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GREENSPACE GEMS
Greenspace Gems recognizes and celebrates natural areas in the Green Umbrella region with outstanding scenic value, biological diversity, scientific importance, or historic interest. By telling the stories of these protected places, we hope to grow public support for greenspace conservation and the organizations who are leading this work in our region.
Greenspace Gems were selected by a team of conservation experts to reflect unique natural sites in our region. The team strives to highlight places that represent the geographic spread of Green Umbrella's 10-county region while showcasing a diversity of interesting features: from geology to biodiversity to plant communities to history. Each site tells a story of people taking action to protect a natural resource.
Indiana
Oxbow Nature Conservancy
Dearborn County, Indiana
Oxbow Lake formed in 1847 when floodwaters of the Great Miami River cut a new channel, isolating a meander in the abandoned riverbed. The lake and surrounding floodplain support a wetland/farmland population of more than 290 species of birds, 65 species of butterflies, 472 species of vascular plants, and 66 species of fish. Thousands of migrating birds pass through each year.
Protected by Oxbow Inc.
In 1985, when industrial development threatened Oxbow Lake and adjacent lands, Oxbow, Inc. formed as a land-trust conservation organization and began purchasing the property. The organization now protects 2.5 square miles of the floodplain.
The protected property lies near the confluence of the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. From exit 16 on I-275, travel 200 yards south on U.S. Route 50, turn left onto the road between the Shell/Subway and Waffle House, right at the end of the road, and left into the Oxbow, Inc. property.
Glidewell Mound
Franklin County, Indiana
The Glidewell Mound is one of the surviving Native American earthworks in our region. Adena people built this oval-shaped mound on a promontory overlooking the Whitewater Valley about 2100 years ago. Later cultures also used it. Excavations beginning in the late nineteenth century found several Hopewell burials and copper grave goods. The earthwork is located about mid-way around the two-mile “short loop” Glidewell Trail in the Mounds State Recreation Area. The trail winds through mature second-growth upland forest with views of the lake.
Protected by Indiana Department of Natural Resoucre
The mound, named for an early landowner, is a preserved feature in the Brookville Lake–Whitewater Memorial State Park Complex. The federal government purchased the area for flood control, wildlife, and recreation. Brookville Lake filled after construction of a dam in 1974, and IDNR now manages the area surrounding it.
The trailhead is next to a gravel parking lot near the end of Mounds Beach Road off State Route 101.
Kentucky
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Boone County, Kentucky
The birthplace of American paleontology The lick has several salt springs that attracted mastodons, mammoths, and other Ice Age mammals to the site. The discovery of the animals’ large skeletal remains at the location led to the naming of Big Bone Lick in the eighteenth century. A diorama recreates the ancient scene, and there are hiking trails and a museum. Paved, wheelchair-accessible trails lead to viewing points.
Protected by Kentucky State Parks
In a fund-raising effort during the 1950s, citizens of Boone and Kenton Counties, including thousands of school children, collected money to purchase the land and protect it. Ownership transferred to Kentucky State Parks in 1960, and state funds have been used to expand it several times.
The site is located three miles off the intersection of State Route 338 and US Route 42.
Dinsmore Woods Nature Preserve
Boone County, Kentucky
This 107-acre natural area is adjacent to the historic Dinsmore Homestead (1842). The preserve has a 1.7-mile walking trail, old-growth forest, and a population of the endangered native species, running buffalo clover. The deeply-entrenched remnants of a pre-1800 buffalo trace, on which the animals traveled from the Licking River mouth to the Big Bone Lick salt springs, runs beside the trail at the preserve entrance and contains a length of the trail upslope.
Protected by Boone County Parks
In 1985, Mrs. Martha Breasted donated the land to The Nature Conservancy. In 2010, Boone County used proceeds from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund to purchase the preserve from the Conservancy.
From I-75 (Florence-Burlington exit 181) go west on Route 18 for 10.5 miles. The preserve entrance is on the right, just past the Dinsmore Homestead. Park at Middle Creek Park parking lot, directly across the road from the entrance trailhead.
