Riverfront Commons is an 11.5-mile uninterrupted walking, running, and biking trail that links Northern Kentucky’s six river cities – Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, and Fort Thomas – to the City of Cincinnati and other local trail systems. This trail is the signature project of Southbank Partners, a community and economic development organization that supports these river cities.  Learn more about Riverfront Commons.

The largest completed section of the Riverfront Commons trail is found in Dayton. The upper loop of the trail, which has been in existence for two decades, runs for 1.5 miles on top of the levee flood system from O’Fallon Avenue at the Bellevue border to Ky.8/Clark Street near the Manhattan Harbour Marina.

Another section of the trail system is currently being built or designed along the river’s edge. Construction of Phase I of this section of the trail, which runs from the parking lot of the Queen City Marina at the foot of O’Fallon Avenue to Berry Street, was completed in 2018. It is named Ahren’s Way after Private First Class Henry Ahrens, a Dayton native who was a hero in World War II.

The next phase of the new trail section, which will continue the rail to just before the Manhattan on the River apartment complex, will be constructed in 2022. The final phase of this new project is currently under design and is expected to be constructed in 2023. When completed, the new 1.5-mile trail along the river’s edge will connect with the upper trail to create a 3-mile loop along the Ohio River.

Single-family and multi-family residential units have been constructed and continue to be constructed along these trails and marinas anchor both ends of the trail, with future plans in the works to continue to obtain funding to continue the trail along Mary Ingles Highway into Fort Thomas.

See Riverfront Commons upper trail on Google Maps.

See Riverfront Commons river’s-edge trail on Google Maps.