Two trail connections linking Plainfield Road to Summit Park's trail network are now freshly paved and open to the public, Summit Park Blue Ash announced on social media Tuesday, Aug. 4.

Walkers, runners, cyclists and anyone pushing a stroller can use the smoother paths immediately. The park said the new pavement makes summer walks, runs, stroller rides and bike rides easier across the 130-acre property.

An updated trail map with distances is now posted online so residents can plan routes. Trails at Summit Park range from paved loops around the Great Lawn to shaded woodland paths and crushed-gravel routes near the prairie and pond. For runners tracking mileage: it takes just under four laps around the Great Lawn to complete a mile.

The paving fits a broader push for better trail connectivity. At a May 14 work session, a Blue Ash City Council member called the existing walk to adjacent development areas "desolate" and urged more connected, inviting paths for pedestrians and cyclists, according to council meeting minutes.

Summit Park, built on the former Blue Ash Airport site at the corner of Glendale-Milford and Plainfield roads, has seen steady investment since its 2012 opening. Two new restaurants, Alcove and D'Oro, are under construction or lease-signed, and the park earned a spot on the Ohio River Birding Trail earlier this year for its more than 150 recorded bird species.

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