Cincinnati’s bicycling infrastructure won’t be confused with Portland, Oregon’s anytime soon. Our city’s ambitious but nonbinding Bicycle Transportation Plan acts merely as a guiding document and is often ignored by those pulling the purse strings. But for every striped bike lane that’s just a dotted line in a transportation engineer’s dreams, there exist plenty of safe and fun paths, trails, and routes—sometimes it just takes a car to get you there first.
Photograph by Jeremy Kramer
Bike With a View
Serious mountain bikers have known about Devou Park’s wooded trails for years, but there’s also an easier paved route running from the sparkling new Devou Park Golf Course clubhouse up to Drees Pavilion overlooking the Cincinnati skyline. The recently launched DevouCycle bike rental service offers 70 bikes for rent, ranging from kids bikes and cruisers to full-suspension mountain bikes and even tandems. devoucycle.com
Flat and Paved
Technically a southern stop on the sprawling Little Miami Scenic Trail, the Lunken Airport Loop is an east side destination in its own right. The five-mile paved trail circles the airfield amid rolling hills, the banks of the Little Miami and even Reeves Golf Course. There’s also a connection to a 1.9-mile trail through the adjacent Otto Armleder Memorial Park. cincinnati-oh.gov/bikes
Lakeside Cruise
The lake is never far from view for anyone on the 2.6-mile paved loop in Sharon Woods that winds along the water before jutting into the park for a short ride through the woods. It’s more of a beginner route with few hills, but you’ll find plenty of shady areas along with picturesque shoreline views and a waterfall. Bikes rent for $10.05 per hour, while bringing your own will run you a $10 annual parking permit ($14 non-Hamilton County residents). greatparks.org/Sharon-woods
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