Hikecincinnati_naturecenter_rowewoods

60 Hikes

within 60 MILES cincinnati including southwest ohio, Southeast Indiana, and Northern Kentucky

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table of

contents

Overview Map . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . About the Author . . . . . . Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hiking Recommendations . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . Ohio  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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inside front cover IX . . . . . . . . . . . X . . . . . . . . . . XI . . . . . . . . . . XII . . . . . . . . . . XV . . . . . . . . . . . 1

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Adams Lake State Park and State Nature Preserve . . . . . Beaver Creek Wildlife Area: Siebenthaler Fen . . . . . . . . Buzzardroost Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve: Gorge Loop Trail Caesar Creek State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . Chilo Lock 34 Park and Crooked Run Nature Preserve . . Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cox Arboretum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . East Fork State Park: South Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Ancient State Historical Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Germantown MetroPark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Governor Bebb Preserve and Pioneer Village . . . . . . . . . Hueston Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Bryan State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miami of Ohio: Natural Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Valley Wildlife Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stonelick State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sugarcreek MetroPark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilderness Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cincinnati: Hikes near the 275 Loop  21 Ault Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Caldwell Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 California Woods Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Eden Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Gilmore Ponds Interpretive Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Miami Whitewater Forest: Outer Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Mount Airy Forest: West Fork Road, Diehl Ridge, and Elm Ravine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Mount Airy Forest: Furnas, Twin Bridge, Beechwood, Red Oak, and Ponderosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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30 31 32 33 34

Sharon Woods . . . . . . . . . . . Shawnee Lookout . . . . . . . . Spring Grove Cemetery . . . Winton Woods . . . . . . . . . . Withrow Nature Preserve .

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Indiana  35 Clifty Falls State Park and Clifty Canyon Nature Preserve 36 Hardy Lake State Recreation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Hayes Arboretum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Mounds State Recreation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Muscatatuck Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: Chestnut Ridge Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: East River Trail 43 Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: Richart Trail . 44 Pennywort Cliffs Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Selmier State Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Shrader-Weaver Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Versailles State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Whitewater Gorge: Cardinal Greenway Rail Trail . . . . . 49 Whitewater Memorial State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kentucky  50 Big Bone Lick State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park . . . . . . 52 Boone County Cliffs State Nature Preserve . . . . . 53 Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area . . 54 Dinsmore Homestead and State Nature Preserve . 55 Fort Thomas Landmark Tree Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 General Butler State Resort Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 John A. Kleber Wildlife Management Area . . . . . . 58 Kincaid State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Mullins Wildlife Management Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Quiet Trails State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . .

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Appendixes and index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix A—Outdoor Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix B—Places to Buy Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix C—Hiking Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix D—Hiking with children and outdoor programs . . . . . . . Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover

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In spring, Rowe Woods is filled with the dainty blooms of thousands of daffodils, which possibly descend from thousands of bulbs Mary and Carl Krippendorf and family planted on their property in the early 1900s. Mary and Carl enjoyed sharing their love of nature with friends and family. They lived in the building that is now the Krippendorf Lodge for 64 years until they died within one month of each other in 1965. After their deaths, friends and family rallied to protect the land from development. Karl Maslowski, Stanley Rowe, Sr., Rosan Krippendorf Adams, and Kay Nyce signed the articles of incorporation for the Cincinnati Nature Center Association. Today CNC’s 1,600 acres of natural and agricultural land is composed of two sites: Rowe Woods and Long Branch Farm and Trails.

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Description

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restored stream, and creeks Exposure: Shade and full sun Traffic: Moderate–heavy Trail surface: Soil, mowed, gravel, and mulch Hiking time: 7 hours Driving distance: 30 minutes from Cincinnati Season: Year-round Access: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays are free; small admission fee Tuesday–Sunday or purchase annual membership. Maps: USGS Batavia, Madeira, Withamsville, Goshen; Cincinnati Nature Center map Wheelchair accessible: The Stanley M. Rowe All-Persons’ Trail Facilities: Restrooms and drinking water at nature center For more information: www. cincynature.org or (513) 831-1711 Special comments: Bring a bag and a couple of quarters for turtle food. The nature center includes a coffee-bar seating area, an

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Length: 8.9 miles Configuration: Loop Difficulty: Hard Scenery: Forest, ponds, prairie,

Cincinnati Nature Center is a gem. Plenty of trails, ranging from wheelchair-accessible to difficult, run throughout the property through different habitats. In addition to the coffee shop and bird-viewing area, the nature center offers hands-on interactive activities and friendly naturalists.

