A View From Ohio's Miami Valley Trails

Story written by Laura Stark and produced by Derek Strout as part of  Rails to Trails Conservancy's Green Issue 2020 .

Join us on a journey with Maggie Reckers, a watercolor artist who lives in Xenia, as she pedals and paints along three rail-trails that radiate out from the city center—the 78-mile  Little Miami Scenic Trail , 15-mile  Creekside Trail  and 29-mile  Prairie Grass Trail —as well as the 7-mile  Mad River Trail  in nearby Dayton. All are part of an expansive network of more than  340 miles of paved trails  crisscrossing the state’s Miami Valley region. The Creekside, Prairie Grass and Mad River trails also host the developing  Great American Rail-Trail , spanning 3,700 miles across the nation between Washington, D.C., and Washington State.

 Xenia Station  (150 Miami Ave.) offers an apropos beginning for rail-trail adventures. The trailhead building, a red brick replica of the city’s 1880s railroad depot, includes a railroad history museum and observation tower, plus restrooms and drinking water for trail users. Outside, a 9-acre park built on former B&O freight yards offers visitors picnic shelters, a playground and splash pad, and a refurbished caboose. From the station, you can easily follow Reckers as she heads north on the Little Miami Scenic Trail, northwest on the Creekside Trail or northeast on the Prairie Grass Trail.

Thank you for joining us on this virtual trip around Xenia and Dayton. Maggie Reckers plans to continue creating more paintings with her ongoing trail adventures; tag along with her rides on  Instagram  or  Facebook . And, if you would like to explore the rail-trails mentioned in this article on your own, you’ll find detailed maps, descriptions and photos on our national trail-finder website,  TrailLink.com .