Gunpowder Creek Nature Preserve
Boone County, Kentucky
This 122-acre preserve supports about 300 species of plants. The park features a graveled nineteenth-century logging trail that travels from an elevation of 830 feet to 620 feet and ends in a riparian woods along wide and rocky Gunpowder Creek. The stand of oaks on the northern hillside is one of the best remaining undisturbed areas of oak woodland in the region. The channel of the creek runs through alternating layers of shale and limestone.
Protected by Boone County Parks
This was formerly the retreat and research farm owned by inventor George Sperti (1900-1991). Boone County purchased the property with the assistance of the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund.
From Washington Street (KY 18) in Burlington, go south on East Bend Road (KY 338) approximately one mile, turn left on Hanover Boulevard, turn right on Sperti Lane, and continue to the parking lot.
St. Anne Woods and Wetlands
Campbell County, Kentucky
Situated along the Ohio River in Melbourne, Kentucky, St. Anne Woods and Wetlands’ 164 acres of wetlands and mature forests are home to rare flora and fauna. The site’s lowland and upland forests hold a diversity of tree species, while wetlands contain water-filled depressions that provide a rich habitat for a variety of species. Previously the property of St. Anne Convent, the site has served as a beacon of research and education for over a century. Today faculty and students of Northern Kentucky University and Thomas Moore College conduct ecological studies on site.
Protected by Campbell County Conservation District
In 2013, the Campbell County Conservation District purchased the land with a grant from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. A conservation easement held by the Commonwealth of Kentucky protects the property in perpetuity.
A trail into the wetlands begins at a parking area beside Anderson Lane one quarter mile north of Kentucky Route 8 in Melbourne.
Battery Bates Woodlands
Kenton County, Kentucky
Battery Bates is an earthen Civil War cannon battery constructed by the Union Army and civilian volunteers. The three-sided fortification is the most intact remaining structure of the ten-mile line of defensive works built in 1862-63 to protect Cincinnati against Confederate attack. Rifle trenches and an associated military road are also in the mature upland forest around the battery. Recognizing the pivotal role these fortifications played, the National Register of Historic Places entered Battery Bates in 2018.
Protected by Covington Parks and Recreation
Battery Bates is named for Brigadier General Joshua Hall Bates, chairman of the Cincinnati Committee for Public Safety. It is located in the 246-acre “back-country” area of Devou Park, which is named for the family that donated the park to the City of Covington in 1910.
Battery Bates is located in the 246-acre “back-country” area of Devou Park. From Dixie Highway (U.S. 25) in Fort Wright, turn north on Sleepy Hollow Road (KY 1072), left on Amsterdam Road, right on Fort Henry Drive, and right on Glengarry Way. Proceed almost to the end of Glengarry and park on the street near the sign for the Bates-Coombs Way trail. Walk several hundred feet down the trail through a young woods. When the trail enters a mature forest and merges with a wider trail running from right to left, turn right onto the wider trail, walk 15 feet, and turn left onto the path passing the “permit required for metal detecting” sign. Thirty feet past the sign, turn right onto an ill-defined path ascending the crest of the ridge. Walk a few hundred feet up the path to the battery.
Highland Cemetery Nature Trails
Kenton County, Kentucky
The 150-acre wooded portion of the cemetery supports a second-growth forest with abundant spring wildflowers. Six miles of paths provide access to the woodland, including the Black Squirrel Trail, which passes a waterfall and the remains of a nineteenth century springhouse. Stream valleys show evidence of ancient life in fossils from the Ordovician Period.
Protected by Highland Cemetery Incorporated
Farmland was purchased to establish the cemetery in 1869. In 1990, the nonprofit cemetery’s Board of Directors decided to dedicate half of their 300 acres to a nature preserve as a gift to the community.
The cemetery is located in Fort Mitchell at 2167 Dixie Highway, just south of I-75 Exit 188. From the cemetery entrance, take all right-hand turns to reach the trailhead parking area across from the bird feeders.
Licking River Greenway Trailhead
Kenton County, Kentucky
This narrow greenspace currently stretches for almost two miles along the west bank of the Licking River. A trail through riparian forest provides views of the Licking, a stream ecologists consider to provide a unique ecosystem in the region. Several relatively rare fish species are present as well as one of the world’s most diverse communities of freshwater mussels. Eleven of the river’s 50+ mussel species are globally endangered or threatened with extinction.
