Was my first time here ... stopped by later in the day .. around 4 on a rainy spring day. Came…read morehoping to see the waterfall but was debating if going walking around alone was safe or a good idea. It kept spitting rain and no one around .. didn't know if it felt peaceful or eerie. I saw cute yellow birds while watching from the car .. the dandelions were moving and turns out it was lots of yellow birds (i think American finches .. more than 10) . the rain stopped and i had decided to not try it and was just about to drive away when a lady drove up and started to walk by herself. I asked her if it was safe to walk alone and she said she did it all the time and kindly invited me to walk with her. We walked the paved bike trail by the river .. we chatted a bit and enjoyed nature .. the mature trees, birds singing .. in midst of the road noise.Turns out this paved trail is a part of Great Miami trail. I'm glad the nice lady came by and i got to explore here. Will definitely come back. Uhhh no didn't ever see the waterfall turns out it was on the other side of the road from the bike trail and the parking lot ... and it was closed due to corona virus.

Easy to get to, nice paved trail that borders the Miami River. Peaceful walk, we loved it.read more

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.

A truly beautiful Ohio state park. It is 260+ acres and backs up to another park- the John Bryan…read morePark. You can take trails between both parks - so you can hike for miles! The little Miami river runs through it. We hiked a loop. Starting by at the North Rim trail by the nature center and taking it to its end, which actually is in the John Bryan state park. We then looped over to the John Rich trail and hiked back. The total hike approximately 4.3 miles. But of course, there are multiple trails and options for length of hike. What made this hike absolutely beautiful was the deep gorge and valley into the river. The northern rim is on top of the gorge and the John Rich trail follows at the base of the gorge alongthe river. There are stunning views from the top of the gorge looking down, as well as numerous places with bolts for rock climbing. It is heavily wooded and provides for nice shade in the warm weather months. Along the lower trail you can experience river up close. The views are stunning. We saw a large Great Blue Heron on the bank looking eagerly for its next meal. The heavily wooded area provides for a wealth of plant life including beautiful ferns and in the sunny spots, wildflowers. There are picnic areas located along the trails as well as benches and overlooks. There are no entrance fees.

A beautiful little oasis. A bonus is a bathroom with real flushing toilets instead of a smelly…read morescary pit. This is also A good spot to collect some clean pesticide free milkweed if you help raise Monarchs in the summer to help boost their struggling numbers like I do.

Love taking walks here if you love nature it's a great place for walking or to even take the kids…read morethey have some sponsor animals they have rehabilitated and can't be let go back into the wild.

Love when falls are frozen. Path was cleared off. Worth coming for a quick look. Today was bit…read morewarmer so not too miserable cold. You can view from top but the real view requires stairs.

Stopped by to see the falls today, early March, after three days of off-and-on rain and the falls…read moredidn't disappoint Always good to see the transition from winter to spring this time of year. Subtle buds are starting to come out and the moss plus fungi are coming to life It's always good to get a break from the stresses of life by logging a couple of miles in nature! #SpringVibes #NatureLover #HikingAdventure #CharlestonFalls

This waterfall is absolutely beautiful, so peaceful and such a lovely place to sit and listen to…read morethe natural wonders of the space. Growing up in West Milton, I have always been down at the waterfall during the summer, and now that I am a mother I can take my daughter there. going down to the crick under the waterfall is a bit sketchy so do be careful if you decide to go down further!

closed to the public and the people the blame are the owners down at iga claiming the historic…read moreattraction is not safe because of the railings but does absolutely nothing to fix them it's been years now and he will charge people over $100 just to take pictures truely some disgusting people

Hadn't been here in years. They now charge for parking. I found free parking across the street…read more The building at the entrance was open and has one bathroom and water fountain but can't count on it being open. I went down the stone stairs ... they were slippery but was glad i still could manage them. They have changed things ... added wooden pathways and more water at the bottom of the stairs. I'd hoped walk to both waterfalls. But wearing new shoes and saw it was muddy. So just headed back up the stairs to the car. They have bird feeders at the buildings. Nice place to hike. Parking is 10 bucks.

Let's start off with the only thing that took me as interesting. They charge $10 for parking. It's…read morea non profit so I guess this is to help in taking care of the the facilities and help pay the staff. I'd never been here but the lovely Mrs went to camp here with her 8th grade class back in the 80's. I'd never been so was kind of curious about it as I was under the impression that it's just a park where kids could learn about nature and all its magic. What I found out is that it is an incredible wandering path. Lots of things to see like waterfalls, rock formations and even a path where you get from one side to the other by stepping from stone to stone. Lots of folks, lots of pets, big and small. The education center had a park employee out there with a bigger falcon, then a smaller falcon and then the gorgeous barn owl. The folks inside the education center were incredibly helpful and knew a ton about the inhabitants of the 'enclosures'. My favorite was the teeny tiny Megatron who's the smallest and cutest owl I've ever seen. Park isn't marked very well. They suggest you download the digital map from the QR code as you walk toward the very nice restroom facility. This is very nice but... the signs(pieces of paper with numbers written on them) with the corresponding numbers from the map are either missing, blurred due to water or faded from the sun. I'm hoping one of the Boy Scouts we saw while here takes it upon themselves to start their petition to create more permanent signs for their 'Eagle' comprehensive service project. There were so many times we were like...where are we. Plenty of trash to pick up so if you're like me, bring a small grocery bag and leave it better than you came. Thank you to the nice couple with the long haired dachshund who climbed the rocky pylon to help me get the cup that had been left there. It makes me happy that there are people still out there willing to help me with such simple but worthwhile side projects.

