Lunken Airport Playfield

I rode bikes here yesterday with my husband and a few friends. We had a wonderful time!
We rented bikes which was reasonably priced and easy to do.
The actual trail was lovely and I felt safe as an inexperienced biker.
I will be back!

Well played the big course with my 13 year old son and his friend. The course was beautiful and forgotten by me. Thought they only had a par 3 course but just as well my mistake in paying for 18 on the big course was actually our gain. The course was not too demanding and although it played long for my beginners it was not so trying as to discourage. Add to it the fact that all the amenities were close and throw in a great club house staff and you have a makings for a great day. And yes we played slow so many players did play through but even the players out there had good moods and understanding. We were not hit into, felt rushed, or talked ill to. Something that even today should be the rule and not the exception. But then again I did make sure that we had people better than us play through rather than wait! Thanks again for a great day!

Great place to run in the winter! The 5 mile path around the perimeter of the airfield is salted and cleared of snow. A beautiful and safe-​from-​ice run.

I took my son (almost 1 ½) to the Land of Make Believe playground at the Lunken Airport Playfield today and it was a blast. Parking is plentiful and free and you enter through an air conditioned little building that sells concessions ($ 2 for bottled water so not too crazy) and has bathrooms. Entrance is $ 1 for ages 2 – 12 and free for younger and older than that.
The play area is huge and a lot of it is shaded by mature trees and there are plenty of benches. Most things look very new, but there are a couple of «vintage» animal-​shaped spring riders for character. There are 4 infant swings and then a massive main playground/​jungle gym/​slides configuration. There’s more that we didn’t get to, including some picnic shelters (and regular swings, I’m sure).
The jungle gym contraption is labeled for kids 5 – 12, but I think a lot of it is very useable for younger children with adult supervision. There is a nice springy, cushy ground covering underneath for safety.
According to their website, the playground is generally open from May thru October, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Access is available and free through the back gate when facility is closed.

I’ve primarily run the loop around Lunken. It’s right around 5 miles with markers in the pavement. It’s not terribly shady, it is highly used, but not so much that I feel like I’m always dodging obstacles. Folks seem respectful-​with bikers passing audibly and walkers staying to the right. Parking is plentiful either at the sports fields or at the farmer’s market parking lot. There are also ball fields and a golf course.
There’s aren’t any drinking fountains or restrooms on the loop-​so fair warning before you get started. There are some benches and trash cans though.
Also, there is a trail connector that will take you to the Otto Armleder park-there’s a play ground, dog park, and more paved paths. Other than the canoe drop off, these are in the blazing sun with no shade. Seems great for bird watching though with all the tall grasses. Other trails also meet up with the loop, bu but I haven’t had the chance to explore them yet.
If you’re looking for a paved five mile loop for walking/​running/​biking/​rollerblading, this is a great place.

Most of my time in this area is spent riding my bike on the 2 mile Otto Armleder Park trail and 5 mile Lunken Airport Bike Path. My friends and I are able to start riding in Newport and take the new bike trail designated on Kellogg Rd. to get to Lunken Bike Trail. While riding, I have observed people playing on a beautiful golf course, huge dog parks, playgrounds, and places to take shelter from the sun. One time, there was a huge family awaiting a returning soldier to Lunken Airport.
It is a nice place to ride bikes with plenty of room on the asphalt for walkers, as well. I would imagine the heat and sunshine could be a problem with few trees to shelter.
It is so great that we have Cincinnati Parks and Recreation to create such beautiful parks and open land to enjoy with our friends and family members.

This review is mainly going to be for the trail. The rest of the park is a park like any other park.
I like the bike/​walking/​running trail at Lunken in the spring or fall, but during the summer, it is EXCRUCIATING.
It is not very shady at all, because it really can’t be, because it’s a trail that winds around an airport. An airport is not a place for a lot of tall trees, right?
The trail is about 5 miles for the loop– which is good if you’re committed to 5 miles or longer– but for the average joe who’s not doing that long of a distance. The trail is mainly flat except for two giant hills, which you pretty much have to do one or the other of them uphill at the beginning or end of your journey. At the end of 5 miles, that’s tough. At the end of 10 miles, even tougher!
There are several different places to park, which is nice. The other thing that irks me about this place, other than the lack of shade, is the lack of water fountains! I only know where one is located, and it’s not really on the loop of the trail.
All of that aside, it is well-​kept and close to home. If I don’t have a lot of extra time to drive to a different trail, it’s a great place to go!

