“This is a fantastic trip. The fact that you can choose to skate or bike is a huge plus. Even though I have now done this trip two times, it has been tremendous both times.”Past Zephyr Ohio tour participant
Who knew southwestern Ohio was chock-full of wide, smooth trails perfect for skating and biking? Over 300 miles of connected trails to explore, most of them converted rail trails or along rivers (meaning flat and smooth), await us. But what is more, we think you will find this region to be surprisingly beautiful, boasting thick forests, wide rivers, open farmlands, and charming small towns, all centered around the interesting small city of Dayton. It will exceed your expectations.
Ohio Skating and Biking Trail Network
Back in 2017, Allan Wright, Zephyr’s founder, ventured to say that the best-paved trails in the world are in Ohio! Our new Flaeming Skate in Germany probably now surpasses Ohio but they are really number one and two. Most of the trails in Ohio are smooth, flat, and car-free. In addition, they connect to each other so most skaters and bikers will not need to get in the support van all week. The Dayton area claims to have the largest paved trail network in the United States and we believe that to be true.
No Single Supplement for This Tour!
New to Zephyr? Traveling solo? Even better.
To encourage you to try a skating vacation, solo travelers new to Zephyr can book this tour and skip paying the single supplement—a $500 value! (Simply ask for the new traveler single supplement offer when booking and we’ll take care of the rest).
The Ultimate NorthShore Inline Marathon Training Adventure
An inline skating vacation and endurance training week designed to prepare skaters for race day on the NorthShore.
In 2026, our Ohio Skating & Biking Adventure doubles as a training opportunity for the NorthShore Inline Marathon. Over five days, skaters can log up to the equivalent of five marathons on smooth, quiet bike paths perfect for race preparation— with shorter daily options always available. This is steady, aerobic base training in a supportive small-group environment, designed to build confidence and stamina without race-day pressure—the kind of consistent distance that prepares your body and mind for race day.
Then? You’ll have three full days to rest and travel to Minnesota — arriving strong and ready to skate one of the most iconic marathons in the sport. Turn race weekend into a full skating journey!
Train Solo, Race Ready – No Extra Fee!
Solo travelers who are new to Zephyr can book their own room with no single supplement, making it easy to train, rest, and prepare for the NorthShore Inline Marathon without added cost.
SIGN UP FOR THE OHIO TOUR AND YOU’LL RECEIVE
20% OFF THE NSIM REGISTRATION FEE
PLUS A $50 GIFT CARD TO INLINE WAREHOUSE
We’ll send you the discount code for the Marathon and a digital gift card!
Celebrating their 30th year, the NorthShore Inline Marathon is the largest point-to-point inline skating marathon in North America, drawing skaters from around the world each September. The stunning course follows the north shore of Lake Superior, offering smooth pavement, fast terrain, and an electric race-day atmosphere. For serious skaters and bucket-list racers alike, it’s one of the premier events in the inline skating world — and the perfect culmination of a week-long vacation that includes strong, purposeful training in Ohio.
Enjoy gearing up for the tour and the NSIM with a $50 gift card from our friends at Inline Warehouse!
Inline Warehouse was founded in 1994 and takes pride in offering a meticulously curated selection of top-notch fitness skates, urban skates, aggressive skates, roller skates, hockey skates and more. Their mission is to share in-depth expertise on these products empowering you to make informed decisions about your skating gear.
Gain expert tips from Inline Warehouse about ‘How to Travel with Skates‘ via the blog post they helped us craft.
Ohio Towns and Culture
You will be pleasantly surprised at this area of Ohio. Dayton is a manageable small city with lots of parks, good restaurants, fun breweries, and waterfront footage on the Little Miami river. We also spend two nights in Yellow Springs, a small avant garde town that is easily walkable and has some great shopping and cafes.
The quality of restaurants is surprisingly high in the area. We eat in the downtown fun district of Dayton and also from a food truck at a Yellow Springs brewery. We visit a real farm that sells farm-made ice cream (delicious!) from its doors. We visit the United States Air Force Museum for those interested and learn about pioneer life at another local museum. The area has a lot to offer in addition to the skating and biking.
