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, Park review, Southeastern Ohio

Hocking Hills State Park: Whispering Cave

There's a newly opened attraction at the Hocking Hills State Park: Whispering Cave. It is a recess cave that's nearly 300 feet wide with a drizzling, 105-foot waterfall pouring from its upper rim. Getting Oriented The new trail is called the Hemlock Bridge Trail. It begins near the parking lot for the Hocking Hills Dining Lodge which is closed for the time being. You'll find a kiosk for the new trail toward the northwest end of the parking lot (the end opposite from the lodge). Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Northeastern Ohio, Ohio Industrial History, Park review

Mill Creek Park: Lanterman’s Mill and Mill Creek Gorge

Mill Creek Park occupies 2,882 acres in Mahoning County. It is a green oasis bordering Mill Creek in the midst of the Youngstown metro-area. Lanterman's Mill is located within Mill Creek Park. The mill is a fully-operational historic grist mill. Nearby the mill is a waterfall, a covered bridged, and trails that will take you along both sides of the gorge created by the creek. It was a sunny September day when we visited the park, perfect for hiking and seeing the sights. Lanterman's Read more ➜
Posted in Geology, Hiking, Park review, Southeastern Ohio

Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve: Robinson Falls

We recently visited Robinson Falls (aka "Corkscrew Falls") at Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve. The waterfall is located off-trail at the preserve, so we obtained a free permit from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to visit the falls. Along with the permit, they sent us a map showing the falls, where to park, directions, and preserve rules. The ODNR-provided map directed us to a small pull-off from the road that holds a couple of cars. We located the trail-head across the 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 Northeastern Ohio, Park review

Beach City Wildlife Area: Dundee Falls

A few weeks ago on a warm winter weekend, we visited Dundee Falls. The waterfall is located in the Beach City Wildlife Area near the town of Dundee, OH. We parked in a dirt and gravel parking area off of Dundee Wilmot Road. An unmarked path at one end of the parking lot led to a stream valley. We turned right and continued down the path a short ways till we heard the sound of falling water. The path leads to the top of the falls. On the right side of the falls (same side as the parking area) a Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking

Mohican State Park in Winter

Although we normally aren't free on a weekday, we happened to be at Mohican State Park on Friday, March 4th. We were staying at the lodge for Bob's birthday. Snow had fallen the previous night, so we had our first opportunity to see what Mohican looked like in winter. What a beautiful sight! Here is a GPS trace of our hike. We began in the north at Pleasant Hill Dam, traveled south along the westerns side of Clear Fork branch of the Mohican River. After hiking through the Mohican Covered Read more ➜
Posted in Hiking, Northeastern Ohio, Park review

Paine Falls Park

Paine Falls Park is a 377 acre Lake County Metro Park located in Painesville, OH. We visited the park last September. From the parking area a one tenth mile trail descends a couple of flights of stairs to a viewing area for the waterfall. The park features a restroom and a picnic shelter. Additional information Lake County Parks & Preserves — This is the location of Paine Falls; check out this page for links to the official site and for information 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 visit

Hocking Hills State Park: Old Man’s Cave / Cedar Falls Loop Hike

We are going to describe one of our favorite loop trails in the Hocking Hills State Park. The outbound portion of the the trail follows the Grandma Gatewood Trail, named after the famed Emma Gatewood. The Grandma Gatewood Trail is a segment of the 1,500 mile Buckeye Trail and is marked with blue blazes or blue marker posts. Below is a screenshot of the GPS trace of our hike courtesy of Google's My Tracks app. We started at the red marker near the Upper Falls and traveled counter-clockwise. Read more ➜