Protected by Covington Parks and Recreation
In 2010, Covington became the first city to begin implementing this urban greenspace project. The completed greenway will span 12-14 miles and include land in three additional cities: Newport, Taylor Mill, and Wilder.
From Madison Avenue, drive east on Levassor Place. Turn left on Eastern Avenue, then an immediate left into the Holmes parking lot. At the corner of Eastern and Levassor, look across Eastern Avenue to see a sign marking the southern terminus of the greenway trail. At its north end, the trail ends at a point across the levee from Randolph Park on Eighth Street. Accessible by public transit — TANK route 8 (Eastern Av/Fort Wright). The wide, graded trail has a surface of grass, dirt, and gravel. Accessibility rating for disabled persons is Level 2.
Morning View Heritage Area
Kenton County, Kentucky
This property protects 224 acres of forest and about 3,600 feet of frontage on the Licking River, a critical habitat for several endangered mussel species. Restoration work includes construction of ephemeral wetlands, introduction of a population of the endangered Short’s goldenrod, and installation of roosting structures for the endangered Indiana bat. The site’s four trails total three miles in length. The Kreissl Trail passes through excellent examples of old-field communities returning to forest and offers views over the valley.
Protected by Kenton County Conservation District
The Conservation District purchased the land, formerly the Steinhauser family farm, from willing sellers. The Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided funding. Some of the funds came from sales of Kentucky’s “Nature” license plates.
The preserve is located at 15168 Decoursey Pike (KY 177), about a half mile south of the intersection with Rich Road (KY 14).
Ohio
Ellis Lake Wetlands
Butler County, Ohio
This 300-acre wetland park along the Miami and Erie Canal corridor is a small oasis in an area otherwise heavily industrialized. This is a birding hot-spot that includes willow-fringed waterbodies, former ice ponds, and the site of a nineteenth-century ice house. Flood-control overflows from the Mill Creek create temporary pools that serve as feeding areas for migrating birds.
Protected by West Chester Township Parks
The wetlands park was established through the support of the Clean Ohio Fund, public-spirited donors, Ohio EPA, Mill Creek Alliance, and Butler County’s Board of Commissioners, Engineers Office, and Environmental Services.
The preserve is located at 15168 Decoursey Pike (KY 177), about a half mile south of the intersection with Rich Road (KY 14).
Gilmore MetroPark
Butler County, Ohio
Gilmore MetroPark, Hamilton, Ohio’s 300-acre preserve, is a birder’s paradise. Designated an “Important Bird Area” by the National Audubon Society, this MetroPark is frequently home to great egrets, black-crowned night-herons, green herons, great blue herons, and many other migratory bird species. Located along the former Miami and Erie Canal in the Upper Mill Creek watershed, the park consists of wetlands and historic ice ponds. The location includes a raised bird blind, viewing decks, and three miles of trails.
Protected by MetroParks of Butler County
The Gilmore Ponds Conservancy, a local nonprofit, acquired the first parcels of land during the 1980's to protect it from development. Later, MetroParks of Butler County acquired and expanded the property.
The preserve is located at 7950 Gilmore Road in Hamilton, about one-half mile north of Symmes Road. A south entrance is off Symmes Road east of Gilmore. Both entrances have parking areas.
Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve
Butler County, Ohio
Beech and sugar maple trees comprise 80% of the trees in the preserve, an old-growth forest located within Hueston Woods State Park. The “Big Woods” are a remnant of the beech-maple forests that once covered much of Ohio. Miami University faculty and students have conducted numerous ecological studies in the 200-acre woodland. It was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1967 and a State Nature Preserve in 1973.
Protected by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Matthew Hueston settled the area in 1797 but preserved a remnant of the native forest. Morris Taylor, a conservationist, purchased the woods in the 1930s following the death of the last Hueston descendants. The state has owned and maintained the land since 1941.
The woodland is located on the state park’s Main Loop Road, between Acton Lake and the golf course.
Rentschler Forest Earthwork
Butler County, Ohio
This 2,000-year-old Adena or Hopewell earthwork originally consisted of a wall enclosing eleven acres on land overlooking the Great Miami River. Following years of erosion, only the entranceway to the earthwork survives: A 100-foot earthen ring embraced by two arcs. Private and public conservation of the earthwork has served to preserve the old-growth trees at the site.