Your Guide
Allan is Zephyr’s owner and founder and has been running adventure vacations around the world since 1997 (starting with inline skating). Allan is a native of Seattle and has lived in eleven cities in four countries on three continents. His visit list is up to 66 countries – as of this writing!
Interested in Biking or Know a Biker Who Wants to Join?
Because these routes are ideal for steady cruising, our skating tours are also perfectly suited for cyclists. The terrain, pacing, and distances allow bikers to fit seamlessly alongside skaters, creating a welcoming, low-stress, and beautifully balanced active adventure. Bikers and E-Bikers are also welcome.
Join us for our next Ohio Skating and Biking Adventure!
Details
- Dates: September 11 - 15, 2026
- Cost Per Person: $2,750
- Single Supplement: $500
- Private Tour Minimum: 8
- Activities: Skating & Biking
- Guide(s): Allan Wright
Difficulty
All Abilities
The trails in our region of Ohio are long, flat, smooth, and mostly car-free. We have multiple routes each day, ranging from short (approximately eight) to longer (approximately 30). For bikers, this tour is easy. For skaters, the routes are easy but participants must be competent with small hills, debris, and other obstacles. E-bikes are not available.
Other Info
Bikers are welcome (e-bikes are $90/day and our hybrids are $60/day).
Talk to Our Team: 888-758-8687
I Have QuestionsTrip Highlights
- Skate and bike on the largest (and some say best) paved trail network in the nation – 330 miles (sorry, but you won’t have time to skate them all!)
- Enjoy charming small towns, beautiful riverscapes, bucolic scenery and friendly and welcoming locals
- Stay two nights in small-city Dayton directly on the Miami River and two nights in the lovely town of Yellow Springs
- Feast on farm-made ice cream with incredibly delicious flavors.
DAY 1
We meet at the Dayton, Ohio airport and shuttle to a beautiful nature preserve south of the city for our initial skate on the Great Miami River Trail. After introductions to all your wonderful tripmates, you can choose to participate in a skating clinic to refresh your skills or begin skating right away! This 12-foot wide rail trail hugs the river, making its way through several quaint towns and many beautiful parks full of mature trees that provide shade until we reach downtown Dayton. Along the way, be sure to stop at the charming and historic little downtown of Miamisburg. Tonight, we will have dinner together at the Dublin Pub, a short walk away in the historic Oregon District.
Route distances: 10 miles / 18 miles / 25 miles
DAY 2
We start the day with a shuttle to the town of Tipp City where we’ll skate another section of the wide, flat Great Miami River Trail, through vibrant river towns and acres of parkland. We’ll be heading downstream with the river, so you’ll be able to make the miles fly by with ease! Our skate takes us back through Dayton, the birthplace of flight (remember the Wright Brothers?). If you have interest, we encourage you to visit the Air Force Museum for a little exploration time. We will reconvene in the lobby for an optional visit to Carillon Historical Park & Brewery before heading to a tasty dinner at Salar Restaurant.
Route distances: 9 miles / 17 miles / 33 miles
DAY 3
This morning we'll pack up our bags and check out of our hotel before hitting the trail for the quaint little town of Yellow Springs. Our route today takes us to the trail hub town of Xenia, with paved trail “spokes” radiating out in five directions! We'll start our skate with a brilliant green canopy of trees overhead, as well as a skate under a beautifully restored covered bridge. You’ll skate on three connecting paved paths – the Little Miami, Creekside, and Mad River Trails. Yellow Springs (population 3,700) has what is likely to be one of the cutest main streets you’ve ever seen! In the afternoon, we'll meet in the lobby for nice walk to Yellow Springs Brewery for happy hour and dinner.
Route distances: 10 miles / 18 miles / 28 miles
DAY 4
Rise and shine! We'll start with a filling breakfast in our charming hotel. Next, we skate out the back of our hotel to the trail, this time turning north toward the historic town of Springfield (and beyond, to the reservoir in Buck Creek State Park, if you choose). If you’re a history or architecture fan, you might want to visit the Heritage Center Museum or Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House before or after lunch. Choose to skate back to Yellow Springs, or ride back in the Zephyr shuttle. No visit to Yellow Springs would be complete without a visit to the famous Young’s Dairy for ice cream, so be sure to save time for a post-skate treat! If ice cream isn’t your thing, visit the local brewery in Yellow Springs – the patio overlooks the trail we were just on. Before or after an intimate dinner at our hotel, the property’s southern-style front porch will tempt you with comfortable rocking chairs where you can just hang out and watch the world go by with your new trip friends!