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KEY AT-A-GLANCE INFORMATION

In Brief

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Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods

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0 1,000 24 Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods: feet Edge, Stanley M. Rowe, Redwing, Upland, Wildflower, Far Ridge, Geology, and Lookout trails

60 hikes within 60 miles: cincinnati

steps

stream restoration area

900 850 800

UTM Zone (WGS84) 16S Easting 0739898.7 Northing 4325491.6 Latitude N 39° 02' 44.08" Longitude W 84° 13' 40.76"

Directions From Cincinnati, follow Interstate 275 to exit 59/Milford Parkway and travel east less than 0.5 miles to US 50. Turn right and travel for 2 miles, then turn right onto Round Bottom Road. Drive less than 0.5 miles and turn left onto Tealtown Road. After a little more than 0.6 miles, turn left into Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods.

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GPS Trailhead Coordinates

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60 hikes within 60 miles: cincinnati

CNC is one of the top ten nature centers in the country, and it continually succeeds in fulfilling its mission statement (“To inspire passion for nature and promote environmentally responsible choices through experience, education, and stewardship to ensure a sustainable future”) via excellent staff, displays, trails, Newsleaf newsletter, and ongoing educational programming and events. Park your vehicle in the gravel lot and walk to the Nature Center at the bottom of the slight hill. Be sure to plan time to explore the center. If you have small children, they’ll enjoy the hollowed-out log and playhouse. Adults will enjoy the small coffee café and wonderful reading room/library. The enormous bird-viewing area is a great place to sit and sketch the birds at the feeders. Outside the door to the right of the bird-viewing area is a turtle food dispenser. Buy a handful and stash it in your bag before returning inside the center and leaving through the doors near the front desk and to the left (if you are facing the front doors). On the deck to the right is an outdoor nature center, complete with skulls, fossils, rocks, paper wasps’ nests, and much more. Continue forward to the mulched path and turn left. At the split in the trail, follow Edge Trail to the left and around the back of the Nature Center. When it joins with a wooden boardwalk, turn right and follow Edge Trail along the boardwalk down to the edge of Powel Crosley Lake. The boardwalk skirts the edge of the lake over the water. This is where the turtle food comes in handy. Just don’t get your hands too close to the water, as at least two enormous snapping turtles are regulars. The boardwalk ends; at the trail intersection, turn left. In about 150 feet, take the side trail to the left that leads to a small pier. Return to Edge Trail and head downhill. Pass Geology Trail at 0.3 miles and cross the bridge. The forest includes chinquapin, red, and white oaks, honey locusts, and sugar maples. Pass by the first trailhead for Whitetail Trace, a bench, and the shelter house and dock area. At 0.5 miles, turn right onto the second trailhead for the Whitetail Trace and into a forest dominated by sugar maples. At 0.69 miles, the trail takes a hard right at the edge of a prairie. At the junction, in 200 feet, follow Whitetail Trace to the left. Pass the small pond and dock and watch for waterfowl, dragonflies, and songbirds. Sassafras and redbuds line the edges of the trail before it joins with Redwing Trail at 1.1 miles. Turn left onto Redwing Trail, which follows the ridges of several beautiful hillsides of shagbark hickory, red oaks, and sugar maples. Cross a footbridge at 1.28 miles. This area is well insulated from urban noise. Cross on the flat rocks over a small stream at 1.51 miles, then walk through an area dense with pawpaw and honeysuckle. At 2.66 miles, cross the stream and enter a stream restoration area. The kiosk explains the partnership, scope, and results of the project. Continue on Redwing Trail uphill as it passes in and out of the prairie and forest of sugar maples, hackberry, and sassafras. Pass the shortcut at 3.26 miles. Sugar maples dominate the forest, which also includes a few black cherry and hackberry trees. The understory is virtually nonexistent as the trail weaves



2 7 5 loop

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24 :: Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods

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Creekcrossing in Rowe Woods

up and down hills through the serene and picturesque woods. You’ll reach a junction at 3.82 miles with the other end of the shortcut. Follow Redwing Trail to the left and over a bridge. Turn left onto Geology Trail at 4.02 miles and follow the ridge 0.25 miles to the small gazebo-style overlook. Take the boardwalk trail around the hillside and check out the rocky outcropping at the observation deck below. Return to the main trail, follow the steps downhill, and cross Avery’s Run East Branch. At 4.32 miles, Geology Trail intersects with Wildflower Trail. At the crisscross intersection and shortcut, keep to the left to stay on the east side of Wildflower Trail. The open prairie is to the right, and the wood line and stream to the left. Turn left onto Far Ridge Trail at 4.49 miles. When the trail splits, take the right side and walk up more than a gazillion steps. (Okay, I may have rounded up … a little). Halfway up the hill is a small shelter house to enjoy the view of the upland woods and valley. At the top of the hill, the trail flattens out for a bit and passes through an incredible white oak, ash, and sugar maple forest. The looped trail passes over a swath of flat stones before crossing the creek again and rejoining Wildflower Trail. Turn left and follow Wildflower Trail over several steps and through a predominately sugar maple forest, which is stunning in the fall. At 6 miles, turn right at the intersection with Fernwood Trail, which leads to Upland Trail. Pass by Lotus Pond and turn left at the end of the pond. Enjoy the view of the pond from the boardwalk and at the end of the boardwalk, turn right and step into the prairie area. Walk to the end of the prairie and turn left, then take the next left back into the prairie and to the log cabin and Matt’s Pond.