Protected by Metro Parks of Butler County
The Rentschler Forest Line Hill Mound Area containing the earthwork is named for James R. Line, whose bequest provided funds for the acquisition of the property.
From Ohio 4 northeast of Hamilton, turn north onto Rentschler Estates Drive and then left at the large white barn. From the trailhead parking lot, follow Earth Works Trail (red-marked signposts) to Signpost 19, turn right and continue to Signpost 27. Turn left, follow the trail downslope to Signpost 28 and use the interpretive sign on the right to orient yourself to the earthwork.
Riverside Natural Area
Butler County, Ohio
This 200-acre preserve primarily consists of meadows and wetlands surrounding a pond in an old channel of the Great Miami River. An extensive trail system leads to the 17-acre pond, a 5-acre marsh, and an observation mound overlooking the meadows.
Protected by Hamilton Parks Conservancy
Most of this area sits on a sludge disposal site reclaimed by the City of Hamilton in the early 1990s. The Hamilton Conservation Corps, a volunteer organization whose purpose is to help preserve Hamilton’s Natural Areas, oversees this site.
The entrance to the trail network is at the west end of Fairview Avenue (Conservation Way) in Hamilton. The trails are wide, grassy, and essentially level. Accessibility rating for disabled persons is Level 2.
Crooked Run Nature Preserve
Clermont County, Ohio
Offering over 77 acres of mixed habitat, this preserve also boasts floodplain woodland, fields, a pond and the Crooked Run backwater tributary of the Ohio River. Some two miles of trails feature a river overlook, an elevated observation platform and three bird blinds where over 200 bird species have been recorded. Most of the trails are handicapped accessible, wide and nearly level with earth and gravel surfaces.
Protected by Clermont County Park District
The Clermont County Park District leases and manages the preserve, which is owned by the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Ohio Department of Natural Resources. In 1978, Mimi Paul made a partial gift of the property to the Division, in honor of her husband, Robert J. Paul.
The preserve is located within Chilo Lock 34 Park approximately one mile east of Chilo off U.S. Route 52.
Kelley Nature Preserve
Clermont County, Ohio
This 42-acre riverside forest preserve has almost two miles of trails. It provides views and access to the Little Miami River. Because of the exceptional quality of the river’s aquatic ecosystem and riparian habitat, the Little Miami is designated a National Wild and Scenic River. Only one quarter of one percent of the nation’s rivers receive this distinction. The preserve also includes a three-acre prairie area that offers abundant summer wildflowers.
Protected by Clermont County Parks District
The preserve began as a 21-acre land gift from Virginia Kelley in honor of her late husband, Walter A. Kelley. The park district later acquired an additional 21 acres.
The preserve is located on Glendale-Milford Road (State Route 126) immediately west of Miamiville. Many of the trails are level and wide with grass, dirt, and gravel surfaces, providing Level 2 accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Rowe Woods
Clermont County, Ohio
This Cincinnati Nature Center property supports sixty-five acres of old-growth forest along its Wildflower and Red Wing Trails, an undisturbed stream community in Avey’s Run, a large glacial conglomerate structure known as Fox Rock, and fifteen miles of hiking paths. There is a visitor center with a gift shop and a new Center for Conservation.
Protected by Cincinnati Nature Center
Stan Rowe and twelve other founding trustees formed a non-profit association in 1965. They raised funds and purchased the first 175 acres that year. Protected land has grown to the current 1,025 acres through subsequent purchases. Cincinnati Nature Center is the largest member-supported nature center in the country.
Rowe Woods and the Cincinnati Nature Center are accessed via Tealtown Road in Milford.
Valley View Nature Preserve
Clermont County, Ohio
This 190-acre preserve, in the City of Milford, conserves streams, floodplain and upland forests, grasslands planted with prairie species, and ephemeral and riparian wetlands. The site borders over a mile of the East Fork of the Little Miami River. Five miles of trails crisscross the property. Visitors will also find a community garden, historic farm buildings, and an education center.
Protected by Valley View Foundation
Beginning in 2002, a group of concerned citizens formed a non-profit group and raised over $4 million to purchase the property. Volunteers are restoring and preserving the structures, former farmland and its surrounding tracts of woods.
Parking is located at the south end of the property behind Pattison Elementary School, 5330 South Milford Road. Another access is to the north at Arrowhead Farm, 790 Garfield Avenue.
