Posted in Geology, Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker

An esker is a special sort of hill. Eskers develop underneath a glacier, so in Ohio they formed during the last ice age. The sediment that eventually creates an esker starts its life as the sand, gravel and rock deposited on the bottom of a riverbed. However the unusual thing about the associated river is that it flows under great pressure beneath a massive glacier. Instead of having normal riverbanks made of earth, this kind of river flows through a crevasse or icy tunnel at the base of a glacier. Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southeastern Ohio

Scioto Trail State Park

Scioto Trail State Park is located in the forested hills of Ross County in southern Ohio. Most of the trails are near the Caldwell Lake. The day we were there, there was a fishing tournament in progress at the lake. Just north of the lake is a campground and a small camp store. The staff were very friendly and told us the main attraction of the area was peace and quiet. She warned us that the trails were a bit overgrown and that she'd been trying (thus far unsuccessfully) to recruit Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Caesar Creek State Park

We only sampled a small part of the offerings at Caesar Creek State Park, but we liked what we saw! Caesar Creek caters to a diverse variety of interests. Whether you want to hike, camp, swim, fish, mountain bike, ride on a bridle trail, go boating, or even hunt fossils, Caesar Creek has it all. The park is located just off I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland in Warren County. We visited the park after hiking at nearby Caesar Creek Gorge Nature Preserve. The main feature of the Read more ➜
Posted in Central Ohio, Hiking, Park review

Emily Traphagen Preserve

The Emily Traphagen Preserve is part of Delaware County's Preservation Park system. There are two short trails in the park: White Tail Loop (0.6 miles), and Meadow Trail (0.5 miles) Both trails are loops. As you might expect, Meadow Trail is a mown path. However the White Tail Loop is an improved dirt trail that passes through the woods and by a marsh area. From White Tail Loop there is a side trail to what's called the Pond Overlook.  I spotted the red-shouldered hawk pictured Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking

Hocking Hills: Overview of the Hiking Trails

The Hocking Hills is one of the most scenic areas in the state of Ohio. It is also a hiker's paradise with trails varying in difficulty from relatively easy ones (appropriate for young children) to more challenging trails that cover steep terrain or follow gorge rims. State Park Trails Old Man's Cave The most popular place in the Hocking Hills is Old Man's Cave. By starting at the upper falls, you can follow a 1/2 mile loop crossing the creek downstream and see the various waterfalls, Read more ➜
Posted in Central Ohio, Geology, Hiking, Park review

Boyer Nature Preserve

Boyer Nature Preserve is wonderful, mini-wetland that sits in the middle of suburban Westerville, Ohio. The site's main feature is its stream-fed pond. Although it may look like an ordinary pond, it's actually very special due to the way that it was formed. During the last ice age, Westerville was beneath approximately one thousand feet of ice (305 m). As the climate warmed, a large fracture formed near the edge of the melting glacier. Once that fracture became large enough, a huge slab of ice separated Read more ➜
Posted in Central Ohio, Hiking, Park review

Knox Woods State Nature Preserve and Wolf Run Regional Park

Knox woods State Nature Preserve is a small, 30 acre woodland with two loop trails. However there are several connector trails to the adjoining Knox County park, Wolf Run Regional Park. Wolf Run is a 288 acre park with diverse habitats (woods, meadows, wetlands) and many facilities for guests. Besides having an enclosed dog park, guests are also allowed to take their leashed dogs on the trails at Wolf Run. Because the park and preserve are next to each other, you can go on a great hike that takes Read more ➜
Posted in Central Ohio, Hiking, Park review

Wahkeena Nature Preserve

Wahkeena Nature Preserve is a hidden gem located in the SE corner of Fairfield County. The preserve lies just beyond the farthest point of glacial advance at the peak of the ice age.  The word, "Wahkeena" is an Indian word meaning, "most beautiful." Given the variety of flowering shrubs and plants (including eight varieties of native orchids), this seems a very fitting name. You will see a brown sign for Wahkeena on US 33 as you head into the Hocking Hills. Wahkeena is well worth a detour. As Read more ➜
Posted in Central Ohio, Hiking, Park review

Blackhand Gorge: Hiking Trails

There are three different trail groupings at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, but for the longest time we only knew of the main parking lot and the trail head that leads off from there. So at the end of this post there's a map and directions showing the location of them all. The icon used to locate the feature on the map is described in parentheses after each heading. Blackhand Trail, Quarry Rim Trail & Chestnut Trail(Cabin Icon) There is an old log cabin at the main parking lot across Read more ➜
Posted in Central Ohio, Hiking, Park review

Gallant Woods Preserve

Gallant Woods Preserve is part of Delaware County's Preservation Parks system. In contrast to many of the parks that we have discussed which are tourist attractions in their own right, Gallant Woods is more of a local community resource. It consists of 231 acres of mixed habitat including old growth woods, a wetlands woods, a meadow that's being converted into prairie, and glacial moraine. There's now 1.8 miles of developed trail with more trails planned for the future. The existing trails are all Read more ➜