One of our favorite runs in central Dayton is the Mad River Trail, between RiverScape Park downtown to Eastwood MetroPark. The paved multi-use path is on mostly along the river, below the road. Our route is on the south bank, though there’s a ~1 mile section on the north bank, with a good pedestrian bridge to cross over at the east end of RiverScape Park.

Overall, the distance is up to 4.3 miles one-way. At the 3-mile mark is Eastwood MetroPark, which is a very pretty section, with Eastwood Lake, other bodies of water, additional trails, and lots of greenery.

Add-Ons: At Eastwood Park, there are some additional paths around Rohrers Island. And downtown, there are connections to numerous other trails: the Miami River Trail headed north & south, and the Wolf Creek Trail headed west.