Wilson Nature Preserve
Clermont County, Ohio
The 145-acre James L. and Frances Wilson Nature Preserve contains second-growth riparian and upland woodland. Over three miles of trails traverse the site and provide access to the lower East Fork of the Little Miami River. The stream, which supports a diverse aquatic community, is designated an Exceptional Warmwater Habitat by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Large trees and abundant wildflowers provide food and cover for many types of wildlife.
Protected by Clermont County Parks District
The preserve was established in 2009 through the generosity of the Wilsons and a matching grant from the Clean Ohio Fund.
Enter the site through Sycamore Park, located on Foundry Road (State Route 132) south of Batavia.
Bender Mountain Nature Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
Over 450 plant species exist on the heavily wooded hillside land. The preserve has more than three miles of hiking trails, some with overviews of the Ohio River.
Protected by Western Wildlife Corridor
Western Wildlife Corridor and Delhi Township Parks and Recreation own and protect the property. They purchased the land thanks to individual donors, the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, and a grant from Great Parks. Volunteers with Western Wildlife Corridor have restored and maintain it as a nature preserve.
The site lies along the east side Bender Road a half-mile northeast of River Road (U.S. Route 50) in southwestern Hamilton County. Gravel parking lots are located on Bender Road about ¼ and ½ mile from River Road. Cincinnati Metro Route 50 (Downtown to Addyston) provides access by public transportation.
Bowels Woods
Hamilton County, Ohio
This ridge and slope forest contains old-growth trees, sinkholes, and Ordovician limestone outcrops. Beeches are confined to the east-facing slopes, while oaks and hickories are more prominent on the drier west-facing slopes exposed to the prevailing wind and hotter afternoon sun. The sinkholes formed when stormwater, dissolving away limestone, caused ceilings of underground chambers to collapse.
Protected by Great Parks of Hamilton County
Bowles Woods is located in Miami Whitewater Forest, the largest park in the county. The Park District acquired the 18-acre tract in 1950 from Charles and Rose Bowles.
Bowles Woods is located in Miami Whitewater Forest, the largest park in the county. The site is located along both sides of Timberlakes Drive beginning a few hundred yards south of the Beech Bluff Shelter.
Buttercup Valley Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
This 26-acre site supports an old-growth forest surrounded by urban neighborhoods. A good trail network allows full access within the preserve as well as connections to trails in the adjacent Parkers Woods, a 63-acre Cincinnati park with mature woodland stands.
Protected by Cincinnati Parks
Dedication of the preserve took place on Arbor Day in 1974 after failed efforts to develop the land for an apartment complex. Funds from the Greater Cincinnati Tree Council, Cincinnati Park Board, U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund, conservationists, and thousands of school children made the purchase possible. Volunteers with Northside Greenspace, a neighborhood conservation organization, help maintain the preserve and have carried out extensive removal of invasives.
The preserve entrance is at the east end of Stanford Drive off Hamilton Avenue. Cincinnati Metro Route 17 provides access by public transportation.
Burnet Woods
Hamilton County, Ohio
This 90-acre wooded oasis in the center of Cincinnati is one of the city’s oldest and largest parks. It attracts a large variety of nesting, migrant, and winter birds. The abundance of wildlife in the park’s woodlands and meadows has earned national designation as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.
Protected by Cincinnati Parks
The city leased the original 170-acre park in 1872 and purchased it nine years later. An artificial lake was constructed in 1875. Subsequent acquisitions, less large transfers to the University of Cincinnati, have resulted in its present area. The park’s name honors Jacob Burnet, Cincinnati mayor and father of landowner Robert Burnet. The urban location of this greenspace has attracted recent proposals for a library, a restaurant, and an arts center. The Cincinnati Park Board has resisted these proposals. The conservation organization Preserve Burnet Woods works to conserve the park’s natural elements.
Park entrances are located on Martin Luther King Drive, Bishop Street, and Jefferson, Ludlow, and Clifton Avenues.
Caldwell Nature Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
This Cincinnati Parks property contains remnants of an old growth forest on a terrace of glacial outwash deposited about 250,000 years ago. The forest overlooks a riparian woodland remnant along the Mill Creek. There are 3½ miles of wooded trails, a system designated as a National Recreation Trail. A level, paved trail makes the woods and a view over a deep ravine accessible to wheelchair users.
