Families looking for a low-key outing that mixes reading with fresh air have another option this year: Storybook Trails, a program that turns the pages of a children’s book into stops along a short walking path. Southwest Ohio has more than 20 of them, spread across Cincinnati and Dayton area parks, libraries and highway rest stops.
The statewide effort is a partnership between Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Many local park districts and libraries have since built their own versions using the same idea, which is why the region has so many options beyond the state-run trails.
How It Works
There’s no registration or fee involved. A Storybook Trail is a walking path, usually short and stroller-friendly, with a full picture book broken up across a series of outdoor panels. Families walk the loop or out-and-back route, stopping to read each page, then finish the book by the end of the trail. Most trails rotate their featured book every month or two, so a family that visits twice in a year will likely find a different story the second time.
The Program Behind the Books
The books featured on Ohio’s state park trails come from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the book-gifting program Parton founded in 1995 in her home county in Tennessee. The national program mails a free, age-appropriate book each month to enrolled children from birth until kindergarten, regardless of family income, and has since expanded to five countries.
Ohio runs its own branch of the program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio, which has been available in all 88 counties since November 2020. Families with a child younger than 5 can enroll for free at any time, and the first book typically arrives eight to ten weeks after signing up.
Parton died Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Her family and the Dollywood Foundation confirmed the Imagination Library will continue operating, meaning both the monthly book mailings and programs like Storybook Trails are expected to carry on as before.
Southwest Ohio Storybook Trail Locations
The list below covers confirmed Storybook Trails and StoryWalks across the Cincinnati and Dayton metro areas. Because books and locations change, families should check with the listed park district or library before a visit.
Hamilton County
- Blue Ash Nature Park StoryWalk, Blue Ash. Run by Blue Ash Recreation in partnership with the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Blue Ash branch, with a new book about every two months.
- Nelle V. Hosbrook Bird Sanctuary Story Trail, Madeira. Located across the street from CHPL’s Madeira branch.
- Anderson Park District StoryWalk, Anderson Township. Rotates between different Anderson park properties rather than staying in one spot.
Butler County
- Fairfield StoryWalk Hike. A seasonal program, though the city’s website currently notes the outdoor displays were damaged over the winter and have been pulled while a more durable version is developed.
Warren County
- Testerman Park Storybook Trail, Hamilton Township. A half-mile trail installed in 2021 through the township’s public works department.
- Warren County Conservation StoryWalk. A nature-themed StoryWalk that rotates monthly between different Warren County park district properties.
Clermont County
- Storybook Trail at East Fork State Park. An ODNR trail that opened in 2022 near Harsha Lake.
Clinton County
- Storybook Trail at Cowan Lake State Park, 1750 Osborn Road, Wilmington. A half-mile trail near the nature center, opened in 2022, currently featuring “Shh! Bears Sleeping” by David Martin.
Greene County
- Storybook Trail at John Bryan State Park, near Yellow Springs. One of the first five ODNR Storybook Trails in the state, opened in 2020 by the park playground.
- Dominick Lofino Park StoryWalk, 640 Grange Hall Road, Beavercreek. Maintained by the Greene County Public Library and updated roughly every other month.
- Hawk’s Woodland Walk, Valle View Reserve, Fairborn. A half-mile wooded trail maintained by the Greene County Public Library.
Clark County
- Adventure Literacy Trail, Buck Creek Nature Park, 1101 Mitchell Blvd., Springfield. Run by the National Trail Parks and Recreation District.
Montgomery County
- Storybook Trail at Sycamore State Park, Brookville. An ODNR trail unveiled in 2021.
- Great Miami River Recreation Trail Storywalk, downtown Dayton. A 12-kiosk trail run by the Miami Conservancy District near Carillon Boulevard, notable because the featured book was written by University of Dayton students rather than pulled from the Imagination Library catalog.
- Owlexander’s Nature Literature Trails, Centerville-Washington Park District. Four separate trails under one mascot: the Hoot Route at Grant Park (501 Normandy Ridge Road, Centerville), Tree Trek at Bill Yeck Park, Tyke Hike at Schoolhouse Park (1875 Nutt Road, Washington Township) and Wetland Walk at Oak Creek South Park (790 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Centerville).
Miami County
- John A. Wannemacher Nature Reserve, Monroe Concord Road, Troy. Miami County Park District, currently featuring “Let the Dandelions Grow!”
- Hobart Urban Nature Preserve, 1400 Tyrone Road, Troy. Miami County Park District, an alphabet-themed storybook trail.
- Garbry Big Woods Reserve, 6660 N. Casstown Sidney Road, Piqua. Miami County Park District, currently featuring a “Fairy Houses” storybook trail.
- Stillwater Prairie Reserve. Miami County Park District.
Preble County
- I-70 East Welcome Center Storybook Trail, New Paris. An ODNR/ODOT trail at the rest area near mile marker 2, just inside Ohio’s western border.
Good to Know
- Trails are self-guided and free to visit. No advance sign-up is required.
- Organizations that want to install a Storybook Trail can apply through ODNR’s RTP Storybook Trail Grant program.
- Park or library districts that already run a Storybook Trail can request to have it added to ODNR’s statewide map.
- Families can enroll a child in the free monthly book program separately from visiting a trail.
For families who want to build a full outdoor day around the visit, several of these trails sit inside parks with longer paths worth exploring. See our guide to hiking with kids in Cincinnati for nearby options that pair well with a Storybook Trail stop.
Plan Your Visit
- What: Storybook Trails, a mix of ODNR/ODOT trails and local park district and library StoryWalks across Southwest Ohio
- Cost: Free, self-guided
- Statewide map: ODNR’s interactive Storybook Trails map
- Program info: ohiodnr.gov/storybook-trails
- Enroll a child in the free book program: ohioimaginationlibrary.org/enroll
