Yellow Springs, Ohio

Like forests? Like fields? How bout running in them? If so, this is the park for you! There's a map at the parking lot to help you navigate each trail and plan your route. The parking lot also has plenty of space and a porta-john. Trails are short, but you can mix and match them to create the dis...

The main attraction at the park is of course the large pond, with paved walking trails leading around it. Jutting out into the middle is a covered fishing pavilion, and you're likely to see several people casting rods there and along the southern banks. This metro park also has high quality sand ...

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, these massive water fountains operate several times each day according to a rigid schedule: 10-minute intervals at the top of the hour, Mon.-Fri., 6:55 AM-9:55 PM and weekends 10:55 AM-9:55 PM. The five fountains shoot 2,500 gallons of water per minute 200 feet...

Hills & Dales MetroPark is surprisingly large, spanning 63 acres and nestled between two golf courses. When hiking here, it is quite easy to forget that it is surrounded by a city and is just a couple miles south of Dayton. The Adirondack Trail is the most prominent trail in the park, winding...

The Dayton area is home to many major technological advances, including the cash register, the Bombe code-breaking machine, plutonium triggers for early atomic bombs, car self-starters, self-cooled refrigerators, and so much more. Probably most well known is the Wright airplane, which was develop...

Take the whole family out on an afternoon adventure to Bill Yeck Park!  This park has over 6 miles of hiking trails, spanning all levels of difficulty and terrain, including pavement, crushed gravel, mowed grass, and dirt paths. They range from 0.5 miles (red trail) to 3.0 miles (yellow trail), w...

This adventure begins at a parking lot within the Englewood East MetroPark, right at the trailhead for the white trail. Begin the hike into the woods, following the well-marked path through points 1 and 2. Continue straight on the white path until you hit point 7, where you will switch over to th...

The location of the fossil hunt is within the emergency spillway of the Caesar Creek Dam. Once there, simply look at the ground and at any rocks in the vicinity. It won't take long to find a variety of Ordovician fossils; Trilobites (Ohio's State Fossil), Horn Coral, Gastropods, Brachiopods, and ...

Starting from the Flat Fork Ridge Recreation Area parking lot near the dam in Caesar Creek State Park, take the trail to the right of the parking lot if you're looking towards the lake. You will hike through the woods for a short period, then emerge onto the emergency spillway from the dam which ...

This pet-friendly park has some great sites for lakeside camping, all on the east-end of the lake, giving campers a great view of the sunset. The sites are near a 'field' of lily pads, and the frog calls that emanate from the area make for a relaxing sound to sleep to. There are few trees lakes...

The camping spots at Morgan's are right along the Little Miami River, making it a peaceful and beautiful place to camp. There are more than 50 sites to camp at. (Note: not all camp sites are along the water.) The campsites vary in size. There are sites for 2 and sites for 20. There are a decent a...

Ohio Caverns is a locally owned private establishment with guided tours through the cave system that lies beneath the rolling farmland of Central Western Ohio. The caves were formed by the dissolution of the Devonian limestone bedrock below, giving way to some of the most phenomenal cave features...

Parking at the Whispering Oaks Picnic Area on the west side of the park, start on the Darby Greenway Trail and follow it north across the river until you reach the beginning of the Lake View Trail. This 0.9 mile trail takes you along the largest of the Darby Bend Lakes, and even takes you past a ...

The Big Darby Creek is just one of four National Scenic Rivers in Ohio. Exploring and fly fishing for smallmouth bass, rock bass, or panfish is just one way for you to experience the river near the Prairie Oaks Metro Park. Located within a thirty-minute drive from downtown Columbus, the Prairie O...

Starting your hike from the Cedar Ridge Picnic Area, head north along the Darby Creek Greenway, a well-maintained gravel path that is a multi-use trail alongside cyclists and trail runners. The trail switches between a number of different settings during the 4.7 mile one-way trek, including fores...

One of the easiest of the 50 State Highpoints in the United States to visit, Campbell Hill sits just outside Bellefountaine (pronounced Bell-fountain), Ohio. Sitting on the grounds of the Hi-Point Career Center, Campbell Hill is open to visitors virtually everyday of the year during daylight hour...