Protected by Cincinnati Parks
Caldwell Park began in 1915, when J. Nelson Caldwell donated 89 acres to Cincinnati Parks.
The preserve is located west of the North Bend Road bridge over Mill Creek. A parking lot is on the north side of the road.
California Woods
Hamilton County, Ohio
California Woods, a 113-acre preserve in southeast Cincinnati, is on a dissected glacial outwash terrace surrounding Lick Run. Its mature woodlands, including forty acres of old-growth forest, support as many as fifty species of upland and riparian trees. The property also features a nature center and more than three miles of trails, several designated as national scenic trails. California Woods borders the Magrish Riverlands Preserve, a Little Miami River floodplain forest and designated Important Birding Area. With more than 200 species reported, the preserve is one of the best places in our region to observe native wildflowers.
Protected by Cincinnati Parks
From the 1800s the Cincinnati Waterworks owned much of this land. The Cincinnati Recreation Commission acquired it in the 1930s. The 1937 flood devastated a large portion of the property, and WPA workers constructed much of what we see today. In the 1970s, the Park Board protected an additional portion of the preserve against a planned golf course expansion.
The entrance to the parking area is located on Kellogg Avenue one mile north of I-275.
Fernald Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
When production ended at a uranium processing facility in 1989, plans were made to clean up the contaminated site. The result is Fernald Preserve. Environmental restoration focused on improving water bodies and reintroducing native plants. The preserve’s 1050 acres of wetlands, forests, savannas, and grasslands now attract a variety of wildlife, including over 245 bird species. Fernald has a visitor center and seven miles of trails. A quarter-mile paved handicapped-accessible trail leads to a platform overlooking a pond, wetlands, and prairie.
Protected by US Department of Energy
One of the largest cleanups undertaken by the US government at that time, Fernald shows how a heavily contaminated industrial site can become a wildlife habitat. The Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management oversees operation and maintenance of the preserve.
The entrance to the site is located on Willey Road, just west of State Route 128.
Harris M. Benedict Nature Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
This 65-acre forested preserve holds rare plant species. The University of Cincinnati has carried out biological studies here since the 1920s. In 1977, the U. S. Department of the Interior designated the site a National Natural Landmark for research on deciduous forests. In 1999 a tornado severely damaged part of the preserve, and studies of regrowth are continuing.
Protected by University of Cincinnati
The University purchased the property in the 1920s at the urging of pioneer ecologist E. Lucy Braun. The site’s name honors Harris Miller Benedict, chair of the University’s Botany Department at the time of his death in 1928. A former name was Hazelwood Botanical Preserve.
Access to the site is through the Johnson Nature Preserve, a City of Montgomery park, with a small parking area at 10840 Deerfield Road.
Heritage Park Riverfront
Hamilton County, Ohio
The best remaining bottomland forest in the region occupies the mile-long Great Miami River shoreline of Heritage Park. The mature woodland is composed of floodplain species such as cottonwood, sycamore, silver maple, box elder, and black willow, trees that are able to tolerate frequent submergence, saturated soil, and reduced soil aeration. Bald eagles nest here, and shorebirds, herons, and kingfishers frequent the river borders.
Protected by Colerain Township Parks and Services
The park opened in 2007 on the site of historic Dunlap’s Station, established in 1790. In addition to conserving the tree corridor along the river, the Division assists with citizen clean-ups of the shoreline.
The park entrance is at 11405 East Miami River Road, between the Colerain and Dunlap Road intersections. Paths that begin at the boat ramp lead upstream and downstream through the bottomland forest. The best forest stand is located downstream toward the mouth of Dunlap Run. Some trails are Level 2 accessible for disabled persons.
Kirby Nature Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
Kirby is over 50 acres of hilly woodlands, prairie, and riparian corridors. Through many hours of work, volunteers have cleared invasive plants and planted native wildflowers. The results provide a convincing demonstration of the value of land restoration. The property also has an 1,800 square foot nature center, education facility, meeting place, and event space.
Protected by Western Wildlife Corridor
Beginning in 2001, WWC assembled the Preserve from some twenty parcels of land obtained by donations, conservation easements, and purchases. The Grant Kirby family donated the central thirty acres and the house that became the Nature Center in 2014. Plans to acquire adjacent properties, doubling the size of the site, are in progress.
