A nearly four-mile, multi-use trail connecting two major Hamilton County parks is entering its final phase of construction. Work on the Glenwood Gardens to Winton Woods Trail is scheduled to be completed in fall 2027.
"The two parks actually do physically touch one another, but there's never been a safe pedestrian link between the two," explains Ben Helmes, project delivery manager for Great Parks of Hamilton County. "This project really gives opportunities for our park guests to walk, bike, run or use the trail however they'd like to travel between the two parks. The trail also creates a lot of neighborhood connections so there's a lot more opportunities for people to use non-motorized modes of transportation to get to school, to work, to shopping, as well as using the parks and the trail for recreation."
The trail reaches from the Glenwood Gardens to the Harbor Loop Trail in Winton Woods. It also connects into the West Fork Mill Creek Greenway Trail. The first phase connecting Glenwood Gardens and the West Fork Mill Creek Greenway to a Metro bus stop at the intersection of Springfield Pike and Glendale Milford Road opened last July.
The second phase starts from where the Greenway meets with Glenwood Gardens and will go west through the park toward Winton Woods, eventually feeding into the Harbor Loop multi-use path.
Construction will take about two years. Site work began in the fall. Helms says the timeline is necessary because the project requires of lot of site preparation and grading, as well as constructing a number of large structures, including a bridge and several retaining walls. Crews also will be working adjacent to several roadways.
Helmes says Great Parks has been planning the project for a long time, and is being careful to balance conservation and recreation.
"Those two are often at odds, but ... (we're) really trying to be as careful as possible with where we've routed the trail, how we can work around existing mature trees, (and) where we can take advantage of running alongside existing roadways," Helmes explains. "I think we've done a good job balancing the need to conserve our natural areas, but also make them accessible, to invite people to appreciate nature, which is an important part of our our mission."
The 12-foot wide, paved connector will be ADA accessible and intended for walkers, runners, bicyclists, skaters, wheelchairs, strollers and more.
"I really like the variety," Helmes says of the areas the path will traverse.
"There's a lot to see from one end to the other. You see Winton Lake (and) a meadow/prairie/wetland area. You see forested areas, as well as running through residential. And once you get over towards Glenwood Gardens, you you can connect into some of the neighborhood shopping areas."
Great Parks CEO Todd Palmeter previously told WVXU the trail also is a key connection in a much larger planning effort called the Mill Creek Triangle trail. That effort — currently in the feasibility study phases — would build a 40-mile loop around Hamilton County connecting Cincinnati to parks like Winton and Sharon Woods.
The project is being funded by more than $7 million in federal and local grants.
Read more:
