60 Hikes

within 60 MILES

cincinnati
including
southwest ohio, Southeast Indiana, and
Northern Kentucky

f i r s t e d i t i o n

tamara york
 table of
contents
30 Sharon Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover 31 Shawnee Lookout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX 32 Spring Grove Cemetery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X
33 Winton Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34 Withrow Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XI
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XII Indiana 
Hiking Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XV 35 Clifty Falls State Park and Clifty Canyon Nature Preserve
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 36 Hardy Lake State Recreation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
37 Hayes Arboretum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ohio 
38 Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 Adams Lake State Park and State Nature Preserve . . . . .
39 Mounds State Recreation Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 Beaver Creek Wildlife Area: Siebenthaler Fen . . . . . . . .
40 Muscatatuck Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Buzzardroost Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
41 Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge:
4 Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve: Gorge Loop Trail
Chestnut Ridge Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5 Caesar Creek State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
42 Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: East River Trail
6 Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . .
43 Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: Richart Trail .
7 Chilo Lock 34 Park and Crooked Run Nature Preserve . .
44 Pennywort Cliffs Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
45 Selmier State Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9 Cox Arboretum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
46 Shrader-Weaver Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 East Fork State Park: South Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
47 Versailles State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11 Fort Ancient State Historical Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
48 Whitewater Gorge: Cardinal Greenway Rail Trail . . . . .
12 Germantown MetroPark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
49 Whitewater Memorial State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13 Governor Bebb Preserve and Pioneer Village . . . . . . . . .
14 Hueston Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kentucky 
15 John Bryan State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Big Bone Lick State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 Miami of Ohio: Natural Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park . . . . . . . . . . .
17 Spring Valley Wildlife Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Boone County Cliffs State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . .
18 Stonelick State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area . . . . . . .
19 Sugarcreek MetroPark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Dinsmore Homestead and State Nature Preserve . . . . . .
20 Wilderness Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Fort Thomas Landmark Tree Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
56 General Butler State Resort Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cincinnati: Hikes near the 275 Loop 
57 John A. Kleber Wildlife Management Area . . . . . . . . . . .
21 Ault Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
58 Kincaid State Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22 Caldwell Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
59 Mullins Wildlife Management Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23 California Woods Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
60 Quiet Trails State Nature Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24 Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods . . . . . . . . . . . .
25 Eden Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendixes and index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26 Gilmore Ponds Interpretive Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix A—Outdoor Shops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
27 Miami Whitewater Forest: Outer Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix B—Places to Buy Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
28 Mount Airy Forest: West Fork Road, Diehl Ridge, and Appendix C—Hiking Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Elm Ravine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appendix D—Hiking with children and outdoor programs . . . . . . .
29 Mount Airy Forest: Furnas, Twin Bridge, Beechwood, Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Red Oak, and Ponderosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover
 120 60 hikes within 60 miles: cincinnati 24 Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods: 0 1,000
feet
2,000

Edge, Stanley M. Rowe, Redwing, Upland, Wildflower,

Cincinnati Nature Center’s
24 Rowe Woods Far Ridge, Geology, and Lookout trails
St
o ne 50
In Brief

.
Rd
i un

lic
KEY AT-A-GLANCE tR

kC
Sal
INFORMATION Cincinnati Nature Center is a gem. Plenty of Barg

ree
k
trails, ranging from wheelchair-accessible to
Length: 8.9 miles difficult, run throughout the property through
Configuration: Loop different habitats. In addition to the coffee fire break
Difficulty: Hard shop and bird-viewing area, the nature cen-
shortcut
Willow
shortcut

Lookou
Pond
Scenery: Forest, ponds, prairie, ter offers hands-on interactive activities and Avery’s Trl.

Bi n
t

t Trl.
restored stream, and creeks Run Upland
Loo
kou
friendly naturalists.

nin
Trl.
Exposure: Shade and full sun Fe Rowe

g
r log Matt’s Woods

Rd
gazillion sign

nw
cabin Pond
Traffic: Moderate–heavy

ood

.
steps steps Far Ridge

Description Trl.

Trl.
Trail surface: Soil, mowed,
Trl.
gravel, and mulch e Lotus Powl

Tea
idg Pond Crosley
In spring, Rowe Woods is filled with the dainty rR

p r ai
Lake
Hiking time: 7 hours

lt
Krippendorf

Fa

ow rie
ri e

Whitetail Tra
Lodge
blooms of thousands of daffodils, which pos-

nR
pr
Driving distance: 30 minutes Wildflow
er Trl.

ai
Nature

d.
from Cincinnati sibly descend from thousands of bulbs Mary Center pier

ce
steps
Season: Year-round and Carl Krippendorf and family planted on Avery’s
g T r l.
Run E. Br.
Access: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays their property in the early 1900s. Mary and win
are free; small admission fee Tues-

d
Re
Carl enjoyed sharing their love of nature with
day–Sunday or purchase annual shortcut

Ge
friends and family.

ol
yT

og
membership. rl.

Maps: USGS Batavia, Madeira, With- They lived in the building that is now steps

amsville, Goshen; Cincinnati Nature
Center map
Wheelchair accessible: The Stan-
ley M. Rowe All-Persons’ Trail
Facilities: Restrooms and drinking
the Krippendorf Lodge for 64 years until they
died within one month of each other in 1965.
After their deaths, friends and family rallied
stream
to protect the land from development. Karl restoration
area

water at nature center Maslowski, Stanley Rowe, Sr., Rosan Krip-

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
pendorf 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 900

Long Branch Farm and Trails. 850

800

GPS Trailhead Directions 750

Coordinates From Cincinnati, follow Interstate 275 to exit

FE E T

700

UTM Zone (WGS84) 16S
Easting 0739898.7
Northing 4325491.6
Latitude N 39° 02' 44.08"
Longitude W 84° 13' 40.76"
59/Milford Parkway and travel east less than
650
0.5 miles to US 50. Turn right and travel for 2
miles, then turn right onto Round Bottom 600
Road. Drive less than 0.5 miles and turn left
onto Tealtown Road. After a little more than 550
0.6 miles, turn left into Cincinnati Nature Cen-
500
ter’s Rowe Woods. 2 4 6 8 8.9
M I LE S
122 60 hikes within 60 miles: cincinnati 2 7 5 loop | 24 :: Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods 123

