Dan Barr

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 Bryozoans are all plentiful, with rarer occurrences of Cephalopods and Crinoids.NOTICE: The Emergenc...

Starting at the trailhead at the base of the hill, follow the paved asphalt path that ascends the backside of Gibraltar Rock. While the trail is paved all the way to the top, there are sections of it that are rather rough due to tree roots tearing the pavement up. There is also a slightly longer dirt trail that winds up the hill, as part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, which you can use t...

Starting at the eastern trailhead off of Gratiot Rd, follow the paved Blackhand Trail for 0.2 mile till you arrive at the sign of the Quarry Rim Trail, a 0.9 mile trail that roughly parallels the bike trail, but takes you along the rim of the old sandstone quarry that was in operation in the late 1800's, as a source for sand for nearby glass factories.  After the Quarry Rim Trail, a short 0.1 ...

Both the eastern and western trailhead have ample parking and access to the Blackhand Trail, which winds its way along the banks of the Licking River for a 4.3 mile one way trip.  While the trail isn't terribly long, it makes up for it in its scenery, staying within eyesight of the Licking River for almost its entire length, and passing through sections of sandstone walls towering dozens of fe...

From the parking lots at the far eastern end of Headlands Beach State Park, head to the sign for the Headland Dunes State Nature Preserve, and follow the trail marked with white painted T-posts. The trail is completely on sand, so it's a bit more strenuous than a normal hike due to the sand shifting as you walk. The trail follows the back of the dunes and heads towards the point of the beach, ...

The beginning of the hike to Ansel's Cave starts at The West Woods parking lot next to the visitor center. From there, follow the signs noting the Ansel Cave Trail. About 1/4 mile along, the trail splits into two directions; one takes you on the more direct route to Ansel's Cave along a well maintained trail of crushed gravel; the other, a longer route on a more rugged, natural path. Which ever...

Starting at the Appalachian Trail (AT) trailhead at US 19E, follow the AT north for 3.1 miles until you reach the intersection of the trail with Buck Mountain Rd. This section of the AT has an elevation gain of almost 1000 ft, and large sections of trail with significant meadows offering magnificent vistas of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The next 0.3 of a mile drops into a creek bed a...

Starting at the the parking lot off of OH SR 282, cross the road and you'll arrive at the base of the conglomerate cliffs that give the park its name. From there, follow the blue blazed trail to get the best views and overall experience of the park. The blue blazed trail follows the base of the cliffs and allows you to get up close and personal with the ledges without too much difficulty. To ma...

To begin, park next to the cemetery located on T-411 in Wayne National Forest. The trail begins on the north side of the cemetery and leads into the woods from there. In less than a 1/4 mile the trail forks into two separate trails, being both the beginning and terminus of the Archers Fork Loop Trail. Taking the trail to the right takes you on the more direct route to the natural bridge, and th...

The entirety of this hike is within the Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, a protected park with strict restrictions on off-trail travel with pets prohibited. Starting at the parking lot off of Jackson St, follow the trail northwest along the narrows of Clifton Gorge. Here, the river has carved a deep chasm into the limestone bedrock, with the river being anywhere from 40-60 feet below the t...

The hardest part of this adventure is finding parking, especially on a late October afternoon. There's two different observation decks to take photos of the gorge from, and both have excellent views of the overall gorge.  Having grown up just up the road from Mohican State Park, "The Gorge" has always been a favorite spot of mine, and its truly worth some time during a visit. While fall gets t...

While it might not seem like much, Mt. Jeez stands 1,310' feet above sea level, making it one of the higher "peaks" in Ohio. Because of that, it's one of the few spots in the Buckeye State that allow for grand, sweeping vistas with a 270 degree view for a few miles in most directions.  Originally named Poverty's Knob, it earned its now modern-day name mainly because of the difficulty of climbi...

Great Serpent Mound is easy to get to, and the museum nearby has a great little shop and display on the history of the mound and how it came to be found. One of the many interesting features of the mound itself is that it appears to have been designed in such a way as to align itself with the pattern of the rising and setting of both the moon and the sun over the course of the year. Signs along...

Starting at the parking lot next to Lake Erie Bluffs brand new 50-foot tall lakefront observation tower, follow the yellow signs noting the Shoreline Trail, a 0.6 mile long trail that follows the beach of Lake Erie. The trail is relatively easy, although sections of it require climbing over driftwood and other debris left by the pounding waves of the lake. Once at the other end of the trail, fo...

Situated in the long-forgotten coal and iron country of Ohio, Lake Hope is a beautiful combination of Ohio's rugged Appalachian foothills and tranquil shoreline.The trail starts at the trailhead parking lot right off of OH SR 278, next to the Hope Iron Furnace. The trail forms a three mile loop that follows the southern shoreline of Lake Hope for the majority of its length. Taking a right at th...

Starting at the northern parking lot, head south along the Shawnee Ridge Trail. Several spur and loop trails intersect the trail along the 12-mile loop hike. Many of these spur trails include difficult hikes up large hills like Sugarloaf Mountain, Sand Hill, and Mt. Ives. At each trail intersection, there is a detailed map of the park with color-coordinated trails and a lettering system for eac...

Cantwell Cliffs is one of the more northern units of the overall Hocking Hills State Park Region. Located off of OH SR 374, a short 0.1 spur trail takes you from the parking lot to the rim of the gorge and the area's namesake cliffs. From there, you have two choices: Turn left and descend through "Fat Woman's Squeeze," a narrow staircase of rock cut into the cliffs to the valley floor below, or...

A great evening getaway while in Columbus, Hayden Run Falls is easy to access. The path to the falls is a well-maintained boardwalk above the floodplain of the Scioto River, just a little over a 0.1 mile in length. The boardwalk takes you right up to the very foot of the 35 foot tall waterfall, and on most days the spray from the falls coats the deck (and you if you get too close!)There is also...

Beginning at the trail head labeled for Trail 1/Pinnacle Peak, the trail changes a total of ~450 ft elevation in a mile through a rolling, hardwood forest to reach its namesake location: Pinnacle Peak. The view opens up to the southwest of the peak and shows the valley below and the distance farms beyond on the edge of Indiana's farmland. The top of the peak is held up by thick sandstone beds, ...

To reach Panther Key, kayaking and navigation of the tides and mangrove islands is a necessity. The Everglades National Park ranger station in Everglades City is the closest put-in point for kayaks, and from there its a 12 mile paddle to Panther Key.This is a great adventure on which to visit multiple keys to stop and camp on, to make the paddling distance each day more manageable. Tiger Key wi...

Houghton Falls State Nature Preserve is a small but mighty park located just north of Washburn, WI. Starting at the trailhead on Houghton Falls Rd, the trail takes you through a heavily forested area filled with hemlock, yew, and birch. About 1/3 mile in, the trail comes across the Echo Dells, a series of deep sandstone ravines that are home to the parks main feature, Houghton Falls.  The trai...

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 forest, oak savannah, and prairie. About 1.5 miles in, the trail passes the Columbus Metro Parks' Bison p...

From the Rock House parking lot, follow the trail for 0.1 mile down the hill until you come to a fork in the trail, at which point follow the yellow marked Lower Rim Trail that continues downhill through a set of carved sandstone steps and then turns to parallel the cliffs. From there, it's less than a 0.1 mile to the entrance of Rock House.Once inside Rock House, be certain to note just how hu...

Getting to Honey Run Falls is incredibly easy! There are two parking lots for the park, one on the west side of the road for the Honey Run Highlands, and one on the east side of the road in the forest for the falls. From the forest parking lot, follow the trail south for roughly 500 ft until you reach the base of the waterfall. On most days, you'll hear the falls from the parking lot, its that ...