Great all around destination for a hike. Trails are well maintained, and the Buzzardroost Rock…read moretrail was a good out and back with some variety, about 4.5 miles overall. Glad we arrived early in the morning due to the Summer heat, but also because once we arrived at the overlook, the fog was moving through the mountains and valleys creating an even more scenic experience. Anxious to return in the Fall! And my husband thoroughly enjoyed the curvy driving roads we took to get there!!

DO NOT GO ALONE! Well I did but I wouldn't suggest it! This trail is way out there on an…read moreAppalachia mountain. Not an easy trail to find or to hike! Storms that have came through have left trees blocking path. Going over the trees is not that difficult but there was this one tree trunk that came to a sharp point. I don't think very many people travel this path (hence why there's a box so that if you're never heard from again someone some day might find your name in the box). I went in the trail at 7pm figuring I could get a good hike in in an hour (but that didn happen barely made it out before dark). but because the trail is long i just wanted to keep going; however, definitely remember the BEARS - something I wasn't expecting either. Oh, and FYI when you do sight a bear you are supposed to let the local ranger know - which I'm not even sure where a ranger would be up there?... Again nice hike but don't go alone. I survived but I also came across a bear and almost broke my ankle (high ankle sprain) and I could still be out there hoping someone would travel this path.

I started visiting Carter Caves State Park when I was young. Fast forward to 2024. I planned a…read morevisit with my nieces and their kids when I was in town. None of my great nieces and nephews had been inside a cave. We arrived at roughly 11:15 AM. I purchased tickets at the Welcome Center for everyone to tour Saltpetre (AKA Saltpeter) Cave at 11:30 AM. It was $54 for three adults and four children. We followed our tour guide across the street, up a hill, then down the stairs and into the earth we went. This cave was used in the War of 1812 to make gunpowder. We got a history lesson from our tour guide who was so patient with the kids. This cave was the driest of all the caves at the park, so no stalactites hanging from the ceiling. But bonus was, no water on our shoes. If you want to see bats, this is not the cave. The cave used to have thousands of bats. The park conservationists are working to increase bat living in this cave. After the tour, we had to turn up our feet, one at a time, so the tour guide could spray the bottom of our shoes with soap and water. He told us this was done to prevent carrying germs/bacteria out of the cave that could harm the bat population at the park. The tour lasted roughly 45 minutes. It was worth the time and money! The kids had a blast. Only one was scared when the lights were turned off momentarily so we could experience total darkness and silence. My nephew Cooper lasted about 3 minutes, then, in his little whimpering voice, he asked if the lights could be turned back on. I can't say enough great things about our cave guide. We left the Welcome Center and headed to the public pool. The pool was free for those camping and staying in cabins. We went on a Monday, so everyone was $3. Pretty good deal! The pool was clean. Only light snacks available, icecream, chips and soda. I highly recommend you add Carter Caves to your summer fun list!

This state park has so much to offer! The trails are well maintained and easily accessible, the…read morelodge is beautiful with a delicious restaurant inside, and there are even cave tours! Some caves only run seasonally, but I took two tours on a Sunday, and it felt like a good amount at a time. Tickets for tours are purchased at the Welcome Center, day of. There's a self explore cave, too, but you need two adults minimum in your party and each with a flashlight. The arches and natural bridges in this park were amazing sites, scattered along the park. I took on the challenge of hitting each arch / bridge, and it was doable in under 5 miles if you move between accesses.

The tour offered an extensive amount of information on the history of Serpent Mound. It was neat…read morewalking the sidewalk around the mound and climbing the tower for the view.

When we were visiting family they thought we might enjoy coming here. It's kind of cool place with…read morenice trails to walk and to go around the mound itself is not a long or strenuous walk. There is what appears to be a look out that doesn't really have anything special to see. The observation deck that would allow you to see the entire mound is in disrepair and unusable at this time. There is a cute little gift shop with some museum items in the back. Can't say it's worth coming out of your way too much for, but if you're nearby and like hiking it would be nice. Plenty of parking and there was no one at the gate when we were there and it was free.

