On Tuesday, August 11th, Tri-State Trails & CORA lead a group of MAASTO conference attendees around the Little Miami Trail.
What is MAASTO?
Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO) "is an annual gathering that brings together transportation leaders, professionals, and industry partners from across the United States. The event provides a forum for state departments of transportation, federal agencies, and private-sector stakeholders to share best practices, discuss innovations, and collaborate on solutions to the region’s most pressing transportation challenges."(https://www.maasto2026.com/)
It was an honor to be included in their programming for the week, and we wanted to showcase a public transportation model that they can take back to their communities.
Little Miami Trail Tour
We started the ride at 50 West Brewing Co., where the Tour de CROWN will be held on Saturday, August 29. Cincy Red Bike brought a fleet of bikes for the MAASTO group, which many commented that the bikes were a great connecting tool for the community! As we started the tour, Wade Johnston, Executive Director of Tri-State Trails summarized the concept of the CROWN. Isaac Hunter-Linville, Administrative Assistant of CORA shared the concept of a braided trail network, and I (hi, Jaki here) talked about Clear Creek Bike Park & Avoca Trail, highlighting the pockets of natural surface trail and bike park adventures off of the Little Miami Trail. This set up the tour to spark conversations along the ride.
As we began to pedal through Newtown toward Schmidt Field, I talked with conference attendees from Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, asking them about their trail systems. They shared their passion around public transportation and their aspirations to make their communities more bike-centric.
I had the honor of riding with a woman from Iowa who had moved from Alaska with a city planning background. One of her main concerns is getting the communities to back up the idea of a braided trail network, and we discussed the two main P's: Patience and Persistence. She shared her personal journey of longer bike rides and the excitement around adding more miles of trail back home. I also had the honor of riding with a gentleman from Madison, WI. Last year, I attended the International Trails Summit in Madison, WI and had the opportunity to tour their trail network. We talked about Madison's excellent trail navigation and wayfinding, equipped with bike crosswalks, clear signage, and pockets of off-road adventure for kids to ride to school. Aldo Leopold Park is popular for these kids, fully equipped with a chipseal bike park and natural surface trails surrounding the park.
All of the riders in the tour were excited to see the progressive trail system Greater Cincinnati has to offer. Not only were they inspired, I was as well. We all have something to learn from each other, and if it means more trails for more people, I'm sold!
Explore more trails! Visit coratrails.org/trails