The Kirby Nature Center and Preserve is located at 2 East Main Street in Addyston, just northwest of South Road. Parking is available from both driveways. Trailheads and a map are located near the barn.
Miami Fort Woodland
Hamilton County, Ohio
The major feature of Shawnee Lookout Park is Miami Fort, a hilltop earthen enclosure built by Hopewell people about 2,000 years ago. The 12-acre earthwork is located near the end of a peninsula of land situated 300 feet above the confluence of the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. The slopes below the walls of the fort support rich stands of old-growth forest. The 2,430-acre property offers about five miles of trails, with views over the rivers.
Protected by Great Parks of Hamilton County
Shawnee Lookout Park is located on lands donated by the Cincinnati Park Board and the Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company.
Located in Shawnee Lookout Park. The park is located on Lawrenceburg Road two miles south of its intersection with U.S. 50 in Elizabethtown. The parking area for Miami Fort is at the end of the park road, almost two miles past the park entrance.
Bortz Family Nature Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
This 119-acre property is the region’s largest protected floodplain forest. The preserve supports a beaver colony, nesting bald eagles, and seven plant and animal species that are threatened or endangered in Ohio. A 1.8-mile path (closed during floods and the eagle nesting season) loops along a utility road, the bank of the Little Miami, and the shoreline of the Ohio River.
Protected by Cardinal Land Conservancy
Working with Towne Properties, the Conservancy acquired the land through a Clean Ohio Greenspace Conservation grant. Additional funding from Duke Energy helps to maintain the preserve.
From Kellogg Avenue, turn into the Four Seasons Marina Driveway, continue down to the boat harbor, turn left, and continue to the far end of the parking lot. Walk up the gravel road to the top of the levee, turn left on the levee road, and turn right on the utility road descending into the preserve. At the end of the road, walk down the path to the Little Miami, turn right at the riverbank, and continue to the confluence of the Little Miami and Ohio Rivers.
Shaker Trace Wetlands
Hamilton County, Ohio
Returning the land drainage to its pre-agricultural pattern restored this wetlands complex. Wetland plants sprouted from old seeds still present in the soil bank. Great Parks established a native-plant nursery and introduced additional native species. Some 465 species of native plants now occur in the 600-acre wetland-grassland complex. The restored wetlands support diverse animal communities, including more than 240 recorded species of birds. Paved and gravel-surfaced, level trails make this site fully handicapped accessible.
Protected by Great Parks of Hamilton County
Shaker Trace Wetlands is part of Miami Whitewater Forest. Great Parks purchased the land from private owners beginning in 1989.
Visitors access the site via the Outer Loop Shaker Trace Trail north of Baughman Road. A parking lot is on Baughman Road just west of the trail. A gravel path to a bird blind overlooking the wetlands leads off the multi-use trail in about 0.2 miles.
Sharon Woods Gorge
Hamilton County, Ohio
The forested gorge of Sharon Creek was created about 20,000 years ago by large volumes of glacial meltwater descending into the Mill Creek Valley. A 90-foot cliff at the gorge is an excellent exposure of marine fossils encased in the Ordovician bedrock. This state-dedicated nature preserve lies within the 740 acres of Sharon Woods. Visitors can access the gorge by a 0.7 mile trail paralleling the creek.
Protected by Great Parks of Hamilton County
Sharon Woods, established in 1930, was the first park in Great Parks’ system.
Sharon Woods Park, in Sharonville, has a west entrance on Lebanon Road (US Route 42) and a north entrance on East Kemper Road. The Gorge Trail runs south and west from the Sharon Lake dam. Parking is available at both ends of the trail. Cincinnati Metro Route 67 (Downtown to Sharonville) provides access to the north entrance by public transportation.
Redbird Hollow Preserve
Hamilton County, Ohio
This 54-acre Ohio Natural Landmark is a 1.5-mile-long valley formed by the upper portion of Redbird Creek. A trail built on the abandoned right-of-way of an inter-urban electric rail line (closed in the 1920s) parallels the unpolluted creek. The wooded hollow has hosted several ecological studies since becoming a nature preserve.
Protected by Nature Conservancy and the Redbird Hollow Association
In the early 1960s, the hollow was threatened with development. Property owners at the east end of the hollow donated land to the Nature Conservancy while residents along the middle and west end banded together to form the Redbird Hollow Association. Association members gifted portions of their properties and raised funds to purchase the undeveloped area. The Association, the Indian Hill Village Public Works Department, and The Nature Conservancy care for the hollow.
From U.S. 50 in Terrace Park, go a half mile north on Given Road to a small gravel parking area on the west side of the street, just past a horse-crossing sign.
Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve
Warren County, Ohio
The forested gorge was formed by great volumes of glacial meltwater cutting down through the bedrock about 20,000 years ago. Steep walls rise to about 180 feet above the pristine creek that flows through the gorge. A 2¼-mile trail system is available for wildlife viewing.
Protected by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources purchased the land in the early 1970s. The Division of Parks and Recreation conserves and manages the preserve.
The preserve is located at the Corwin Road (County Road 47) bridge over Caesar Creek, three miles north of Oregonia. A parking lot is on the east side of the road.
Carter Park Riparian Woods
Warren County, Ohio
The 90-acre Carter Park is in Kings Mills on the slope of the Little Miami River Valley. Trails on the property descend to an abandoned millrace and remnants of powder mills for which the nineteenth-century town was named. One of the finest riparian woodlands in the region surrounds the mill ruins.
Protected by Deerfield Township Parks and Recreation
Carter Park is part of the large estate that surrounded the King Mansion, built by the mill owner Ahimaaz King, later owned by the Carter family. In 2002, Deerfield Township purchased the property and created Carter Park. The 1885 home continues to serve as a private residence. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources protects the property immediately bordering the Little Miami River.
The parking area for Carter Park is located at 1720 East King Avenue in Kings Mills. To reach the riparian woods, follow the park’s paved path past the archery range. About 100 yards farther, turn left onto the gravel road leading downhill to the area of the mill ruins along the former millrace.
Fort Ancient Earthworks
Warren County, Ohio
North America’s largest ancient hilltop enclosure was built 2,000 years ago during the Hopewell era. Earth and stone walls surround 125 acres of a plateau 270 feet above the Little Miami River A mature forest covers the slopes below the walls, with chinquapin and red oaks dominant on sunnier, drier, south-facing slopes and sugar maple and basswood trees dominant on shadier, moister, north-facing hillsides. The property contains a museum, recreated Native American garden, and three miles of trails with scenic overlooks.
Protected by Ohio History Connection
Fort Ancient became Ohio’s first state park in 1891 when the state purchased the location. The site is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Exit I-71 at Wilmington Road (exit 36) and take Middleboro Road south to State Route 350. Turn right on Route 350 and left into the park. Alternatively, travel State Route 350 directly from I-71 (exit 32), although this route is steep with severe switchbacks.
Halls Creek Woods State Nature Preserve
Warren County, Ohio
This 278-acre preserve holds a mature deciduous forest with a large variety of spring wildflowers and ferns. An old field habitat also sustains a variety of species. Halls Creek and Grays Run pass through the preserve, forming small waterfalls as they flow over fossil-rich Ordovician bedrock. Two miles of trails wind through the property between the two creeks.
Protected by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
The ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves operates and maintains the preserve.
The preserve parking area is located on Mason-Morrow-Millgrove Road (County Road 38) three miles east of South Lebanon and three miles west of Morrow.
Spring Valley Wildlife Area
Warren County, Ohio
This wildlife area north of Waynesville holds an 80-acre lake fringed by wet meadow and marsh, habitats that are rare in the region. The wetlands support infrequently observed animals such as rails and the massasauga, the region’s only remaining rattlesnake species (classified as state endangered). Birders have identified more than 230 species here. A 2.5-mile observation trail circles the marsh, and a paved road provides access to the lake.
Protected by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
The State of Ohio began purchasing the area in 1953. The Sinclair Fur Farm formerly occupied the site.
The area office is on Roxanna-New Burlington Road one mile east of US-42. Just past the headquarters, turn south on Pence-Jones Road. The circle trail departs from a parking lot 0.3 miles on the right. Continuing south to the end of Pence-Jones and Collett Roads provides access to the south and west sides of the lake.