Currently is having construction in some areas but was very beautiful!!! The trails were nice!!!read more

I am a little hesitant in writing this review. I have been coming here for over 30 years, and the…read morelast thing I want to see is more people, but it is better to share. It started with our grandmother bringing us here to burn off energy, and to get some background in nature. what was good intentions has now blossomed into a full fledged love affair with nature. granted I am from southern ohia, (ohio for yall not along the Ohia river, I have grown up in nature. There are no restrooms (to my knowledge), so you will need to empty your bladder in the city of Jackson or use a bottle or bag (remember to clean up after yourself please). there are approx. 5 1\2 miles of trails, moderate in traversing. All trails start and end at the parking lot. the pine ridge trail takes you along the lake, and the salt creek trail takes you along salt creek and along sandstone cliffs. In autumn, the foliage is outstanding and smell of hemlock is inspiring. On a side note, due to state budget cuts, park rangers need our help in cleaning up after unruly visitors. just yesterday, I removed two bags of refuse consisting of shirts, socks, a diaper, soda pop cans, and a pair of shoes. this is a nature preserve, lets keep it that way.

I went down for a weekend and had a BLAST here! There are several different options you can choose…read morefrom in terms of accommodations - a quaint little cabin or an open campsite. Both are great, but it just depends on your personal preference. On Saturday, I rented out a kayak - in which Myra and Sandy were more than happy to help us learn the basics of kayaking. From there, I was able to spend a few hours on the river paddling my little heart out. To end the evening, we had a little cookout and surrounded ourselves around the campfire. Definitely a great weekend getaway from the city. Highly recommend.

Had a great lil adventure with the family the young woman and her grandson was very helpful…read moreconsidering none of us have kayaked before. They even came in on a day they were closed to rent us the kayaks. Highly recommend them they were very accomidating.

This is a favorite spot to escape to early mornings. I've typically had whatever area I'm in. All…read moreto myself. I feel like I'm in the middle of the forest when I'm only a few hundred feet from the road. The first stop when exploring the edge of Appalachia. Its immaculately kept grounds still give the appeal of being secluded and untouched. A great place to drop a canoe. Awesome visitors center with loads of information. Great pavilion with picnic tables over looking brush creek. I love my home county and the beauty in my backyard. We have several special places of beauty and awe we can share with the world. Check it out and share it with others.

Quiet Trails was my find of the year!…read more I am hesitant to write a review because putting it on the Yelp map might make it a little less secretive. I only found out about this place through word of mouth from a few friends as there is very little information online. For the locals in Harrison County, Quiet Trails has been a popular hiking spot along the Licking River. This year-round hiking trail loops 1.7 miles down to the river and back up. The loop is actually two different trails that meet up at the same point - so you can choose to go down and up the same path, or go back on the other path. We initially choose what we thought was the more difficult path (Challenger Trail) to get down to the river, and the 'easier' path back up -- but I think it should have been marked the other way around. One path is rather wide and easy to see -- the other (Deep Hollow) is very narrow and goes through some very steep areas. While some areas are clearly the path, some parts were a little bit harder to see and we had to use intuition to figure out which way to go. Yet, it is a stunningly gorgeous hike, especially on the Deep Hollow path. We were told that it would be an easy, short hike. It wasn't easy or short at all with a toddler that wanted to be carried nearly the entire time. Once we got to the river, we had a little bit of a break as he wanted to wade and splash, but we were eager to get out of the heat and back in the car. By the end of the hike, my back was so sore (can you guess who carried the kid most of the time?). We will try to come back when my child is a bit older and more willing to walk himself, or just without him on a day date. If your kids are used to hiking or over the age of five, they will most likely be fine. Also, the GPS will take you here -- but be prepared to be a bit confused as you drive through back roads to find this place. The little gravel pull-off [parking lot] with the gate and a small sign is actually the entrance to the preserve. You'll have to shimmy through the fence to get to the paths. We were so confused if we were even in the right place until we saw a person that was a seasoned hiker in this area. Thank goodness! Oh, and bring a stick to knock down some spider webs. I'm excited to come back here next summer and do more hiking!

This is a nature preserve and doesn't allow dogs, including on a leash. There is a large sign at…read morethe start of the trail. It's a lovely area and the trail looked promising.

We was planning to go to the middle creek park, but GPS lead us to this park. Strange! There is one…read moretrail beside the parking lot. It's a loop and quite nice walk. The first half is mostly uphill, will be a little exhausting, but the 2nd half is much easier. There is an overlook area, but not much view.

