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.

I went today for a field trip and i had ms emily! it was awesome and i got to hold a cockroach and…read morepet a turtle along with a toad. Its awesome

As of late October the bathrooms are still open. Had a nice…read morehike over mostly flat terrain with lots of views of the river. A few small benches are along the way.

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.

A beautiful state park just outside of Yellow Springs Ohio. The park has hiking trails, mounts…read morebike trails, camping all along portions of the of the Little Miami. The park also has a disc golf course. The trails are well groomed but trail markings could by improved.The park had their wild flowers blooming now ... late March , early April.

John Bryan State Park is a beautiful 750 acre park near Yellow Springs, Ohio. It's a great place…read moreto take a nature hike, especially during the fall when the leaves are changing. The trails are clean and well kept. If hiking isn't your thing, there are lots of areas to play frisbee, let your kids run around, or have a picnic in the shade. It's about a 45 minute drive for us, so we don't go often but when we do go once or twice a year, we always enjoy this beautiful park.

The good is that the hike through the beautiful woods was great, and the pool area well kept. The…read morepool table area needs improvement. I really enjoyed my hike.

Cedar Trails is a nice secluded park! Family friendly. We were there just as it's annual kids week…read morehad wrapped up and there were a couple families still hanging around. Plenty of hiking / walking trails. The pool is not heated and we were there early in the season so it was still too cold for us. The hot tub was great, but could use a little TLC. It is plenty big (made by the residents themselves!). I had to rewrite the brakes in our trailer while there and not one person complained, in fact one of the residents lent me some tools! It's a little rustic and could use an infusion of money to improve the maintenance; however all-in-all a great place. Check out the nearby Serpent Mound park! We will definitely stay there again!

Easy access to the waterfall, bathrooms, parking, and seating. Trails dont have easy signs from…read morethis starting spot so make sure to use the map provided.

A small waterfalls just close by to the parking lot. The trails are marked but might be a bit…read moreconfusing. The trails are narrow as well. There is a restroom but it's a portable one. There is a lot of open space in the park and few tables to sit and eat.

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

This has been on our summer bucket list for a few years and we finally had a chance to visit! First…read moreoff, I found this place to be a little hard to find. Google took me right there, but I felt like I was not going in the right direction. It's in a residential area and the parking area is not what I was thinking of compared to other MetroParks. About that parking area, there is not a lot of parking. It's a super small lot with maybe 15-20 spots and the day we went was fairly busy. We got lucky and found a place, but I could see a lot of people giving up and not visiting because of the lack of parking. The park itself it beautiful. It's pretty small, but well maintained. There are hiking trails, a playground area, green space, bathrooms, and picnic shelters. The park backs up to one of the golf courses in the Dayton area. The playground area is so neat. It offers a traditional play area and a nature play area. It's covered by a lot of trees so it provides great shade. They also have a giant sandpit. I do wish they had more swings by the actually playground. It made it hard to keep an eye on my older one and still let me little guy swing. Overall a really cool park and one we will return too!

This is one of the access points to the main trail (Adirondack Trail) that goes through this…read moreMetroPark. The trail itself is pretty much an out-and-back route with a couple of side trails that go into the neighborhoods or just an alternate route. While the vast majority of the trail is "in the woods", the park is sandwiched between the golf course and the houses but (at least while I was there) the area was pretty quiet. Admittedly, it was a cool winter morning without much sunshine. In any case, the area seems to be a popular place for walking or hill running, either on the trails or the park road. This park, while not one of the largest or most secluded, is a great place for a quick escape. This trailhead has a playground, a pavilion, and bathrooms. It also is located in the middle of a neighborhood so easily found. Check it out.

We recently visited for the first time over the Memorial Day weekend and were pleasantly surprised…read more We only hiked the Cascade Trail so that is what my review will be on. The park website and things online are very confusing. One site says, permit not required and another say one isn't. The sign at the park also says permit required, but there is no where to purchase one in person or online. We took the chance and parked without one. I did see a worker driving around and he didn't seem to be checking cars. The map seems okay for general navigating and there is signage around. The trails are marked okay I think. There could be some improvement, but the Cascade Trail is a big loop so it isn't a huge deal. The trail was well maintained. A little overgrown in places, but nothing terrible. It's also really flat except for the end of the trail where you need to walk up a big hill to get back to where we parked. My kids did fine with the trial the whole time though. The bridge is super neat and my kids had fun crossing it. The falls were pretty and a nice treat, but you really have to wander around to find a good view of it. Luckily none of us minded that. The creek is really nice to play and walk in. That was by far my kids favorite part. We also found lots of fossils to explore and look at! It was a little muddy after all the rain we had received, but nothing terrible.

My favorite 'hiking' spot in Butler County…read more My favorite part about this preserve are the trails. There are multiple trails that connect to each other, so if you get bored with hiking your usual trail, it's easy to mix it up a little bit. They are all well kept and maintained. Sometimes there is some litter, but we pick it up. There are two old building foundations on one of the trails and a piece of farm equipment grown into a tree, pretty neat! The park is big, lots of space.

Beautiful state park, voted a "gem" in Ohio! The lake is a perfect size to kayak on as larger boats…read moreare not permitted. If you paddle to the back of the lake on the campground side, the creek is gorgeous. There's a ton of wildlife like herons, turtles, eagles, and all sorts of fish for catch and release. The campground hosts several events throughout the season and has electric and non-electric but no full hook up. The camp store has everything you may need. Hike on one of the many clean trails or try a round of disc golf, it's a brand new trail and impressive!

Pulled out camper in to this nice small campground for the weekend. Easy check-in and very clean…read morefacilities. A lot for the family to do with basketball court, pickleball, kids playground, cornhole, ping pong, trails and kayaking! Absolutely coming back!