Friends of the Little Miami State Park has spent the summer repairing storm damage, smoothing pavement and filling cracks along the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

The all-volunteer nonprofit, headquartered on Mason Montgomery Road in Mason, works with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to maintain about 50 miles of paved trail. The group's busiest stretch came after an Aug. 11 derecho tore through Greater Cincinnati, as first reported by the Warren County Post.

More than 15 volunteers turned out the morning after the storm with chainsaws, pole saws, blowers and a brush chipper. Work began around 8 a.m. By about 3 p.m., every blockage across more than 20 miles of trail had been cleared.

The storm cleanup was one of several projects.

The group's North Trail Maintenance Team, organized in summer 2025, used a specialized grinder to smooth bumps caused by tree roots between Corwin and Oregonia. Volunteers also filled cracks between Hedges Road and Spring Valley with cold-patch material. Parallel cracks are a particular hazard because a bicycle tire can catch in them and cause a crash.

ODNR completed a major erosion repair in June beneath the Interstate 71 Jeremiah Morrow Bridge. An engineered concrete wall extends about eight feet into the hillside to stabilize the bank. The trail there has been repaved and reopened.

A recent bicycle collision just north of the Peters Cartridge Factory injured two cyclists. Passersby called 911, provided material for a head wound and retrieved a first-aid kit while waiting for Hamilton Township Fire and EMS. The organization urged trail users to carry a charged cellphone and basic first-aid supplies.

President Becky Retzer said donations fund equipment for volunteer work crews, trailhead upkeep and safety repairs. The group said summer contributions have declined even as maintenance demands grow.

Trail users near the Foster trail access should expect continued disruptions from Warren County's Old 3C Highway sewer project. Warren County estimated the road work would take about 13 weeks from its Aug. 17 start. The Old 3C Highway bridge is closed, so access to Fosters Landing Park and the Monkey Bar is available only from the Fosters-Maineville Road side.