By Karen Andrew
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Chris Bramlage of Anderson Township runs down the Little Miami Scenic Trail near Milford. (Melissa Heatherly photo)

IF YOU GO

Directions: Fosters can be found by taking I-71 north, exiting at Ohio 48 and driving south. Turn right on U.S. 22/Ohio 3, drive 31/2 miles and turn right on Old 3C Highway. Drive toward the Little Miami River and turn into the parking lot before the bridge. Details: Ohio Department of Natural Resources' site: www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks and the Ohio Chapter, Sierra Club's site: ohio.sierraclub.org

I've been exploring perfect trails for walkers but I have redubbed the Little Miami Scenic Trail the "Elusive Little Miami Scenic Trail" because unless you already know about it, it's difficult to find. With few exceptions, there are no signs indicating how to get to the trail, much of which can't be seen from the road.

Yet it is a 69-mile paved, multiuse byway spanning four Ohio counties (Clermont, Warren, Greene and Clark, where the headwaters of the Little Miami are located) and is a part of the Little Miami State Park and the Little Miami State and National River area.

Still, this elusive quality is what makes this a wonderful walking trail. Where else can you find a relatively flat, paved, well-kept walkway that goes miles and miles and offers picturesque and historic scenery?

But, if you want to know exactly where the trail goes, get a good local map book, such as Engels Guide Inc. There are three official staging areas: Loveland, Morrow near Lebanon, and Corwin near Caesar Creek State Park. Loveland is the nicest and most popular.

Digging into the elusive trail paid off: I found a delightful area, my favorite so far, in the Fosters area of Maineville.

At the river's edge, I came upon a restaurant and bar, the Train Stop Inn, which also rents horses; a parking area and clean restrooms provided by Hamilton Township; and a trail that offered stunning views of the Little Miami. I walked a 30-minute round-trip or about 3,000 steps, all in shade and most of which was void of vehicular traffic and noise. Wildflowers, such as violet wild geraniums, blue phlox and bright yellow golden ragwort joined the white flowers of the dogwood trees and the fragrant honey locust trees and honeysuckle shrubs.

Little Miami Scenic Trail is the ideal trail for all walkers - it meets our different needs and goals. It's perfect for beginners; people with limited time; baby stroller pushers; individuals, couples, groups, and families; people who are building up their distances; long-distance walkers; and dog walkers.

I'm building up my distance. One afternoon, I started at the beginning of the trail at Milford and my goal was to reach Camp Dennison. Due to time constraints I only got as far as the Galbraith Road crossing - a 5-mile round trip of about one hour and 6,000 steps. I was very close to Camp Dennison and I will soon return to accomplish my goal.

E-mail kandrew@enquirer.com