Route distances: 10 miles / 20 miles / 32 miles
DAY 5
After breakfast and the route talk, we depart from the hotel for an out-and-back (with flexible mileage), south on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The surrounding bucolic countryside is comprised of cornfields, beautiful rows of trees, farmhouses, and creeks full of kids fishing and swimming. We get you back to the hotel in time to shower and check out before setting everyone loose for lunch in Yellow Springs. We will provide an airport shuttle (arriving at 3:00 PM) for those who are flying home today.
Route distances: flexible
Trip Accommodations
NIGHTS 1 - 2 >> FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES / DAYTON, OHIO
Perfectly located directly off the trail and along the Great Miami River, this brand-new hotel offers spacious, comfortable rooms with friendly and accommodating staff. It is also within walking distance of many restaurants and pubs in downtown Dayton.
NIGHTS 3 - 4 >> MILLS PARK HOTEL / YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO
This small yet cozy hotel is located at the end of Yellow Springs’ three-block downtown. It offers modern rooms along with historic charm provided by its southern-style front porch complete with rocking chairs, a cozy lobby with couches and a sweeping staircase, a cute gift shop, and on-site restaurant. You will feel right at home here!
Book this TourWe will meet you in downtown Dayton, Ohio at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Dayton at 12:30 PM. The closest airport to fly into is Dayton, Ohio Airport (airport code DAY). If you plan to fly in the first day, plan on a flight arriving no later than 11:00 AM. If you arrive early in Dayton, you can easily take a shuttle downtown. If you are driving, you can park your car at the hotel.
On the last day, we will shuttle you back to the airport by 3:00 PM, so you can fly out any time after 4:30 PM. Upon booking, we will send you a Pre-Departure Packet with more information on this trip and suggestions for what to do if you want to spend extra time in the area.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- One Zephyr guide will accompany the trip, and a second is added as necessary.
- Double occupancy lodging is included. If you are coming on a trip solo, you have two options: 1) Pay the single supplement to receive your own room. 2) Ask us to try to find you a roommate of the same gender to share a room with; if we are not successful, you will be charged the single supplement and receive your own room.
- All of your dinners and breakfasts are included. Gratuity for these meals is also included. In general, we leave lunches open so that you have time to explore and enjoy the local flavors en route.
- All your transportation is included once you meet your guides on the first day.
- All trail fees and permits are included.
- NOT INCLUDED Beverages, desserts, lunches, gratuities to your guides, personal expenses and travel to and from the destination.
Weather
The average October temperature in Ohio is pleasantly in the mid-60s with the average high in the mid-70s. Though there is a lower risk of rain, you will still want to bring rain gear just in case.
Changes to Your Itinerary
While everything under “What is Included” will remain the same, the actual restaurants, hotels, and activities listed in our itineraries are subject to modifications. Changes that are out of our control are common – a restaurant closes or loses its awesome chef, a winery changes its visiting hours, a hotel gets remodeled, a road or trail undergoes construction. You are entrusting us to create an outstanding vacation for you and so it is possible we may take the liberty of making necessary changes (even at the last minute, during the guides’ scout trip) to the itinerary that will improve your overall trip experience.
Related Blog Posts
Why Bikers Love our Inline Skating & Biking Tours
September 29, 2025
The Miami Valley Trails Among the Best in the World
October 15, 2025
Expert Advice: How To Travel With Skates
April 21, 2025
I'm Interested!
Interested in one of our tours but not quite ready to book? No problem, we can add you to our "Interested" list. This means we will follow up with you via email or phone as we get closer to selling out the trip to see if you are ready to make a decision to book or not.
Please note this does NOT mean we are holding a spot for you on the trip. In order to hold your spot, you will need to pay a trip deposit.
More Information
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