A good river trip starts before your paddle touches the water. Where will you launch? Where will you take out? What should you know about the stretch in between?
The Miami Conservancy District’s updated Stillwater River Water Trail map is here to help you plan. Covering the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek in southwest Ohio, the new printed map is now available, and the online map has been updated, too.
Whether you’re planning a kayak trip, looking for a place to fish, or exploring a river you haven’t visited before, start with MCD’s river maps.
Choosing a launch is only part of planning a paddle. You also need a suitable take-out, a manageable distance, and an understanding of the hazards along your route.
MCD’s water trail maps identify public access points, river miles, and safety information. The interactive river map also provides details such as parking, restrooms, GPS coordinates, and mapped hazards and portage routes. Use these tools together to decide where your trip will begin and end.
Before heading out, check information for both access locations and arrange transportation between them. Save the information you need before leaving home, and bring a map you can consult on the water.
The Stillwater River and Greenville Creek are part of Ohio’s designated Scenic and Recreational River system. ODNR identifies the Stillwater from Riffle Road bridge in Darke County to Englewood Dam as Scenic, along with Greenville Creek from the Ohio–Indiana state line to its meeting with the Stillwater. The Stillwater downstream of Englewood Dam to the Great Miami River is designated Recreational.
The Stillwater also belongs to the Great Miami River Watershed Water Trail, which received National Water Trail designation in 2016, the first in Ohio. That recognition connects a local paddle to a larger network of river recreation opportunities across the region.
But the reasons to visit go beyond the designations.
ODNR describes these waterways as meandering across western Ohio’s glaciated plains. Their aquatic habitat supports smallmouth bass, rainbow darters, and other fish, while great blue herons and wood ducks are among the birds found along the river corridor. For anglers, birdwatchers, and paddlers, there is plenty to notice between the launch and the take-out.
Greenville Creek deserves a place in your plans, even on a day when you leave the kayak at home.
At Greenville Falls State Scenic River Area near Covington, the creek features a cascading waterfall, a limestone arch, and remnants of a former mill. Walking trails offer a way to explore the landscape and its history from shore. Plan a separate walking visit to enjoy the falls; a waterfall is a river hazard, not a paddling destination to approach from upstream.
For another way to enjoy the Stillwater corridor, Stillwater Prairie Reserve offers trails through woodland, fields, and wetland habitats, with sections following the river. It’s an option for a walk, birdwatching, or time beside the water.
The name “Stillwater” is no guarantee of calm conditions. Rainfall, water levels, fallen trees, and other obstacles can change a trip.
Before every outing:
Wear a properly fitted, securely fastened life jacket.
Check river levels and the weather. Postpone your trip when water is high or moving fast.
Review hazards and portages before launching. Never paddle over a low dam or through a flood protection dam.
Paddle with others and share your plan with someone staying on shore.
Choose a route that fits everyone’s abilities, including the least experienced paddler.
A map helps you prepare, but it cannot show every changing condition on a river. Watch the water ahead and be ready to change your plans. Read MCD’s river safety guidance before you go.
Explore the updated online river map, or visit MCD’s River Maps page for map resources and information about printed copies.
Parks, nature centers, and community organizations interested in distributing the new printed Stillwater River Water Trail map can contact MCD at [email protected]
Pick your access points. Check the conditions. Pack your life jacket. Then get to know the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek.
