Shawnee Lookout Fort Trail 5/9/2009

The photos are from a walk around the Fort Trail at Shawnee Lookout Park.

Hueston Woods Hiking and Camping 2-28-2009

The American Discovery Trail in Hueston Woods


Hedge Apple Trail



This tree belongs in a horror movie.


Blow down on the Big Woods Trail


View of Acton Lake from the Sycamore Trail


Cedar Falls Trail


Cedar Falls Trail


Cedar Falls Trail Stream Crossing


Hueston Woods Resort


Mud Lick Trail


Mud Lick Trail


Mud Lick Trail






Campsite (Eureka Spitfire tent)

I drove to Hueston Woods State Park on Saturday to hike some of the trails and try out some winter camping, which I have not done for a couple of years.

I have never been to Hueston Woods before, but I had printed out a map of the park that I got from the state website at Hueston Woods Park Map.

I also printed some very nice trail maps from Trailqwest. They have a few maps of Hueston Woods trails as well as a few other parks. There website is at Trailqwest.

I first located the Hedge Apple Trail on my map, parked the van and began walking toward the trail head. I met someone who was hiking along the road, which also happens to be part of the American Discovery Trail.

The Hedge Apple Trail also runs into the Big Woods Trail, which I hiked part of also. There were some very big blow downs in one of area near where it meets the Hedge Apple. I am sure it was from the big windstorm of September 14th that wiped out a lot of trees across southwest Ohio.

Once I finished the Hedge Apple Loop, I continued on to the Sycamore Trail and Cedar Falls Trail. I finished up by hiking the Mud Lick Trail.

I got a late start getting to Hueston Woods, and I wanted to get a camp site before it got very dark. I located the camp store at the entrance to the camping area. It was closed. I drove ahead toward the non-electric campground area and found a large chain across the road. This area was closed. I backed up, and drove up to the electric campground. There were a few cars that drove around while I was checking out the sites. I located several sites that have red "Walk In" tags in front of them. I learned that these are sites that you can walk in and claim if no one is there. The rest must be reserved in advance.

I returned to the camp store and found envelopes that you can use to "self-register". I filled out the form, drove back up to my campsite (I selected F23), and placed an "occupied sign" on the post. I returned the envelope with my $20.00 in it and went back to the camp site.

I almost had the whole campground to myself. Dinner was a Mountain House pasta primavera. I heated water with my Esbit pocket stove. I also had some tuna and a Clif bar for desert. I had a nice fire going, and I was finally able to get my cell phone to work long enough to call my wife and let her know I was ok.

I think I now realize why I get up so early when I camp. When it gets dark I don't have a t.v. to watch, or the internet to surf. Other than watch the campfire, there isn't much to do but sleep.

When I packed and left this morning (3/1), the outdoor temperature was 18 degrees. I had 8 layers on, and was cozy in the 20 degree mummy bag.

I would love to do it again!

Mitchell Memorial Forest Mountain Bike Trail 1/18/2009

End of the Trail


I walked the mountain bike trail, which is a 3.9 mile route. Although designed for mountain biking, hikers are permitted to use the trail. There were a couple of mountain bikers that passed me by, but with a temperature of around 25 degrees F, there were not many in the park today.

Mitchell Memorial Forest is part of the Hamilton County Park District, and is a beautiful 1,300 acre park. I think the mountain bike trail opened last summer. It was a cooperative effort between the Hamilton County Park District and the Cincinnati Off Road Alliance.

The trail has plenty of switchbacks and gentle climbs, and is not very strenuous as far as a hiking trail. The trail is in good shape, and there were no deep ruts. The ground was frozen, but I didn't notice any icy conditions anywhere. The footing was great.

With all of the switchbacks, and the way the trail loops back and forth, it is easy to see when mountain bikes are approaching. I had no trouble stepping off of the trail to let the bikes pass. The trail is very well marked, with mileage markers every 0.2 mile.

For a good walk in the woods of about 4 miles, this is a good choice. There are some rules posted at the trailhead, which is at the Tall Pines Picnic area.

For more info about this park, please visit the Hamilton County Park District website for info at: Mitchell Memorial Forest

For more info on the mountain bike trail at Mitchell Memorial Forest with a link to a detailed trail map, check out this link: Mitchell Memorial Forest Mountain Bike Trail

Shawnee Lookout Park 1/10/2008

Map of Blue Jacket Trail


One of the fields - Blue Jacket Trail


Where I was on the Blue Jacket Trail


Blue Jacket Trail


Little Turtle Trail


Little Turtle Trail


Indian Burial Mound on Little Turtle Trail


Little Turtle Trail


Map of Miami Fort Trail


Indian Mound on Miami Fort Trail


Overlook of the Ohio River. Note the I-275 Bridge in the Background


Power Plant Viewed from the Miami Fort Trail


Miami Fort Trail


Memorial on the Miami Fort Trail


Clearing on the Miami Fort Trail Near Daniel Beard Memorial


Miami Fort Trail Overlook

After a nice walk at Miami Whitewater again last weekend, it was time to try some trails I have never walked. I picked Shawnee Lookout, since there are three nature trails there. This park is part of the Hamilton County Park system and is near the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. Cincinnati Gas and Electric made some large donations around 40 years ago that helped this park expand to over 1,400 acres today.

I walked the Blue Jacket Trail, Little Turtle Trail and the Miami Fort Trail.

The Blue Jacket Trail is 1.25 miles in length and named after the famous Shawnee chief. This area was a good hunting area for this Indians. This trail continues through a short field and passes under some large electrical lines. The trail then becomes a loop with an overlook of the Great Miami River. You can see into Indiana from this overlook on a normal day. As you can see from the pictures, the fog was very thick today. I started on the trail around 2:00 PM, and the fog seemed to be at its worst then.

After I completed the Blue Jacket Trail, I completed the Little Turtle Trail, which is around 2 miles in length. This trail has a nice view of the Ohio River, which was obscured by fog. There are some Indian mounds marked out along the way.

The last trail I walked was the Miami Fort Trail, which is about 1.4 miles in length.
There is the remains of an old Indian earthwork at the top of the overlook to the Ohio River. Some old Adena Indian campsites have been found in this area.

Here is a link to information about this interesting park:
Shawnee Lookout Park

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.