I love the setting of this place. It was really cool to play a round of golf with planes flying overhead. I mean, seriously, like right over your head. I’m pretty sure some of the holes would be emergency lading strips of something were to go wrong.
I played here a few weeks ago and mind you, I am a serious golf amateur. The course was fairly easy compared to some that I have seen (doesn’t mean I played well) and open. It’s a good place to go as a beginner, and reasonably priced at about $ 13 per 9 holes. Greens were fairly slow but that’s good for me.
I would recommend this for amateurs, through and through. Have fun.

When the weather warms up and it hasn’t been rainy, this place is busy with people but not in a way that everyone can’t fit. After all the paved, mostly flat trail is 6 miles, so there’s plenty of room for walkers, runners and bikers.
There’s a kids play area, ball fields, golf and you can watch planes take off and land from the airport. While you’re walking by the airport, you can gaze at Sky Galley’s neon sign and talk yourself out of eating those potato rags after your workout.
In the summer, there’s a farmer’s market on the south side of the airport so depending on your timing you can pick up some produce after you enjoy the park.

Some days you just need a nice 5 mile loop out in the middle of nowhere that takes you away from your beaten path of street running in loops around your house. When that day has finally come, take yourself down to the Lunken Airport playfield and get on the trail. You’ll wind behind the airport and through the golf course. You notice, with anticipation, that someday this trail will connect to the Otto Armleder dog park. You will, hopefully, stay to the left on the trail, and not find yourself several miles away on Riverside drive in a less than runner-​friendly neighborhood. But that’s ok, because you can always just turn around and congratulate yourself on an unexpected 10 mile run. There are several fields here, too, but I’ve only ever been to run and I love it.

I mainly come here to do my jogging/​runs, which has a great trail. I like the view (very open), very clean, and watching the airplanes land.

Here’s the thing I didn’t know about Lunken Fields — it’s also a real airport! Planes come in and take off and that’s insane, because all I know is that it’s a field for sports!
I first went down to Lunken Fields for part of my old company’s kickball league, which was awesome. There are multiple baseball fields and they’re ready to be used by anyone and everyone. They’re also really well kept fields — grass is mowed, flowers are grown, it’s been really nice.
(They also have plenty of garbage cans all around, which is great when you are, say, eating while playing kickball. Or, say, drinking while playing kickball … but, of course, no one would ever go drinking out in public because that’s illegal. Still, if you were to, say, do that, there are places to throw it all away).
They also have a nice patio space with a grill to make some food after working up a sweat playing the game. Delicious.
But yes, Lunken Fields is in fact an airport, but not for major flights but for smaller ones — personal planes and chartered tours. There are planes coming and going out and it’s a very nice place to be.
Some people complain that this place is in the middle of nowhere and it’s hard to find, which is kind of true, but it’s all for the best — otherwise, planes would be flying into a densely populated area all time of the day. I’m much happier that this place is tucked away. I say, it’s a win!

The Lunken Airport Playfield, near the intersections of Beechmont and Wilmer Avenues, is place for all ages to have fun, here in Cincinnati. It has long been the home to many Cincinnati Recreation Commission-​sponsored events such as adult sports leagues, but the permanent features it offers have really made it what it is.
Lunken Playfield sees a lot of people come through its tennis facilities (see other review), but it is also home to a great driving range with heated tees and the Reeve’s Golf Course (18 hole and nine hole Par 3 courses) and a golf pro shop. There are also picnic areas/​shelters, ball fields, a bike/​jogging trail, a large children’s play area known as the «Land of Make Believe,» and a so-​so miniature golf course.
The Playfield has been around forever, yet it continues to be an excellent place to play sports or hold a picnic. Whether it’s a little kid playing on the playground equipment, a 30-​year-​old playing on a flag football team, or an older man or woman playing in August’s Paul Siemon Memorial Senior Metropolitan tennis tournament, there is something to do for everyone. Being that it is so close to Lunken Airport, it’s also fun to watch the many airplanes go by (at the Playfield or actually down at the Airport) and it is also close to Sky Galley restaurant.