Triple Creek Park Parcours Trail 12-27-2008

Today I had just enough time to enjoy a short walk around this 0.8 mile trail. The weather was very warm, and I was dressed in shorts, t-shirt and tennis shoes. The forecast was for almost 70 degrees, and it felt great. As I walked with my daughters it was hard not to dream about some good winter hikes I want to do this winter.
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Miami Whitewater Forest - Oakleaf Trail 12/14/2008

These photos are from my short walk through the Oakleaf trail this afternoon.

Miami Whitewater Forest 10/26/2008

Oakleaf Trail


Parcours Trail


Badlands Trail Outer Loop


Badlands Trail Outer Loop


Badlands Trail Outer Loop


Tallgrass Prairie Trail


Tallgrass Prairie Trail


Shaker Trace Inner Loop


Shaker Trace Inner Loop

This morning was great for walking at Miami Whitewater Forest. I started at the Oakleaf Trail, which is one of the shorter nature trails at 9:00 AM. The temperatures were in the 40s,and I love hiking when the weather is cooler in the fall. The Oakleaf Trail is only 0.8 miles long,but I love the fact that three nature loop trails are all very close to the parking lot where there is a restroom and water. I saw a bag tied over the drinking fountain handle, so the park might have turned off the water for the winter. I am not sure, and since I carried my own water, I did not check.

Once I finished the Oakleaf Trail, I walked the Parcours Trail, which is a 1.4 mile figure 8 loop style trail. I have never hiked this one before, but it is also another beautiful nature trail.

I completed the Parcours Trail and then walked the Badlands Trail Outer Loop, which is 1.7 miles long. I really like this trail with the small ups and downs, turns and short bridges. This is probably my favorite nature trail in this area, although I have to admit there are a lot of trails I have not walked.

After I completed the Badlands Trail, I got in the car and drove to the Tallgrass Prairie Trail, which is a short 0.6 mile nature trail.

If I would have more time to hike today, I would have liked to have tackled the entire outer Shaker Trace loop, which is a paved 7.8 miles, so I chose to finish the morning by walking the inner loop, which is only 1.2 miles. An interesting fact, is that the Shaker Trace Trail is part of the American Discovery Trail, which runs from Delaware to California. The trail is routed over 6,800 miles through 15 states. For more information about the ADT, check out

I did not put in a lot of miles, but it was about 5.7 miles when I add up the mileage.

Miami Whitewater Forest Badlands Trail (Outer Loop) 10/11/2008

Damage from the Sept. 14th Wind










Today was a great warm Saturday to be out for a hike. I went with my daughters to Miami Whitewater Forest, and we walked the outer loop of the Badlands Trail. This is an interesing trail with a number of short bridges, small ups and downs, and plenty of great views of the forest. The distance of the outer loop trail is 1.6 or 1.7 miles.

The damage from the Sept. 14th windstorm that hit southwest Ohio was evident everywhere. There were fallen trees and sawed up logs from many that fell near the trail. It looks like a lot of work was done to clear it all up.

As we neared the exit of the trail, we could hear the cracking sounds of a tree falling against another. It was safe, since it was far off of the trail, but we could see and hear the tree as it began its fall. As it leaned up against another, we could hear the slow cracking sound as the weight was beginning to overcome the tree next to it. A few others stopped to watch.

On the way back to I-275, we saw a Metlife Blimp slowly drifting to the northwest. As I watched it meander through the sky, I wished I could have 8 more weeks of weather like today, but I know the cold weather is not far off. I really love hiking in the winter, so I am looking forward to continuing to explore some new trails when I can find the time.

Kingfisher Trail Winton Woods 10/5/2008

I originally planned to walk the Miami Whitewater Forest Badlands Outer Loop, which I have not yet walked. I have waked the inner loop, but have not had time to walk the outer. Well, it turns out I did not have time today either.

Fortunately, Winton Woods is a short drive from home, and one of my favorite short nature trails is open again after suffering some damage from the wind storm back on 9/14/08. I could see where a lot of the older and weaker trees took a beating from that storm off on the sides of the trail. The trail itself is in great shape after being closed for repairs.

