A.W. Marion State Park is a 309-acre park with a 145-acre lake within its borders. The lake, known as Hargus Lake, has been stocked with largemouth bass, muskellunge, bluegill and channel catfish. Currently the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) only permits boats to use electric motors. Although the lake doesn't have a beach, boaters are allowed to swim from their boats in one corner of the lake (the swimming area is marked on the park's map).
I visited the park twice in late April of last Read more ➜ A.W. Marion State Park
A.W. Marion State Park is a 309-acre park with a 145-acre lake within its borders. The lake, known as Hargus Lake, has been stocked with largemouth bass, muskellunge, bluegill and channel catfish. Currently the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) only permits boats to use electric motors. Although the lake doesn't have a beach, boaters are allowed to swim from their boats in one corner of the lake (the swimming area is marked on the park's map).
I visited the park twice in late April of last Read more ➜ 
Cascade Valley South is part of the Summit County's Metro Park system. The park has multiple entrances with different attractions at each. In all there are seven miles of trail and many locations where you can view the Cuyahoga River. We began our tour near one of the River's oxbows (an oxbow is just a tight bend in a river).
The above photo was taken from an observation deck that's located at the end of the Overlook Trail. The Cuyahoga River lies 125 feet below the observation deck. 
Estel Wenrick Wetlands is a 255-acre preserve that's part of the Clark County Park District in southwest Ohio. Bob and I visited the preserve in late June of last year. As the park district makes clear, recreational use takes a back seat to preserving this high-quality wetland. Although there is a trail and even a boardwalk for the benefit of hikers and birdwatchers, portions of the trail are overgrown, and we encountered a couple downed trees stretching across the trail. But as you can see from 
Does this seems familiar:
Her: Wow, I can see for miles. What a great view!
Him: beep-ding ... Hang on, got to check this e-mail, and Twitter, and look at Facebook and ...
A hike is an opportunity to get some exercise, unwind from daily stress, and enjoy nature. One argument for not bringing a smartphone on hikes is that it can destroy the natural experience for you and those traveling with you.
So, should you bring your smartphone with you on hikes? Yes, definitely! A smartphone 
Shale Hollow is Delaware County's newest park having just opened in December. It is named for a small canyon of 20 to 40 foot shale cliffs rising above a stream named Big Run.
We visited Shale Hollow a couple of times in the past month. The park consists of 188 acres encompassing a ravine, forest, and meadowland. A gravel roadway leads to a parking area next to a nature center. The nature center features a small exhibit explaining the natural history of the area including the 375 million 
We participated in the 49th Annual Hocking Hills Winter Hike yesterday. This was our fifth time participating in this winter hike that runs from Old Man's Cave to Rose Lake, Cedar Falls, and ends at Ash Cave for a total distance of 6 miles. A bus returns participants to the starting point.
The weather for this hike was grey skies with snow flurries in the morning. Temperatures for nearby Logan, OH were as follows:
7 AM
10 AM
1 PM
11° F (-12° C)
15° F (-9° C)
19° 
We visited the Hocking Hills State Park in July to view a couple of the park's waterfalls: Broken Rock Falls and the Lower Falls. We scheduled our hike on a sunny day following a rainy spell, so we hoped that lots of water would be flowing over the falls.
To get to these falls we passed by Old Man's Cave, one of the park's most famous attractions. The trail to all of these attractions passes through a scenic gorge.
Below are some of the sights that we took in on the way to Old 
The Augusta-Anne Olsen State Nature Preserve occupies 132 acres of Huron County. At one point it was named the Vermilion River Preserve, but it was renamed after the woman whose initial donation of land to the state made the preserve possible. Among other things the preserve is known for its large variety of spring wildflowers. We visited May 20th of this year with the hope of seeing some of the spring wildflowers.
The entrance to the preserve is well-marked, and there is a kiosk near 
When we visited Holden Arboretum this past spring, we primarily visited the formal gardens. So in August we decided to go back and check out one of the nature trails. It turns out there are 19 miles (30.6 km) of hiking trails at Holden Arboretum.
We were accompanied by our daughter, Dee. We parked by the Visitor's Center, looked at some of the gardens behind the center, and then walked to the trail-head for the Old Valley Trail. We passed several wetlands and a nature observation platform 
The weekend before last Bob and I paid a visit to Great Seal State Park in Ross County, Ohio. This 1862-acre park features 5 miles of nature trail plus an additional 17 miles of multi-use trails that may be used for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The central feature of the park is a line of hills that are depicted on the Great Seal of Ohio.
The Great Seal Of Ohio
Just like the United States has a great seal (pictured here), all of the individual states have their