Mt Airy TrailFest - 2026
About this Event
Mt. Airy TrailFest 2026 — a free day on the trails
📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
⏰ 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 Cindee Walsh Circle (The Oval), Mt. Airy Forest
TrailFest is back, with two changes for 2026. We moved to late September so nobody has to stand in an open field in August, and we moved the whole festival to Cindee Walsh Circle, also known as The Oval. More shade, more room, easier to get to.
If you have never walked a dirt trail in your life, this is a good first one. Most of what happens that day moves at a walking pace or slower, and every guided activity is led by someone whose whole job is answering questions from people who just got here.
What's happening:
• Live music all afternoon, food trucks, and local beer
• Five guided hikes, including a kids' hike out to the newly refurbished Everybody's Treehouse and down to the creek to flip over rocks
• Goats
• Kids' scavenger hunt, nature crafts, and orienteering
• Gear swap — bring the hiking boots that never fit right
• Adaptive mountain biking
The hikes cover native and non-native plants, tree ecology, and a slow walk with tea and quiet. They're led by Cincinnati Parks naturalists, a certified forest therapy guide, and a UC environmental science professor.
There's also a guided mountain bike ride in the morning, before the festival opens. About four miles of hilly singletrack, not a race, nobody gets dropped. We stop at every feature and take turns until it clicks. New to dirt? Meet at the skills course instead and we'll cover the basics there. Helmet and water required, and there are no loaner bikes, so start asking around now. Kids are welcome on whatever bike they own. There's no gear check and no wrong bike.
Admission is free. All TrailFest proceeds go to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation to support Mt. Airy Forest and Cincinnati's natural areas.
Mt. Airy Forest is 1,459 acres of trails and trees inside the city limits. Come spend an afternoon in it.
🔔 Follow this event page. Activity times, the band, and vendors get announced over the next few weeks.
Organized by the Mt. Airy Forest Advisory Committee (MAFAC) with Cincinnati Parks and the Cincinnati Parks Foundation. Ask us how to get involved in your local forest.
Mountain Bike Ride
🕑: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mountain Bike Ride
Host: Cincinnati Mountain Bike Club
Info: Around four miles of hilly singletrack with Sherman Butler, BICP Level 1 Coach and local rider. This is not a race and nobody gets dropped. We stop early and often at each feature to talk through the line, and take turns until it clicks. We hope you can stay for the entire ride, but we'll have ample opportunities for riders to head back to their vehicles. This is a great opportunity to check out the trails with a local guide.
Flora Hike
🕑: 12:30 PM
Conservation in Mt. Airy: Native and Non-Native Flora Hike
Host: Brendan Bogosian with Cincinnati Parks Department of Con
Info: Explore the plant biodiversity of Mt. Airy Forest Learn about habitat restoration efforts being undertaken by volunteers and Parks staff within the forest.
Kids Hike
🕑: 01:00 PM
Connecting Children to Nature Exploration Hike
Host: Rachel Rice with Cincinnati Parks Explore Nature Departm
Info: A kids hike to check out the newly refurbished “Everybody's Treehouse” combined with an exploratory hike down to the creek to turn over some rocks
🕑: 02:30 PM
Connecting Children to Nature Exploration Hike
Host: Rachel Rice with Cincinnati Parks Explore Nature Departm
Info: A kids hike to check out the newly refurbished “Everybody's Treehouse” combined with an exploratory hike down to the creek to turn over some rocks
Tree Hike
🕑: 03:00 PM
Seeing the Forest through the Trees Hike
Host: Dr. Teri Jacobs, UC professor
Info: A hands-on exploration of tree ecology and well-being. Learn also how to use i-Tree Tools technology to calculate the benefits of trees.
Forest Bathing
🕑: 01:45 PM
Forest therapy stroll
Host: Madison Lindsay, Play Wild
Info: A slow, gentle and embodied experience focused on reconnection and reciprocity with the forest through guided invitations, sharing circles and tea.
Birdwatching
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Birdwatching Hike
Host: UC Ornithology Club
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