I have been on kick this year of going to nature parks and covered bridges. The great thing about…read moreboth of them is that there are some real hidden gems out there. The difficult part is being able to do a review on them since they are difficult to find on the computer. This one of the few I have found. It is easy to get to and has a large gravel parking area. The trails are well maintained with nice views. Some unique tree formations (spikes). There is no difficult hiking here. There are no restrooms. If you are looking for a quiet afternoon with small group or with family, try this park out.

This is a great nature preserve for this area. It has an excellent trail that is about 2.25 miles…read morelong and is not very difficult. The first 0.25 miles are handicap accessible. The remainder of the trail is a hiking trail through grass plains and woods. It crosses the headwaters stream a few times and ends at an overlook that gives a nice view of the headwaters stream. This is a great place to take a relaxing walk. You can take your dog too. There is parking available. There is no great place for a picnic. The place is around 800 acres and the hike goes through only a small portion of it. There are great opportunities to see wildlife. They have done a great job preserving the grounds and the water. We have taken our dog several times, she has gone into some taller grass and we have found a couple ticks on her, so be sure to check yourself and pets after you go.

BEAUTIFUL!!! Not sure what led me to this new (to me) off the beaten trail park up in Sidney, but…read moreI'm SUPER glad I made the "pilgrimage" up there a few weekends ago, on a gorgeous fall day, to check it out!! There's definitely something for just about everyone here, including a MASSIVE public pool for the summer months, beautiful trails, multiple playgrounds, picnic areas, scenic waterways, ball fields, and even a lovely covered bridge. You'll need much more than one day to see everything, but I was able to see a good bit of this wonderful community park, including hiking most of the VERY user-friendly Benjamin Trail, ending at the covered bridge (I think the trail continues, but I stopped/returned at that point) and driving around the perimeter of the park to see several other trail heads. There was a pretty good number of people here the day I visited, but it never felt overcrowded. Life's ups and downs have led me to do some serious "exploring," in every sense of the word, up to and including some of the lesser-known parks in the area. Tawawa was a WONDERFUL discovery, and I hope to return SOON!! CHECK IT OUT!!!!!

This is the nicest park. Also, there are so many trails, play areas, picnic areas and stream…read moreaccess in many spots. You can choose a spot where it is populated or there are many areas that you will have to yourself. The park is very clean and well patrolled. Peace and quiet, just the birds chirping. Numerous charcoal grills and picnic tables throughout the park. Great park if you have a dog .

WOW, OH WOW! I've been trying to hit a different park or hiking trail each weekend during these…read morewinter months, and most of the time, it includes a 40 minute drive from Loveland, Ohio. I stumbled upon this park about 15 minutes from my house, right behind Kings Island. I actually have had a few local friends suggest this park to me, and when I looked up the park on AllTrails, all of the trails were about 2 miles. I didn't really think it would be worth the time... And oh, how I was wrong! This park is directly next to a Kings Mills elementary school. There is a huge mansion, and a driveway to the left of this large house. There is a small parking lot in front of this beautiful old barn with a mural painted on it. At first, I thought I must be in the wrong place, as it did not look like a hiking trail. There is a blacktop version of a trail close to the old barn with signs for an archery shooting range, but if you go behind the barn towards the elementary school, there is a patch of woods and a hiking trail to the right (it's kind of hidden). You want this trail! I did pull up the AllTrails app, but I got curious, trying to explore all of the trails that lead off of the main trail. I did 3 miles, and I didn't even hit the trail that was marked through the AllTrails app. I'm always looking for a place to mountain bike, and you can tell that there have been some people biking through these trails. They have put logs over a creek beds, and placed rocks in muddy places. It is a fantastic, hiking trail, especially if you were in the mood to explore-- but I can't wait to bring my mountain bike next time! There are several trails that head towards the river. So if you were looking for an opportunity to explore the Little Miami riverbed, choose the trails that head down towards the river. Honestly, the most fun of this hiking trail was getting off of the trail to explore. Since the water level was very low, I was able to walk out to the edge of the Little Miami River and hang out in the riverbeds. I definitely had the park to myself... So definitely be aware of your surroundings. I did feel completely safe; however, you can tell they are definitely some kid to hang out towards the water. There is lots of graffiti down by the river and a place people have had fires. Regardless, it is a super cool property to explore. Interestingly enough, the guy who used to own this property started Kings Mills, Ohio. He supplied gunpowder to the famous Peters cartridge factory that has just been redone into a brewery. This mansion and park sits at the top of the small town of Kings Mills, and the property weaves down to the river, not too far from the Peters factory. If you are local and have not been to this park yet, check it out! I'm learning that you don't have to drive 45 minutes outside of the city to find some really neat places to explore! What a gem!