Harbor Trail Winton Woods 9/21/2008

I started by parking on the west side of Winton Rd. and walked a short distance on the West Trail, which passes under Winton Rd. and leads to the Harbor Trail. The Harbor Trail circles Winton Lake, and it is about 1.2 miles in length.

For a little history about Winton Woods: The park was created in 1939 when its first 905 acres were leased from the federal government. The park now has a total of 2,465 acres.

I have hiked this trail a number of times, and Winton Woods is a favorite destination for me, since it is so close to home.

Miami Whitewater Forest - Oakleaf Trail 9/7/2008

Trailhead sign



One of the ponds







This is a short 0.8 mile loop trail that slips past two small ponds. The trail was closed earlier this year when I tried to hike it. There was some heavy flooding in the spring that caused the Oakleaf trail, parcours trail, and the restrooms to be closed. The restrooms near the trailhead are open, and so are the two nearby trails.

Miami Whitewater Forest is part of the Hamilton County Park District, and daily vehicle passes are $2.00 to enter the park. An annual vehicle pass is only $5.00, and is a great deal if you make a lot of trips to the county parks like I do.

North Myrtle Beach 8/11/2008

I went for a short walk around 7:15 AM from the condo we are staying in to the Cherry Grove Pier. I am not sure of the exact distance, but it felt like at least 2.5 miles out and about 2.5 back. I walked pretty fast and only snapped a few pictures near the pier.The tide is lower in the morning and the beach is nice and wide, It is also less crowded the earlier you can get out here, which is true for most beaches.I hope to get a couple of short walks/hikes during the week, but I will need to get out earlier.The beach makes a nice trail!

Winton Woods Kingfisher Trail 8/2/2008

The bone dry bed of Kingfisher Creek






I went for another walk on this short 1 mile trail Saturday. It is still one of my favorite short walks. This trail is part of the Hamilton County Park District near Cincinnati, Ohio. It is within Winton Woods Park.

Oldfield Beach Trail at Indian Lake 7/9/2008

Grassy side path



Trail Start


I went for a short walk after work on the short Oldfield Beach Trail by Indian Lake (near Lakeview, Ohio). I had originally planned to hike the Pew Island trail on the east side of Indian Lake, and the Cherokee trail on the west side, but I ran out of time.

The Oldfield Beach trail is a short 1.1 mile trail. There is a much longer paved bike/hike trail that runs along the southwest corner of the lake not far from Oldfield Beach. The bike trail has several restrooms apaced along the trail.

The Oldfield trail is paved and passes through some interesting wetland areas.

Buckeye Trail Videos Caesar Creek 5/29/2008

This post contains some of the videos I shot while hiking on Thursday 5/29/08 in the Caesar Creek section of the Buckeye Trail. They are not real clear, since I was using my small Nikon Coolpix point and shoot to take the video.

I have uploaded several more of this short video clips to YouTube.

Buckeye Trail Caesar Creek Section 5/29/2008

Saying goodbye to the bike trail for now (End of the Loveland BT Section)

Looking back at O'Neall Rd. from the other side

Caesar Creek Reservoir

Trail Miles: 8

Today was a perfect day for hiking. It was warm, but not hot. There were no mosquitoes, and only a few large bees that did not bother me. It has been a long wait for me to get back to the Buckeye Trail, and I couldn't have asked for a better day.

I started back in Oregonia, which is a couple of miles from the end of the Loveland section, that I started hiking on July 1st of last year. There are really no decent places to leave a vehicle, and I did not take the time to ask around. There are plenty of no trespassing signs in the area, which makes me think a lot of people that use the trail must like to park where ever they please. I decided the best place to leave a car was all the way up at Caesar Creek State Park.

I was looking forward to taking a break from the paved bike trails and road walking and getting my first chance at some good old dirt trails. When I got to the end of O'Neall Rd. at the guard rail, it looked like there might be a lot of vegetation to hack through, but once I entered the small opening by the guard rail, the trail was in good shape.

