After Cincinnati Nature Center made Yelp's list of best places to hike in the country, I knew I…read moreneeded to try out a yearly membership. During COVID-19, Cincinnati Nature Center (as well as Long Branch Farm) are exclusively for members (normally, you can pay a daily rate). A yearly fee of $64 (which includes a guest each time) seemed reasonable. Also during COVID-19, they have time slots for you to sign up for to access the park. I wanted to take advantage right away, but all the time slots for Cincinnati Nature Center were booked, so I decided to book a time slot at Long Branch Farms and Trails. I hadn't received my access card in the mail yet, but someone at the gate was able to let us in. All of the Trails are pretty short (the longest being about 1.5 miles). If you're feeling ambitious, you can totally tackle all the trails in one visit. I believe we walked almost all of them. Definitely plan on wearing some hiking boots if there is any moisture on the ground, you WILL get muddy. You can also stand in the shallow stream to clean off your boots a bit. The trails were well-kept. I'll definitely venture back to spend more time on the trails and find some good spots to put up a hammock!

I would live here if I could. This place is amazing…read more The trails are great and offer varying hikes in length, terrain and scenery. There are constantly improvements being made as well, showing a real commitment to the place and the people who love it. There are maps available that list the trails and can be recycled when you are done as well as trail journals scattered throughout for jotting down quick thoughts or discoveries to share with fellow hikers. Mother Nature's guestbook! The main lodge has restrooms and a gift shop as well as a great little selection of books to read. There is also one of many areas available throughout the park where you can observe local birds as they go about their bird business. The naturalists are very knowledgeable and just as excited about nature as you would hope. Some trails are equipped with little learning stations that offer more information about local flora and fauna and there are descriptive boards along each section of trail that detail the type of area, improvements etc. The feeling that comes from spending time here is priceless. Every time I leave I feel like I'm breathing more easily and deeply at peace. They offer a wide range of activities and social events year round to help build the community. The trails are dog friendly and there are pet pick up bags and disposal stations throughout. For quiet hikes, try one of the longer trails or one that takes you farther from the main lodge. And be aware that on week days there tend to be class trips, so if large groups of children aren't your thing, the longer trails might be a better option too.

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!

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!

I'm new to the area and can't believe all the beauty within minutes from my parent's house. This…read morenature preserve in Loveland is apparently a hidden gem. There were very few people in the park. There is a parking lot right by the entrance and the trails are well manicured and easily walkable even for a little dog. Signs and maps are located throughout the park. Benches are available too for those who need a break or just to sit and enjoy the beauty. I'm anxious to head back here again especially with the changing seasons.

This is a really nice, but small nature preserve. It's really flat with nice walkable trails. The…read morecreek is fun to look at for fossils. There is major construction going on right now so it can be loud. There is parking right before where the constructions starts.

If you are into birding this is a great spot ... there are other critters and bugs if thats your…read morething but birds and turtles are the easiest things to find. in the past I have seen deer, snakes, some weasel thing possible ferret. I thought I saw a beaver but in looking at pics it was a huge rat in the water eeek. But today only birds, turtles and dragonflies. Had hoped to see beaver or snakes but no luck. saw cedar waxwings but they were turned away so not the best pics and when I repositioned they flew away. sighhh. I got there late in the day and was already tired but it was a perfect weather day and got 2 days worth of steps in, but you have to be patient and bit lucky.

The Fernald Feed Materials Production Center has been a part of many people's lives. My family,…read moreincluded, so going to the preserve and museum has been on my to do list for a long time but always felt weird. Finally, I saw they were hosting tours of the museum and I drove out. It's a beautiful preservation. I was informed by my wonderful tour guide who I believe was named Penny, that there have been over two hundred different bird species spotted on the grounds. You cannot bring dogs there. The tour was fantastic and my tour guide could not have been better. The museum starts with acknowledging the families the land was taken from with eminent domain and goes through life at the plant. They have the video about duck and cover playing in a little fake living room. You can search records if you know someone who worked there. Lots of stuff. There's also a conference room free for nonprofits. I thought the museum would disappoint me. And I do wish it acknowledged the people who lived there more but my tour guide was really thoughtful in that respect and I'm so glad I met her. She took me on a tour of the land where the debris was encased that's now sectioned off with fencing, too. They are not, as of this date, allowed to have a Facebook so finding their events can be challenging but definitely worth it if you have any interest is local history or military history, the cold water or uranium clean up or just nature. I learned a lot and definitely will go back.

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

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.

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!

One of the most surprisingly beautiful "hidden gems" I've seen in this area!! I was actually…read moreplanning to check out another local attraction (Pearl's Fen) but this place was on the way, so I stopped, mostly out of curiosity, and I'm SO glad I did!! I had limited time, but did make it about 3/4 of the way around the main trail, with stops along the way to take pictures. Wonderful, varied scenery, varied terrain, and VERY scenic!! This old quarry has been "repurposed" and is a great spot to "get away from it all" without going too far. A good-sized lake, a few easy to moderate trails (the rocky lake overlooks are nice!!) and plenty of parking are what you'll find. No, not the best trail markings/maps, but if I figured it out, anyone can!! A great spot to discover in Greene County, I'll be back!!

Such a cool place to visit! Very quiet and peace land to explore, we had no idea this existed until…read moretoday :)