I went looking for this site, and almost turned back when I saw a sign stating the road was Posted…read moreNo Trespassing. I stopped to ask a nearby homeowner, who promised the trailhead was just beyond the outdated sign. It was, all official with signage and a parking area. It's a nice trail, clearly marked and with several benches along the way. It's a loop of about a mile and a half, which ends by the creek. There's no real vista while the leaves are still on the trees, perhaps in winter? Maybe I'll make it back to find out!

My husband and I sort of spontaneously decided to camp at Wayne National Forest this past weekend…read morebecause 1) it was going to be 90+ degrees all weekend 2) we were seeking an adventure for our 3rd anniversary From northeast Ohio, this has got to be the farthest you can go without leaving the state, yet all four hours of this drive were worth it. Due to our last minute decision to to make this trip, reservations online were unavailable. We were left with the non-reservable walk-in only sites. When we got there, I assumed the Pine Knob Loop was where we would stay since it was, according to the website, first come-first serve tent only sites. But when we got there, all the sites were already reserved and all had campers! What??? The nearby Oak Hill campground was also taken. Feeling discouraged, I tried Iron Ridge campground. Only at the very end of the campground where cars turn around, we found our spot! There were only a handful still available. The site we chose had a parking spot on the road with stairs descending into your site. Actually, it was the perfect little spot for us. We proceeded to stuff $30 in an envelope ($15/night) and into the drop box to pay. For those of you who aren't used to camping, this is how you reserve a walk-in site. Luckily we had cash when we usually do not! Once we got settled in, we went to the beach which was in the most beautiful wooded setting. The water was the perfect temperature for cooling down and even on this hot weekend, the beach never felt overpopulated. There were many families there enjoying themselves, playing with floats and cooking out. But please be aware of the long winding road to get there. You'll fall off a cliff if you don't stay on the road. Also, there was a sign saying you have to pay $3 to access the beach (you're supposed to put money in an envelope like with camping) but we didn't because we already had a hang tag permit on our car from the campsite. The next day we braved the 8 mile Lakeshore Trail. This trail takes you around the entire perimeter of Lake Vesuvius. The views are stunning and the hike isn't too strenuous (unless of course you're me and decide to hike in the blazing heat). Take several bottles of water and some food! Even with the aid of the woods shading us, it took us four hours to complete. It was so rewarding though. My husband and I usually opt for several shorter hikes as opposed to one big one, but when I read about Lake Vesuvius, this trail kept coming up as one of the popular things to do, and I gave in to curiosity. The beach is even on the trail for a cool off spot. We saw many kayakers enjoying themselves as well. Before I close this out, I want to say that this is the first time that camp nazis didn't bother us on a camping trip. The park does have county sheriffs patrolling it so don't be alarmed. The negatives, why was Pine Knob falsely advertised? Why doesn't the website say cash-only for walk-ins? Why was there a glass vial in the fire pit? I disposed of it...but still. I won't even take stars off because I had such a fantastic weekend and would return again. There are trails we haven't hiked yet and I would return to that beach in a heartbeat. PS there is a helpful ranger station just around the corner for maps and tips, as well as a couple corner stores for camping needs!

Trails were not bad. The lake was empty due to repairs on the Damn. Parking was easy. The trails…read moreare marked but not well. No map at trail head to indicate trails and highlights of the area.

We wanted to hike on this hot summer day. The trails were shaded so it was very enjoyable. We…read morestarted at the nature center and took the stairs down to the John L. Rich trail and looped back around crossing over onto the north rim trail. Heavily trafficked trails from what I saw.

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve is my first state park I have visited in Ohio, and it did not…read moredisappoint. I'm not a hiker, but I found the trail to be a somewhat easy hike for a senior and the walkways and guardrails were well-maintained. There are lots of benches to sit on to take in nature, darling native plants, and plenty of interesting facts to read about along the trail. We saw photos and explanations of how the Little Miami River was used to power grist and cotton mills, paper factories, and breweries. In the information building, we were greeted by the very friendly ranger, who gave us a botanical identification brochure (it would have been very useful during the hike) and introduced us to the turtles in their enclosure. The preserve was quiet, and we enjoyed ourselves so much. This is just the start of our adventure of the Clifton Gorge, and there are so many more activities to explore. We hope to be back during another season when the water in the gorge is flowing more rapidly.