Let’s go for a hike!

One of my favorite places to hike is the Little Miami Bikeway, specifically the section the stretches from Spring Valley to Loveland, Ohio.  The  bikeway is extremely close to my home – almost right off my driveway – and is hands down the easiest, best path in the state for walking, running, biking, and even horseback riding.  This trail follows the Little Miami River along what used to be railroad tracks. It has almost no elevation gain (which means it is practically flat with no hills) and is paved, so no trekking through mud or rocks.  It is mostly shaded and runs through many little towns, which offer all sorts of places to stop and eat or drink.  There are multiple places to park along the almost 75 miles of trail and it is extremely accessible.

The bike path is a great place for the non walker to start walking.  Mileage is marked and it is easy to track your distance.  The Little Miami River is one of Ohio’s hidden gems, small and lovely, it is a peaceful waterway that descends softly towards the Ohio River along a slight gorge that almost resembles a West Virginia type valley.  The opportunity to see wildlife while walking along the river is abundant.  I have seen eagles, herons, beavers, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, otters, to name a few, and more varieties of birds than I can count.  And there are SO MANY TURTLES!  The water is mostly green and fairly clear, but can change to a chocolate milk brown after significant rain.  During the summer, you can watch the kayakers playing in the water while you walk and in the winter, you’ll see big chunks of ice meandering downstream past snow covered banks. The river and the bike trail are both lined with magnificent, huge sycamores, the “ghost trees” of Ohio, their stoic white trunks reaching far out towards the middle of the water.

Native Ohio indigenous people, from the Ft. Ancient and Hopewell tribes of long ago to the Shawnee of modern history, called this area home and as you walk, you will pass the same places that these people built their forts and villages.  One of the largest Indian Mound Sites, Ft. Ancient, has an access trail that begins on the bikeway.  An effigy mound in the shape of a serpent is cleverly hidden along the bike trail, its head pointing to the summer solstice, and a zip line located above it will give you a view of the tree lined gorge and river that you will never forget.  There are campgrounds and canoe liveries neighborhoods and parks, and multiple trails that can take you from the bike trail to points of interest along the way.

The negative side of the bike trail is that it can be very crowded and dangerous.  The many bikers who frequent the trail are often rude and don’t follow the ‘rules of etiquette’ dictating that they warn you when they are coming upon you from behind.  You have to stay constantly vigilant and keep on the right side of the trail at all times.  The bike trail is also an easy thoroughfare for vagrants, the mentally unstable, and criminal elements.  Single women walking alone have been attacked on the bike trail and it is a good idea to bring some form of self defense if you choose to walk alone. Mace, a big dog, pepper spray, a whistle, a big stick, or even getting your concealed carry so you can legally carry a gun are all good ideas for someone walking alone on the trail.

I hope you have the opportunity to walk this magnificent trail at least once in your life.  Be warned; it will spoil you for many other equally fine places to walk!  Ease of access, pretty scenery, and a paved, flat trail closed to motorized vehicles are just some of the things that make the Little Miami Bikeway a wonderful place to explore.  Plan to hike there soon!  It’s healthy and free and there are zero age or weight restrictions.  You don’t need any special gear and you probably won’t even get your shoes muddy.  Google “Little Miami Bikeway” for information regarding trail access points and parking areas.  My recommendation is that you park at the Little River Cafe access point in Oregonia, Ohio and start there.  The Little River Cafe is located at 5527 Oregonia Road, Oregonia, OH 45054.  You can go either north or south, it doesn’t matter.  When you are finished hiking, stop in at the LRC and enjoy a drink or a snack on the patio.  Live your best life and go for a hike!

I live in Southwestern Ohio and consider myself more or less an expert on the trails that cross my own backyard.  There are 74 state parks in Ohio, 17 state forests, 4 state nature preserves, 2 state reserves, 12 state wildlife areas, 1 national forest, 20 state memorials, and 2 national historic parks in Ohio.  This doesn’t count local and city parks!  That’s a lot of places to explore and this is just little ol’ Ohio, which doesn’t have the vastness of our western states, the majesty of the mountains, or the sweeping grandeur of the ocean.  Ohio offers a simple type of beauty.  Rolling hills to the south, acres of  scenic farmland in the north, bordered by Lake Erie and the Ohio River; Ohio has a great deal to offer in regards to taking a walk.  There is nothing like walking along a river or a quiet country road in the Buckeye State.

I live in a tiny village in between Dayton and Cincinnati, near Kings Island.  My house is bordered by the Little Miami River, which is a state and national scenic waterway.  The Little Miami is famous as the perfect place for beginners to learn to canoe and kayak.  Flowing south from Indian Lake to East Fork Lake and finally emptying into the Ohio River, the Little Miami is a fast moving body of water peppered with class 1 rapids and large float pools.  The vast array of wildlife, from turtles and beavers to herons and eagles, makes the Little Miami a popular weekend adventure destination for locals as well as out-of-towners.  There is a bike trail that follows the river, called the Little Miami Scenic Trail, that wanders for 78 miles from Springfield, Ohio all the way to Cincinnati.  It is one of my favorite places to hike.

There are numerous other places to hike within an hour of my home.  Caesers Creek State Park, Ft. Ancient, Dayton MetroParks including Sugarcreek Reserve, Grant Nature Center, Bill Yeck Park, Turtlecreek Reserve, John Bryant State Park, Glen Helen Nature Center, Clifton Gorge, Englewood Reserve, Cox Arboretum, Germantown Reserve, Stubbs Park, Ault Park, Sharon Woods, Winton Woods, East Fork State Park, and the Cincinnati Nature Center are amongst my favorites.  The next few pages will be devoted to trails in these parks.  Please bear with me!  I have been to many national parks across the USA and plan to write about trails in our national parks, too.  But I’m going to start close to home, where I feel the most comfortable.  I have walked these trails so often, my footprints seem to have worn a path from the start of each trailhead all the way back to my little house in the woods.

I live in a little ranch house in the river valley surrounded by forest.  I am at the bottom of a big hill and have a little over 10 acres of property.  One of the largest oak trees in the county resides on my property!  I have a pond, stocked with all sorts of fish, and several small trails to hike throughout my woods.  My house is my sanctuary, my place of peace, and I often feel the weight of the world slipping from my shoulders as I drive down the twisty turny country road that leads to my driveway.  I have two little dogs, daschunds, three cats, three adult children, and have been married to the same man for 31 years.  Welcome to my world!  Put on your shoes and keep reading.  Lets go for a hike!

 

 

 

 

 

bou

 

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton