We spent the Fourth of July weekend at Burr Oak State Park Lodge. While there we hiked what I'm calling the "upper loop." It is a 4.2 mile hike that begins at the parking lot where Mountville Road terminates at Burr Oak Lake. The terrain for this hike is hilly with a total elevation gain of 1,315.5 ft. During a portion of the hike there were glimpses of the lake through the trees.
Getting oriented
We traced our hike using the My Tracks Android app. Below is a map showing our route.
And Read more ➜ Burr Oak State Park: Hiking the Upper Loop
We spent the Fourth of July weekend at Burr Oak State Park Lodge. While there we hiked what I'm calling the "upper loop." It is a 4.2 mile hike that begins at the parking lot where Mountville Road terminates at Burr Oak Lake. The terrain for this hike is hilly with a total elevation gain of 1,315.5 ft. During a portion of the hike there were glimpses of the lake through the trees.
Getting oriented
We traced our hike using the My Tracks Android app. Below is a map showing our route.
And Read more ➜ 
Miller Nature Sanctuary is a well-hidden, state nature preserve in Highland County. It has three miles of trail that go past interesting geological features. It's named after Eugene and Henrietta Miller, the couple that donated the land. The preserve is located on Rocky Fork Gorge just upstream from Highlands Nature Sanctuary. The preserve's trails take you from the top of dolomite cliffs to the edge of the Rocky Fork Creek and back. In addition to cliffs and large slump blocks, the preserve includes 
Daughmer Prairie Savannah is a 34 acre state nature preserve in Crawford County. It features a gravel parking lot, a kiosk, and 0.5 mile mown loop trail. And it is a very unusual place.
When early settlers first arrived in Ohio, most of the state was dense forest. However, when settlers reached the Sandusky Plains, they encountered a vast expanse of grassland with trees scattered here and there. When the trees in a grassland are so widely spaced that the canopy never closes, the 
Our recent visit to Sears Woods featured large trees and a close-encounter with galloping deer.
Sears Woods is a 137 acre state nature preserve in Crawford County. It is managed by the Crawford County Park District. The Sandusky River flows through the preserve which features an old-growth beech and maple woodland. There are two trails: the 1.25-mile Hiking Trail that loops through the woods, and a smaller, mown-path through a meadow that's known as the Bluebird Box Trail.
At 
No one knows the their name. They left no written record. Today we call them the Adena Culture and we know they had a thriving civilization in Ohio between 1000 BC and 200 BC. They built hundreds of earthen mounds, probably as part of a funeral ritual. The largest of these mounds is a 65 foot tall mound situated on a hill overlooking the Miami River in Miamisburg, OH.
The mound was partially excavated and a bark covered skeleton was discovered. The Miamisburg mound has never been 
This is describing a fair visit from 2014. The upcoming fair is being held July 26 – August 6, 2017.
Yesterday we went to the Ohio State Fair. The state fair is one of the largest in country and is held every year toward the end of July and the beginning of August at the 360 acre Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. The original Ohio State Fair started in 1850 and today's fair retains much of the early fairs agricultural roots.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has 
Lowe-Volk Park is a 38-acre county park located in Crawford County. The Sandusky River flows through the northern edge of the park. The park features a nature center, two miles of hiking trails, and a fishing pond.
The nature center contains many exhibits, classrooms, restrooms, and a nature viewing area for bird watchers. The staff also put on special events and educational programs.
In front of the nature center was a small garden planted with wildflowers.
We 
We returned to Lake Katharine Nature Preserve in mid-May to walk the 2.5 mile Pine Ridge Trail. Among the attractions of Pine Ridge Trail are Lake Katharine itself, Rock Run creek, a cascading waterfall, large rock outcroppings and cliffs, a hemlock grove, and magnolia trees.
The trail-head starts in the parking lot and leads east to the intersection of the Pine Ridge and Calico Bush trails. From there it intersects a service road that descends down to the earthen dam at one end of 
Last fall, we stopped briefly at the Shreve Lake Wildlife Area on our way to Killbuck Marsh. The wildlife area is a 228 acre site in Wayne County that's named after its 63 acre lake.
The wildlife area features a parking area at the lake with a fishing pier and boat launch area (boats with electric motors only). A latrine is available in warm weather.
The lake is popular with fishermen and features largemouth bass, bluegills, and crappies. The lake is also a stopover point 
Based on the popularity of our recent Hocking Hills IQ Quiz, I've created a quiz about parks, preserves, and landmarks in Ohio. I'll provide an image and perhaps a hint or two. See if you can identify the location depicted in the photo. Then click the 'Show Answer' button to see if you are correct. I've also provided a link to further information if you'd like to visit the location.
The Quiz
1) Let's start with an easy one - one of the many well-photographed waterfalls in the most popular