Posted in Hiking, Park review, Park visit, Southwestern Ohio

John and Marion Becker Cedar Falls Preserve

We visited John and Marion Becker Cedar Falls Preserve in the late summer of 2020 and early spring of 2021. This Adams County preserve is owned by the Edge of Appalachia and was opened recently. The star attraction of the preserve is a fifteen foot waterfall named Cedar Falls - not to be confused with the other Cedar Falls located in Hocking County. When visiting Scioto and Adams County, we frequently stay at Shawnee Lodge in Shawnee State Park. The trailhead for the preserve is a half-hour drive Read more ➜
Posted in Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve

Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve is one of the more interesting geological sites in Ohio. There are six fault lines in Adams County. Surprisingly, one of these fault lines is visible within the preserve. In addition Adams County is one of the few places in Ohio where you can observe rock outcroppings made of dolomite (sometimes called dolostone). Dolomite and limestone are both said to be calcareous due to their high calcium content, and both are alkaline. They even resemble each other visually. Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Chalet Nivale Preserve

Chalet Nivale Preseve is a 106-acre preserve in Adams County that is owned and managed by the non-profit organization, the Arc of Appalachia. The preserve contains two feeder streams that are part of the Scioto Brush Creek Watershed; these feeder streams are among the highest water quality streams in the state of Ohio. By protecting the woodlands around these feeder streams, their exceptional water quality goes on to enhance the water quality of Scioto Brush Creek. Recreational hikers have three Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Indian Mound Reserve

Indian Mound Reserve is a 169-acre park that's managed by the Greene County park district. We were very favorably impressed by the park's historic and natural features. Among the historic features are: Williamson Mound: a Native American, earthen mound constructed by the Adena culture between 500 B.C. and 100 A.D. Pollock Works: a Native American, earthen wall constructed by the Hopewell culture between 100 B.C. and 500 A.D. A historic log cabin that's currently being renovated A dam created Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Edge of Appalachia: Charles A. Eulett Wilderness Preserve Trail

Towards the end of last spring we visited the Wilderness Trail at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve in Adams County. Starting at the parking area, the trail is a 2.4 mile loop. The trail features hills, rock outcroppings, streams, forest with lush vegetation, and a small segment of prairie. Getting Oriented We hiked the trail in a counter-clockwise direction, passing through the prairie opening towards the end. The Hike The parking lot is at the end of Shivener Rd, a gravel Read more ➜
Posted in Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Edge of Appalachia: Buzzardroost Rock Trail

Buzzardroost Rock Trail offers a truly stunning vista perched 500 feet above the Ohio Brush Creek valley. The trail is part of the 16,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve in Adams County. Located just south of Ohio SR-125, the trail stretches 2.2 miles one-way along ridgelines from the parking lot to the observation area, making for a 4.4 mile hike. A sign at a gravel turn-off on the south side of SR-125 identifies the parking area and trail-head for Buzzardroost Trail. About a quarter Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Edge of Appalachia: Lynx Prairie Trail

The Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve is situated 75 miles south of Cincinnati. The preserve system is managed jointly by the Museum of Cincinnati and the Nature Conservancy. Together its eleven different properties preserve some 16,000 acres of the western edge of the Appalachian Escarpment. Currently four of these properties feature hiking trails. We previously described the Joan Jones Portman Trail. Today we'll describe a hike we took mid-July on the Lynx Prairie Trail. There Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Englewood Metro Park – Visiting Three Waterfalls

We visited the 1,900 acre Englewood Metropark in the Dayton area during the summer to hike and view three small waterfalls. Englewood is located just northwest of Dayton near Dayton Airport. It is part of Montgomery County's Five Rivers MetroParks. The park is named for the Englewood dam on the Stillwater River which flows through the park. The lake created by the dam is known as the Englewood Recreation Reservoirm. Englewood offers a variety of recreational activities including fishing, Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve

Chaparral Prairie is a 67-acres state nature preserve with a three-quarter mile loop trail. Located in Adams County, it preserves a rare prairie habitat. Prairies are defined by the type of vegetation that grows in them. In general these plants are drought-tolerant, fire-tolerant and shade-intolerant. They originated in America's Great Plains and moved eastward thousands of years ago during a centuries-long drought when this area was warmer than now. However as the climate cooled and normal rain Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Caesar Creek State Park: Horseshoe Falls, Crawdad Falls, and Suspension Bridge

In April we drove to Caesar Creek State Park to visit a new pedestrian suspension bridge and two waterfalls. Our hikes consisted of two segments on the southern portion of the Perimeter Loop Trail. The yellow-blazed Perimeter Loop Trail is an 11.5 mile loop trail on either side of Caesar Creek Lake. The northern and southern routes are connected by a bridge on one end and Caesar Creek Dam on the other. Our first hike started at the Flat Fork Ridge Recreation Area located on Clarksville Read more ➜