Bass Island Slips to Winter 2027, and Anderson's River Season Moves to the Trail

In August, Anderson Township's Insights newsletter promised two new ways to reach the Little Miami River "this fall." The first was a reopened Bass Island River Access. The second was a new Old Fort Park off Debolt Road. Now it's the last day of September, and neither is open. Great Parks' project page gives Winter 2027 for Bass Island. The township's most recent Old Fort update says staff will spend fall and winter preparing the site before anyone can walk in.

So for this season, getting to the water in Anderson means taking a trail and launching from a park on one side of the township or the other. The township's own planners had already described a version of this problem. The newsletter quotes Planning and Zoning Director Paul Drury saying Anderson has "few spots for recreation or accessing and interacting with the river," followed by a short line: "We want to change that."

Why the south side was never the answer

Before getting into the Little Miami delays, it helps to see why the Ohio River can't fill the gap. The same newsletter explains that US 52 runs alongside the Ohio through much of the township. Kellogg Road holds major entertainment venues and river-oriented barge operations, and the result, in the newsletter's words, is that "access to the river in the township is limited." The township did buy the former Boatsmith Marine property at 6835 Kellogg Avenue in 2014 with public river access in mind. No current source gives an opening date for a public launch there.

That puts all the near-term weight on the Little Miami. It also explains why the two fall projects drew so much attention.

What happened at Bass Island

Bass Island sits on the Newtown edge of the township. According to the newsletter, people have used it for water play and canoe or kayak launches since the late 1800s. Great Parks' alert for the closure starts on November 18, 2024. That makes this the second fall without the site.

The delay has a specific cause. Great Parks says inspectors found that the new restroom building didn't match its design. Construction was paused, and the parts that don't comply are being taken down and rebuilt to the original specifications. The agency's posted timeline now reads like this:

Great Parks calls that timeline an estimate that could change. It also says unpredictable flooding could affect the schedule. The red alert banner on the main Bass Island page still says work continues "through summer of 2026." The project page is newer, so plan around the Winter 2027 date.

The wait does buy real improvements. Great Parks lists a larger parking lot, the first restrooms on the site, a drop loop for loading and unloading boats, a designated walkway, and a ramp down to the water. The old access was "steep and slippery when wet" and had no restrooms and too little parking. To save trees, the agency moved planned walkways and added a boardwalk and retaining walls. Planning has also started on a separate 13.5-acre forest and riparian restoration upstream. The project is estimated at $3.0 million. The State of Ohio is paying $294,000, and the remainder comes from the 0.95-mill levy Hamilton County voters passed in 2021.

In early public input, 56% of respondents said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the old site. Eighty-nine percent said improvements would make them more likely to use it. Those numbers suggest the reopening will draw a lot of people when it finally happens.

Old Fort Park is real land with a slower start

The second project has a longer history than most people realize. After the 1997 flood, Anderson Township worked with FEMA to buy flood-prone properties along the Little Miami in Old Fort, off Debolt Road. That program has now run for nearly three decades. The future park, at Washington Boulevard and Little Miami Terrace, is built on land the township has been quietly assembling since the late 1990s.

The township hired Burgess & Niple in fall 2025 to study a passive riverside park. The plan was revised in May and June of 2026 based on community input. The newsletter adds some history, including Native American settlement and the area's use as a "country club" retreat in the early 1900s, which interpretive signs could cover.

Opening day will be modest. The August concept drawing splits the work into three phases:

1. Phase 1: pavement repair on Washington Boulevard and gravel-path work.
2. Phase 2: a parking lot, concrete walks, a fishing and wildlife-viewing platform, portable toilets, bike racks, picnic tables, benches, signs and a cannon.
3. Phase 3: a natural play area and swings.

Staff is working on access, signage, safety and trails through fall and winter 2026. A five-year plan for later improvements is expected in the coming months. Trustee Chair Dee Stone described the place she expects it to become as "a popular spot for a quiet retreat and a place to be close to the river." Questions about the plan go to Steve Sievers at the township, 513-688-8604.

Where the river opens up this fall

With both township-side sites closed, this season's access depends on the trail network. The most useful piece is less than a year old. In November 2025, Anderson Township finished the Elstun Trail connection from Beechmont Avenue and Elstun Road to the Little Miami Scenic Trail. It links the Skytop area and Mt. Washington to the Scenic Trail, the Ohio River Trail, and the trail systems at Lunken Airport and Otto Armleder Memorial Park. The City of Cincinnati plans a future extension along the south side of Beechmont Avenue toward Mt. Washington.

The trail matters because it reaches the alternatives Great Parks points paddlers to while Bass Island is closed. Those are Otto Armleder Memorial Park downstream and Lake Isabella upstream. ODNR also publishes a full list of Little Miami access points. For trail-only trips, Great Parks says you can park a short distance away at the Little Miami Scenic Corridor Golf Course & Trailhead and the Avoca Trailhead. Sections of the Scenic Trail may close temporarily while construction continues.

The guided-paddle season has already gotten shorter. Loveland Paddlesports and River Dogs Paddlesports both say they are closed for 2026 and looking ahead to 2027. Scenic River Canoe, a few miles from historic Old Milford, advertises six-mile kayak trips with daily departures through 3 p.m. Its site doesn't list a season end date, so call before an October outing.

The decision still open to residents this month

One part of the west-side picture is still taking public input. Great Parks and the City of Cincinnati, along with Metro and the Indiana and Ohio Railway Company, are planning the Oasis Trail. It would be a 4.5-mile paved, ADA-compliant path from Sawyer Point downtown to Lunken Airport. Lunken is already one of the trail systems the Elstun connector reaches. So the Oasis Trail would mean an Anderson cyclist could ride from Beechmont to the downtown riverfront on dedicated trail. The virtual open house and survey at publicinput.com/oasistrail are open through October 23.

Here's the practical takeaway for this fall. Bass Island's ramp is expected in Winter 2027, and Old Fort's gravel paths will open sometime after the township finishes its fall and winter prep. Until then, the river is reached from Elstun Road, Otto Armleder, Lake Isabella and the Avoca Trailhead.

New river access usually changes how a neighborhood moves day to day, and sometimes how buyers see it. If you live near Old Fort, the Elstun connector or the Bass Island stretch and want to know where your home stands as these projects take shape, Paige Von Hoffmann and the LIVIN IN CIN team can walk you through it. Request your personalized home valuation and we'll look at it with you.