Thanks to a recent grant award, MetroParks of Butler County can complete the final segment of the Great Miami River Trail (GMRT) left unfunded in Butler County. MetroParks received a $1.7 million grant from the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) to construct a 1.7-mile trail segment in Lemon, Liberty and Fairfield Townships. That trail section was the only portion of MetroParks’ GMRT gap completion project that was not funded by $3.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act, OKI and State Capital awards in 2022.

“MetroParks of Butler County is elated to receive the Surface Transportation Block Grant funding as this secures the final piece necessary to complete our portion of the GMRT” said MetroParks’ Executive Director, Jackie O’Connell. “We are grateful to OKI for recognizing the importance of this regional trail system and are confident these funds will provide innumerable opportunities for recreation, transportation and economic development in Butler County and beyond.”

Upon the GMRT's completion, trail users will be able to ride contiguously from Fairfield to Piqua. Riders can currently access 11 miles of trail between Rentschler Forest MetroPark and Waterworks Park in Fairfield, and close to 70 miles of trail stretching from Middletown to Piqua. Southwest Ohio has become known as a national destination for its trail network, which now stands over 340 miles of connected trails.

Once the gaps in the GMRT have been completed, the trail is slated to become the second-longest regional bike trail, just behind the 110-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail/Simon Kenton Trail. The greater Miami Valley’s trail network has an estimated $13 million annual impact to the region.

Tri-State Trails director Wade Johnston said "For the past two decades, local governments have been working on closing the remaining gaps in the GMRT in Butler County. MetroParks of Butler County has been a key leader and collaborator in the effort to reach this historic milestone.”

Construction on the Lemon, Liberty and Fairfield Township trail segment is expected to begin in 2027.

Click here to access the current GMRT Gap Map.