CNC is one of the top ten nature centers in the country, and it continually Creekcrossing in Rowe Woods
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, up and down hills through
trails, Newsleaf newsletter, and ongoing educational programming and events. the serene and picturesque
Park your vehicle in the gravel lot and walk to the Nature Center at the woods.
bottom of the slight hill. Be sure to plan time to explore the center. If you have You’ll reach a junction
small children, they’ll enjoy the hollowed-out log and playhouse. Adults will at 3.82 miles with the other
enjoy the small coffee café and wonderful reading room/library. The enormous end of the shortcut. Follow
bird-viewing area is a great place to sit and sketch the birds at the feeders. Redwing Trail to the left
Outside the door to the right of the bird-viewing area is a turtle food dis- and over a bridge. Turn left
penser. Buy a handful and stash it in your bag before returning inside the center onto Geology Trail at 4.02
and leaving through the doors near the front desk and to the left (if you are miles and follow the ridge
facing the front doors). On the deck to the right is an outdoor nature center, 0.25 miles to the small
complete with skulls, fossils, rocks, paper wasps’ nests, and much more. gazebo-style overlook. Take
Continue forward to the mulched path and turn left. At the split in the the boardwalk trail around
trail, follow Edge Trail to the left and around the back of the Nature Center. the hillside and check out
When it joins with a wooden boardwalk, turn right and follow Edge Trail along the rocky outcropping at
the boardwalk down to the edge of Powel Crosley Lake. The boardwalk skirts the observation deck below.
the edge of the lake over the water. This is where the turtle food comes in handy. Return to the main trail,
Just don’t get your hands too close to the water, as at least two enormous snap- follow the steps downhill,
ping turtles are regulars. and cross Avery’s Run East
The boardwalk ends; at the trail intersection, turn left. In about 150 feet, Branch.
take the side trail to the left that leads to a small pier. Return to Edge Trail and At 4.32 miles, Geol-
head downhill. Pass Geology Trail at 0.3 miles and cross the bridge. The forest ogy Trail intersects with
includes chinquapin, red, and white oaks, honey locusts, and sugar maples. Wildflower Trail. At the
Pass by the first trailhead for Whitetail Trace, a bench, and the shelter crisscross intersection and
house and dock area. At 0.5 miles, turn right onto the second trailhead for the shortcut, keep to the left to stay on the east side of Wildflower Trail. The open
Whitetail Trace and into a forest dominated by sugar maples. At 0.69 miles, prairie is to the right, and the wood line and stream to the left.
the trail takes a hard right at the edge of a prairie. At the junction, in 200 feet, Turn left onto Far Ridge Trail at 4.49 miles. When the trail splits, take the
follow Whitetail Trace to the left. Pass the small pond and dock and watch for right side and walk up more than a gazillion steps. (Okay, I may have rounded
waterfowl, dragonflies, and songbirds. up … a little). Halfway up the hill is a small shelter house to enjoy the view of
Sassafras and redbuds line the edges of the trail before it joins with Red- the upland woods and valley.
wing Trail at 1.1 miles. Turn left onto Redwing Trail, which follows the ridges of At the top of the hill, the trail flattens out for a bit and passes through an
several beautiful hillsides of shagbark hickory, red oaks, and sugar maples. Cross incredible white oak, ash, and sugar maple forest. The looped trail passes over
a footbridge at 1.28 miles. This area is well insulated from urban noise. a swath of flat stones before crossing the creek again and rejoining Wildflower
Cross on the flat rocks over a small stream at 1.51 miles, then walk through Trail.
an area dense with pawpaw and honeysuckle. At 2.66 miles, cross the stream Turn left and follow Wildflower Trail over several steps and through a
and enter a stream restoration area. The kiosk explains the partnership, scope, predominately sugar maple forest, which is stunning in the fall. At 6 miles, turn
and results of the project. right at the intersection with Fernwood Trail, which leads to Upland Trail.
Continue on Redwing Trail uphill as it passes in and out of the prairie Pass by Lotus Pond and turn left at the end of the pond. Enjoy the view of
and forest of sugar maples, hackberry, and sassafras. Pass the shortcut at 3.26 the pond from the boardwalk and at the end of the boardwalk, turn right and
miles. Sugar maples dominate the forest, which also includes a few black cherry step into the prairie area. Walk to the end of the prairie and turn left, then take
and hackberry trees. The understory is virtually nonexistent as the trail weaves the next left back into the prairie and to the log cabin and Matt’s Pond.
124 60 hikes within 60 miles: cincinnati
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 criss-
cross 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 beau-
tiful 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.
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.
2 7 5 loop | 25 :: Eden Park: Tree, Valley, and Ridge 125
Eden Park: Tree, Valley,
and Ridge 25
In Brief
Eden Park offers an array of activities, includ-
ing a playhouse, amphitheater, conservatory,
i KEY AT-A-GLANCE
INFORMATION
art museum, outdoor sculptures, and gardens. Length: 3 miles
Plan to spend a few hours or an entire day Configuration: Loop
enjoying this wonderful park. Difficulty: Easy
Scenery: Woods, art, water fea-
tures, and conservatory
Description Exposure: Sun and shade
Traffic: Heavy
Eden Park’s creation began in 1859. The park
Trail surface: Paved, soil, and
encompasses 186 acres near downtown Cincin-
gravel
nati. The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Hiking time: 1.5–2 hours
Art Academy, Playhouse in the Park, Murray Driving distance: 10 minutes
Seasongood Pavilion, and Irwin M. Krohn from downtown Cincinnati
Conservatory are all located on the property. Season: Year-round
Begin this hike at the Cincinnati Art Access: 6 a.m.–10 p.m.
Museum’s parking area. Head south of the Maps: Eden Park map
building, following the sidewalk downhill to Wheelchair accessible: Paved
portions
the street crossing. Eden Park is peppered with
Facilities: Restrooms and drinking
sculptures, artwork, and specialty gardens.
water at art museum and conserva-
Cross the street at the bottom of the hill tory
and walk along the paved path to the left, For more information: Cincin-
which leads to the large sycamore trees in nati Parks Department, (513) 352-
4080
front of the Seasongood Pavilion. The pavil-
Special comments: Break free of
ion was built in 1959 to commemorate former
the hustle and bustle and enjoy
Mayor Murray Seasongood. a nice, leisurely hike around Mir-
Walk to the right of the pavilion and to its ror Lake and through the Krohn
Conservatory.
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 dec-
orative fountain is peaceful and beautiful. GPS Trailhead
Coordinates
Directions UTM Zone (WGS84) 16S
Eden Park is located along Eden Park Drive, Easting 0716397.4
which runs between Gilbert Avenue and Vic- Northing 4332522.3
tory Parkway. From Columbia Parkway/US 52,
Latitude N 39° 06' 54.03"
take Martin Drive and then turn left onto Eden
Park Drive. Longitude  W 84° 29’ 49.39”