Cycling Summit Kettering Tour
Kettering Cycling Tour Points of Interest
Route 9 (Iron Horse Trail) & Route 19 (Dayton Kettering Connector) Intersect at Hempstead Station and Stroop. The last section of the Multi Use path trail on the Iron Horse down to Route 675 is maintained by Kettering’s neighbors to the south - the Centerville-Washington Park District.
2. Welcome Station at Hempstead Station (Fix-it Station, bench, trash can, shelter and bike parking installed 2021 by the City of Kettering Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department.
3. Hewitt Ave./Whipp Road bike route planned for 2022 with on road biking facilities and a shelter at Hewitt/Whipp. RRFB (Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacon) protected crosswalk will assist cyclists and pedestrians across Bigger Rd from the east side of Bigger onto Hewitt. This will be an important link with Centerville, our neighbor to the south. News regarding the project here.
4. Berwin Park is a train themed public park along Route 9. Sorry no restrooms or running water. It's one of 21 parks in Kettering maintained by the Kettering - Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department. See also https://www.playkettering.org
5. At Wenzler Park the sculpture Friendship Arch, 2011 by Tess Little made of stainless steel sets prominently in the middle of the park. The names of the nearly 100 school children who helped build the sculpture are listed on a plaque. Portable Restrooms are nearby. Kettering Arts Council video.
6. Memorial for 9/11 by John Van Alstine, of Indiana Limestone and Painted Steel, 2002, located at the east end of the Lincoln Park Civic Commons. Portable Restrooms are nearby. Kettering Arts Council video.
7. Kettering Fitness and Wellness Center bike parking and fix it station was installed by the City of Kettering Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department.
8. K3 & K4 Route Intersection (Now Detour) Odd numbered cycling routes run north and south while east west routes are numbered with even numbers.
9. The Habitat Environmental Education Center provides comprehensive environmental education, builds leadership skills, and fosters stewardship, appreciation and a sense of responsibility for the natural world through ongoing programs, classes, camps, and speakers for the residents of Kettering. Nearby is the sculpture: Nature’s Interplay, 2016 by Beth Holyoke and Käthi Seidl is constructed of concrete, aluminum, ceramic, glaze, glass. Kettering Arts Council Video.
10. White Oak Camp Hills & Dales - Hills and Dales was originally a 297-acre gift from John Patterson, the founder of the National Cash Register Company. It was originally designed between 1906 and 1918 by the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm, who also worked on Central Park in New York City. Restrooms are open to the public.
11. John Henry Patterson Memorial, 1928 by Giuseppe Moretti of John Henry Patterson (1844–1922) was a Dayton industrialist and the founder of NCR.
12. K3 Bike Route, Lookout Tower in Hills and Dales Park, sometimes known as the Witches Castle or Frankenstein’s Castle. Built in 1940 and completed in 1941, the 56 foot high turret-shaped tower was built by the National Youth Administration as a project with stone salvaged from buildings condemned by the city. It was closed shortly after an incident in 1967 that left Bellbrook teenager Peggy Ann Harmeson dead and her companion severely burned.
13. Ridgeway Bridge, currently being reconstructed, will feature an art-inspired bridge with sunrise/sunset view rest stops. This has and will continue to be a safe north south crossing of the Kettering K3 route over Dorothy Lane, eventually connecting with Patterson Boulevard through Hills and Dales Park when the bridge is completed. City of Kettering webpage on the project.
14. Commons Way near the Fraze features two sculptures, the Old Man and His Dog and nearby The Runner, both of bronze, were installed in 2007. These sculptures are located in Lincoln Park Civic Commons, by nationally recognized sculptor, Glenna Goodacre. Within short walking distance, the Kettering Government Center, the City of Kettering also has a permanent art collection to commemorate the renovation of the Government Center. Public restrooms are open. Kettering Arts Council Video.
15. Song & Dance Sculpture by artist Barry Gunderson is located in Lincoln Park. The sculpture consists of four abstract figures in gestural poses with hands/arms clustered in the center reaching upward. Kettering Arts Council video.
16. Ackerman/Dorothy/Colonial - Bike lane Installed in 2020 allows cyclists to continue going straight through an intersection without worrying about vehicles that are turning right (thus preventing the dreaded right hook). The bike lane extends to allow cyclists the ability to be first in line at the stop bar for thru movement to get ahead of cars as the road narrows onto Colonial (for Northbound movement only). A Video Detector and "bicycle detected when illuminated" signs for North/South movements (bike route) are planned for installation in 2024.
17. Bike Route 19 Connects Dayton and Kettering. ("The DKC") follows, in part, an historic rail line that served the NCR factories in south Dayton. Today it provides a beautiful, direct, not-too-steep, and safe route for cyclists to get from the densest parts of Montgomery County into downtown Dayton. Along the way you'll pass some of the area's important cultural institutions - The Fraze Pavillion and the University of Dayton. 7.1 miles total; 1.9 miles of paved multi-use trail, 5.2 miles of shared roadway/bike lanes.
18. The Welcome Station at Wiltshire Boulevard has a Fix-it Station, bench, trash can, shelter and bike parking. This station serves as the welcome entrance to Kettering from the north on the Dayton to Kettering connector. It was installed in 2021 by the City of Kettering Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department.
19. Forrer Blvd Buffered Bike Lane Buffered bike lanes are conventional bicycle lanes paired with a designated buffer space separating the bicycle lane from the adjacent motor vehicle travel lane and/or parking lane.
20. K2 & K7 Bike Route Intersection - Even numbered routes in Kettering run east and west and odd numbered routes run north and south.
21. The intersection of Forrer/Woodman currently has a bike lane for east bound cyclists. Video Detectors at the intersection are scheduled for 2024 installation, capable of detecting bicycles and increasing green times to allow safe crossing. Additionally, "bicycle detected when illuminated" signs that indicate this fact will be posted. That way cyclists know they triggered a green light. East/West movements for K2 bike route only. Just to the west of Woodman Ave. is the abandoned Norfolk Southern rail line. Negotiations are ongoing to acquire the land for cycling route to be known at the Dayton "Flightline"
22. Welcome Station at State Farm Park provides a fix-it station and bike parking, installed by the City of Kettering Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department in 2021. State Farm Park is located on what was once a State of Ohio Hospital Farm.
23. Iron Horse Trail along County Line Road, east boundary of Kettering. Construction begins in late summer 2021 for an 8ft shared use walk on the west (Kettering) side from Dorothy Lane to Vale Drive.
24. Route 9, also known as the Iron Horse Trail Intersects at Woodman Avenue. This section of trail is maintained by Five Rivers Metroparks and was newly repaved in 2020. The Kettering Property Line is just 100 yards short of Woodman Ave.
25. Dorothy Lane and Powhattan Place in 2024 is projected to have Video Detectors and "bicycle detected when illuminated" signs for North/South movements (bike route).