Inn I was referring to upthread. I had a friend in Colorado who owned a BW franchise and he was constantly complaining about all the renovation costs he had to incur just to keep up with their standards, they are very particular, so yes it will be very nice.

[t45209]

My wife is an avid cyclist, and she sometimes follows a route similar to that laid out by Ohiogirl. While it is possible to connect to downtown from the trail, the safety of that is debatable. I've tried to ride it myself, and it leaves my nerves shot. I hate riding with traffic, even if there are bike lanes.

The city has been increasing the number of bike lanes, but they are often a flashpoint of controversy. Recently, there was a big uproar about bike lanes and parking on Eastern Avenue, and a similar flap on Central Parkway. Delta Avenue was recently narrowed to two auto lanes with bike lanes on either side, but Delta is such a nasty hill, I would vomit before getting one tenth of a mile up it.

I've never thought of the Mariemont Inn as pricey. I used to send out of towners there regularly as a quaint alternative to the expense and stress of downtown hotels. It's been awhile since I have looked at the price, but it was always more affordable.

[RustBeltOptimist]

I guess the affordability depends on what you're used to budgeting for lodging. When I looked it up last night, it was a bit over the $150/night line which I arbitrarily use to distinguish pricey from reasonably priced. For a getaway/vacation type of travel, I'd probably go ahead and splurge on it, but I try to keep any business travel at less than $100/night unless I'm in a pricier city like NYC or DC.

[kjbrill]

There are plans coming up.

Little Miami Scenic Trail

The Little Miami Scenic Trail runs though five southwestern counties in Ohio.
As of 2008, it was the longest paved trail in the United States, stretching 76 miles from Springfield to Newtown, Ohio. The largely wooded corridor was created along the right-of-way of the old Little Miami Railroad.
The original railway bed is still visible beside the trail in various places along the trail route. The Hamilton County Park District intends to extend the Little Miami Scenic Trail to Clear Creek.
From there, it will follow the Little Miami River to Magrish Preserve, just past Lunken Field. At Kellogg Avenue, the trail will meet the Ohio River Trail.

The Ohio River Trail

Once completed, the Ohio River Trail will span 23 miles along the north bank of the river from Coney Island through Downtown to Sayler Park.
The trail will enhance quality of life, increase mobility and recreational opportunities, and support economic development. The trail will connect our neighborhoods to Downtown and the world-class Cincinnati Riverfront Parks. It will complete the connection from Downtown to the Little Miami Scenic Trail that will eventually extend to Lake Erie.
Several segments of the trail have been completed: a 0.3-mile section along Mehring Way from Main Street to Elm Street; a 0.6-mile segment through T.M. Berry International Friendship Park; a 1-mile segment from Corbin Street to the intersection of Congress and Kellogg Avenues, a 0.5-mile segment from Congress Avenue to Carrel Street, a 0.4-mile segment from Carrel Street to the Lunken Airport Trail, and 1.3 miles that are part of the Lunken Bike Path.
Design has also begun on a 1.2-mile segment of trail between Collins Avenue and Corbin Avenue, and on a 0.4-mile segment extending east from Lunken Airport Trail to Magrish Preserve which will be the southern terminus for the Little Miami Scenic Trail. Connection to the Little Miami Scenic Trail will eventually link Cincinnati with over 100 miles of continuous bike/hike trail between Springfield, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio and Downtown Cincinnati.
The portion of the Ohio River Trail from Paul Brown Stadium to the west has been completed at one location - Fernbank Park. Additionally, space for the future trail has been planned for near State Avenue as a part of the upcoming Waldvogel Viaduct reconstruction project. A connection to the future Mill Creek Trail under US 50 is also planned.