Posted in Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Gallagher Fen State Nature Preserve

Fen habitats are America's most diverse habitat for vegetation, and many rare plants are found in fens. A fen is a type of wetland formed when water bubbles up from an underlying aquifer via an Artesian well or seep. In the case of Gallagher Fen, the water emerges from a hillside seep because two aquifers intersect nearby increasing the underground water pressure. Since the water is emerging from deep within the earth through limestone gravel dumped by glaciers during the last Ice Age, the water Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Glen Helen Nature Preserve

Glen Helen began when alumnus Hugh Taylor Birch donated a wooded glen to Antioch College in 1925 in memory of his daughter, Helen. The college continued to acquire adjacent land over the years, and the Glen Helen Nature Preserve now encompasses 1000 acres and 25 miles of hiking trails. The preserve is managed by the Glen Helen Ecology Institute. Within the preserve there is a yellow spring that has given its name to the town where the college and preserve are located. The preserve also includes limestone Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

John Bryan State Park

John Bryan State Park makes a great base for outdoor adventures in Greene County, Ohio. The 752-acre park has 11.4 miles of trail, most of which are adjacent to the Little Miami River. Plus it has an additional 6.5 miles of multi-use trails a short distance from the river that's open to both mountain bikers and hikers. If hiking and biking isn't enough fun, the park features one of the state's few public rock climbing and rappelling areas. And because the Little Miami River runs through the park, Read more ➜
Posted in Geology, Native American, Nature, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Serpent Mound

A huge rock hurtles through the empty void of space. Its been orbiting the sun for hundreds of millions of years. But this orbit will be different. This time its trajectory and the orbit of earth intersect. It will impact somewhere in southern Ohio releasing energy equivalent to a large thermonuclear weapon and creating a crater five miles across. Alert the governor, start evacuations! But wait, it's already too late! It's too late because the impact occurred during the Permian Period Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Highlands Nature Sanctuary

In early September we visited Highlands Nature Sanctuary near Bainbridge, Ohio. The sanctuary is operated by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. The sanctuary consists of over 2000 acres of land between Rocky Fork State Park and Paint Creek State Park. The main location contains a museum, three hiking trails, and several cabins that visitors can rent. We stayed at a cabin perched on a ledge overlooking the Rocky Creek gorge. The preserve has roughly 14 miles of trails scattered Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Davey Woods

This nature preserve features old growth forest and hilly terrain. Set in the middle of an agricultural region, it's a peaceful area with one of the best wooded lots in the vicinity. There are two trails at the park: Conrad Trail (1.4 miles) and the Short Loop Trail (0.6 miles). The trail seemed well maintained; although, there was a portion of the trail that was quite narrow making it difficult to pass without touching the surrounding vegetation. The preserve's official site states that you can Read more ➜
Posted in Nature, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Cedar Bog

Cedar Bog is a state nature preserve that's managed by the Ohio Historical Society due to its historical significance... or should I say prehistorical significance? There are a number of plants and animals in the preserve that were common in this region at the close of the last Ice Age, but which are now found in cooler, North American climates. Because it is such a unique habitat, in 1941 it was the first nature preserve designated by Ohio. Today it is one of Ohio's 25 National Natural Landmarks. The Read more ➜
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 Native American, Park review, Southwestern Ohio

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve

Years ago I went canoeing on the Little Miami River; the river serenely wound its way between the wooded river banks. But at Clifton Gorge, the Little Miami River is something altogether different; it plunges over falls and rapids between narrow cliffs of dolomite and shale. The river and surrounding cliffs are the main attractions of Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, a 268 acre preserve located adjacent to John Bryan State Park. The Little Miami River flows through both, with the nature preserve 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 ➜