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60 hikes within 60 miles: cincinnati



2 7 5 loop

Nearby Activities East Fork State Park, California Woods, and Withrow Nature Preserve offer additional trails. Milford’s downtown shops have plenty of dining and shopping opportunities, including Nature Outfitters.

25 :: Eden Park: Tree, Valley, and Ridge

Eden Park: Tree, Valley,

Wooden staircase at Cincinnati Nature Center

Follow the trail down the short hill to the west of the log cabin and take the raised boardwalks to crisscross over Matt’s Pond. Return to the trail on the cabin side of the pond, turn right, and follow the trail to the gravel road at 3.69 miles. Follow the gravel road, then turn right onto Upland Trail. Pass by the shortcut and stay on the main trail through an incredibly beautiful upland woods with several large sycamore and ash trees. At 6.76 miles, turn left onto Lookout Trail and follow it north across Tealtown Road. At the trail split near the bridge, turn left and head to the small shelter house to enjoy a rest. Return the main trail and turn left. The trail passes over several footbridges and a shortcut as it weaves through the forest and eventually through prairie before crossing back over Tealtown Road at 8.4 miles. Immediately behind the Rowe Woods entrance sign, the trail continues back into the woods, eventually intersecting with Edge Trail at 8.6 miles. Turn left and follow the trail to the boardwalk overlooking the pond. This is a great place to see bullfrogs and enormous dragonflies. Follow the boardwalk through, and at the end turn left and continue on Edge Trail to the east. Pass the intersection with Lookout Trail and then the bird blind before walking up to the back of the Nature Center. Continue on the trail to your vehicle.

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In Brief Eden Park offers an array of activities, including a playhouse, amphitheater, conservatory, art museum, outdoor sculptures, and gardens. Plan to spend a few hours or an entire day enjoying this wonderful park.

Description Eden Park’s creation began in 1859. The park encompasses 186 acres near downtown Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Art Academy, Playhouse in the Park, Murray Seasongood Pavilion, and Irwin M. Krohn Conservatory are all located on the property. Begin this hike at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s parking area. Head south of the building, following the sidewalk downhill to the street crossing. Eden Park is peppered with sculptures, artwork, and specialty gardens. Cross the street at the bottom of the hill and walk along the paved path to the left, which leads to the large sycamore trees in front of the Seasongood Pavilion. The pavilion was built in 1959 to commemorate former Mayor Murray Seasongood. Walk to the right of the pavilion and to its rear, passing under the conical bald cypresses with feathery-looking leaves. The path leads to the entrance to Mirror Lake at 0.42 miles, on the left. Mirror Lake is a raised body of water surrounded by a concrete edge. The lake’s decorative fountain is peaceful and beautiful.

Directions Eden Park is located along Eden Park Drive, which runs between Gilbert Avenue and Victory Parkway. From Columbia Parkway/US 52, take Martin Drive and then turn left onto Eden Park Drive.

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KEY AT-A-GLANCE INFORMATION

Length: 3 miles Configuration: Loop Difficulty: Easy Scenery: Woods, art, water fea-

tures, and conservatory Exposure: Sun and shade Traffic: Heavy Trail surface: Paved, soil, and gravel Hiking time: 1.5–2 hours Driving distance: 10 minutes from downtown Cincinnati Season: Year-round Access: 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Maps: Eden Park map Wheelchair accessible: Paved portions Facilities: Restrooms and drinking water at art museum and conservatory For more information: Cincinnati Parks Department, (513) 3524080 Special comments: Break free of the hustle and bustle and enjoy a nice, leisurely hike around Mirror Lake and through the Krohn Conservatory.

GPS Trailhead Coordinates UTM Zone (WGS84) 16S Easting 0716397.4 Northing 4332522.3 Latitude N 39° 06' 54.03" Longitude  W 84° 29’ 49.39”