Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

Find a park

117 parks in 7 regions

Little Miami State Park

Waynesville · Warren, Greene, Clermont & Hamilton Counties · Southwest Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
—acres
50trail miles
1981established
Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

Little Miami State Park is a narrow ribbon rather than a place: an old railroad right-of-way, the Little Miami Railroad, converted for public use. Work began in 1981 and the last Terrace Park stretch was finished in 2005. The park is about 50 miles long and averages only 60 to 66 feet wide, running through Hamilton, Clermont, Warren and Greene counties and passing Terrace Park, Milford, Loveland, Morrow, Oregonia, Corwin, Spring Valley and Xenia. It is the paved heart of the longer 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail, which ends in Springfield.

The Little Miami River beside it is a state and national scenic river. The Buckeye Trail overlaps the trail, and Loveland is a Buckeye Trail Town with two primitive campsites just off the trail. In 2020, an estimated 2.3 million trips were made on the trail, and it was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2022.

Things to do in the park

  • Walk or bike the paved trail
  • Hike the Buckeye Trail sections that share it
  • Paddle the Little Miami River from liveries
  • Stop in Loveland, Milford, Morrow and Xenia

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Little Miami State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Fort Ancient State Memorial near Oregonia
  • Caesar Creek State Park and John Bryan State Park
  • Yellow Springs and Glen Helen

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Xenia Station trail hub (Little Miami Scenic Trail is a linear 78-mile park)
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Hunting is not permitted on the trail corridor.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

Hiking trails

About 50 miles of paved trail in the state park, part of the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail; the Buckeye Trail overlaps it.

Wildlife you might see

  • Little Miami River wildlife and scenic gorge habitat
  • Songbirds and river birds
  • Woods, meadows and farm edges

Birding

Little Miami State Park follows a river corridor, so its wooded banks draw both forest songbirds and river-edge birds — watch the water for herons, kingfishers and waterfowl, and the tree line for songbirds.

  • Barn Swallow
  • Belted Kingfisher
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • American Goldfinch
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Blue-headed Vireo
  • Killdeer
  • Osprey
  • Red-eyed Vireo
  • Mourning Dove
  • Bald Eagle
  • Yellow-throated Vireo

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Fishing and canoeing on the Little Miami River. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Hunting is not permitted on the trail corridor.

The Railroad That Became a Park

The Little Miami Railroad once carried Ohioans between Cincinnati and the north along the river. When the tracks were abandoned, a plan surfaced in 1979 to run a scenic railroad from Loveland to Corwin. Instead the state paved the roadbed and gave it to walkers and cyclists.

It took until 2005 to finish the last stretch into Terrace Park. Today more than two million trips a year are made on a park that averages only 66 feet wide.

Behind the legend

The 1979 scenic railroad study, the 1981 start of the conversion and the 2005 completion are on Wikipedia, ODNR and American Trails pages for the trail. The 2.3 million trips figure is from a 2020 count by trail counters.

If you go

Ride or walk between Loveland and Morrow, about 13 miles, and stop at the river towns along the way.

Historic sites near Little Miami State Park

Forts, villages, furnaces and lighthouses within reach of this park. Tap one for its story and visiting details.

Loveland Castle (Château Laroche)

Loveland · Hamilton County · Southwest Ohio
A stone castle on the Little Miami River that Harry Andrews built by hand over five decades, with a dungeon, a moat and a chapel.
Handmade castle
Part of this park · 1929–1981

Road trips through Little Miami State Park

Scenic byways and heritage drives that pass this park or run close to it.

Quaker Scenic Byway

Southwest Ohio (Clinton and Warren counties)
The paved rail-trail the byway intersects.
Scenic byway54 miles
Waynesville to Wilmington

Waterfalls near Little Miami State Park

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Horseshoe Falls

Waynesville · Warren County
A wide, low horseshoe falls on Caesar Creek, reached by a lakeshore hike and a 103 foot suspension bridge inside a 3,741 acre state park.
3 ftModerate hikeLegend
About 15 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Little Miami State Park

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

16 Loveland Section

47 miles · Hamilton, Clermont, Warren
A 50-mile paved rail-trail the Buckeye Trail shares
2 parksMoundsTrail towns

Camping is limited along the corridor. Two primitive campsites are just off the trail at Loveland, and private canoe liveries on the river sometimes offer camping; check locally.

Restaurants nearby

Paxton's Grill
Breakfast to dinner near the trail; open daily
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Loveland Kwik Stop
Convenience store next to the post office
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

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