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 Hiking

Ohio Lodges Reopen – Trip to Shawnee Lodge

When Deb and I learned that Ohio's lodges were reopening our immediate reaction was "Let's go!". The lodges reopened on June 5th. We made reservations for Shawnee Lodge starting on June 7th. This was our first big trip away from home since the COVID lockdown commenced in March. On the way we stopped at Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve. We've visited Lake Katharine before and it's a favorite - featuring a pristine lake, hills, rare magnolia trees, a waterfall, cliffs, and rock outcroppings. 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, Southeastern Ohio

Edge of Appalachia: Joan Jones Portman Trail

The Edge of Appalachia is a 16,000 acre preserve system in Adams County that's jointly run by the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Nature Conservancy. There are four trails in the preserve that are open the public. The Portman Trail is a great starting pointing for exploring this majestic landscape. Many visitors to the Edge of Appalachia preserve mistakenly believe that the Eulett Center is a visitor center. However, the Eulett Center is an office complex for researchers and educators. Read more ➜