There was some heavy erosion in some areas, and I wouldn't walk it at night, but the trail was nice and clear. I continued on along Caesar Creek and crossed a bridge. I took an abandoned paved road up to a grassy mowed area that led to Clarksville Rd by the Flat Fork Recreation area. I continued on toward the visitor center, and then walked back to the Flat Fork parking lot to move my car up to the visitor center.

I had originally planned to camp at the horseman's camp further up along the reservoir, but tomorrow is one of my daughter's last day of school, and there is a school play I shouldn't miss. I hiked with my full pack anyhow.

After I moved my car up to the visitor center, I walked around a short loop trail that I originally throught was the Buckeye Trail. If I had read my map properly, I would have seen that the BT starts above the old farmer's pond. I walked back up toward the pond and continued down the right trail.

Since I was not going to camp tonight, I decided to not hike all the way to point 5 on the trail map, which is the Day Lodge near Middletown Rd. I walked about half way there and turned around and walked back to the visitor's center. The next time I come back to the trail, I will start from the visitor center again and continue as far as I can.

There was one stream crossing between points 4 and 5, which was not a problem, since the stream was low. I am sure the level gets much higher, so it is a good idea to have a plan for crossing streams in this area. I had some cheap sandals I bought that I could have used if I had to.

I could have gotten more miles in, but I did not have a way to shuttle the car again, and I did not feel like walking out and back the rest of the day.

I always like to read up on the history of the area. I learned that the Caesar Creek area was named for Caesar, who was a black slave captured by the Shawnee during a raid along the Ohio River. The Shawnee adopted Caesar and gave him the valley to be his own hunting ground. It is said that Caesar went on raids with Blue Turtle, who was the Shawnee war chief at the time.

To see a set of all my photos for this trip, go to:

http://s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm96/SteveHikes/Buckeye%20Trail%202008/

To get maps for the Buckeye Trail, please visit the Buckeye Trail Association website at:

http://www.buckeyetrail.org/

For maps and info for the Caesar Creek State Park, visit:

http://www.ohiodnr.com/parks/tabid/720/default.aspx

Miami Whitewater Forest: Badlands Trail Inner Loop 5/4/2008

First of all, the Oakleaf and Parcours trails are still closed at Miami Whitewater Forest for repairs. I posted a picture of the sign and fence in front of the Oakleaf Trail.

Oakleaf Trail Closed for Repairs

Today, I did not have a lot of time for walking, but decided to check out Miami Whitewater Forest again. I re-walked the inner loop of the Badlands Trail and went to check out the Oakleaf and Parcours trails, but both were still closed. The nearby restroom area was re-opened, though.

With the three kids in tow, I decided not to attempt the longer outer loop of the Badlands Trail, which is 1.6 miles. I want to get back here by myself someday soon, so I can walk the whole trail. The Badlands Trail is one of my favorites here.

The trail looks much like it did in April, when I made a post here after my walk then. It is a little greener now, and there are a few more animals and a bee here and there.

Winton Woods Great Oaks Trail 5/3/2008

The fork in the road....

My last trail of the day was the Great Oaks Trail at Winton Woods. It was looking dark in the west, and some more rain was on the way. I figured I could walk the 3/4 mile or so before it got too close.

This is one of those days when I did not expect to get out and walk, and I was not prepared like I should have been. One of the lessons I recalled from the Get Out More tour was to have your gear stored away for quick retrieval. This includes day hiking gear. I will have to work on how I
store my things.

Winton Woods Kingfisher Trail 5/3/2008

Map of the Kingfisher Trail

A view from the Kingfisher Trail

The stairs lead down

More of the Kingfisher Trail

The boardwalk

The Kingfisher Trail is a short 1 mile trail at Winton Woods, but I think it has to be my favorite one in the park. It has some ups and downs, and some nice scenery. It is a good little trail for a quick walking fix. I wish it was 10 miles long.

A link to mo0re information on Winton Woods from the Hamilton County Park District is at:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/parks/winton.htm

A link to a map of the park is at:

http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/aboutus/ww_map.pdf


Videos from the Kingfisher Trail:










Video of the boarwalk area