Dan Barr

From the main entrance on the north side of the park, the Ironweed Trail connects the northern, more wooded section of the park with the wetlands to the south. This 2.8 mile one-way trail is paved, making cycling, running, and hiking an easy activity. The topography of the park also makes it easy, as very little elevation change occurs, aside from a slight hill that represents the remnants of t...

Owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy, Ohio's Edge of Appalachia Preserve is home to over 19,000 acres of protected wilderness and rugged Appalachian terrain. And the greatest prize of the preserve is none other than the Buzzards Roost.Perched atop a slab of resistant limestone roughly 500' above the valley of Brush Creek, the Buzzards Roost has a nearly 180 degree view of the surroundin...

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 hours. The facility is gated, but if the gate is open, its safe to visit. The parking lot for Campbell...

Starting at the nature center near the entrance of the park, the 2.5 mile long Dripping Rock Trail heads off in two directions, to the south and to the west. Either way will take you back to the nature center at the end of the day. Going west takes you past an observation deck and then along a deep ravine before it swings south, while the southern approach crosses the road and after 0.3 of a mi...

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 remnant Adena Mound at the north end of the trail. To explore the additional lakes, continue along t...

Starting from the Indian Mound Reserve parking lot, follow the private drive back until the signs indicate to follow the trail through the woods to the right, about 1/4 mile. Make sure you stay right of the painted yellow line on the road, trespassers on the private land surrounding the park are not tolerated. From there, the trail winds for 1/3 of a mile until the trail forks into two distinct...

From the trailhead, follow the Beech Ridge Loop Trail to the stairs for a 1/4 mile to the stairs that descend down into Hell Hollow. The views back up the gorge of Paine Creek are beautiful, especially with the shale cliffside in view. The stairway down into the hollow proper is steep, so be prepared for a climb back out as its the only way in or out of the hollow. Once at the bottom, the trail...

Indian Run Falls is a family friendly destination for the metro lifestyle. Sitting just outside downtown Dublin, the falls are easily accessible from the nearby parking lot, with the roar of the fall audible as soon as you get out of your car. For those seeking a hike, there is a 1/2 mile trail that leads to SR 745 near the Scioto River following the top of the cliffs that Indian Run carves.Be ...

The trailhead begins at the base of the parking lot of the old Hocking Hills Lodge that sadly burnt down in 2016. While plans are underway for a new lodge to be built, it means parking for this particular trail is plentiful for the moment, since the massive parking lot is only being used for the trail.  The first 1/4 mile of the trail winds alongside a disc golf course before swinging behind t...

Starting at the main parking lot for Old Man's Cave and the Hocking Hills, follow the Gorge Overlook Trail from the Visitor's Center, staying on top of the rim. About 0.1 mile from the Visitor Center, you'll cross over the gorge on a large trussed bridge. Once across, follow the signs that direct towards Cedar Falls. Posts with an inset red strip routered into the top of them mark the trail. Fr...

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 in the state, including the Crystal King, a roughly 400 lb stalactite that is the largest in Ohio.A...

Starting at the lower parking lot, follow the signs that direct you to the trails near the shelterhouse. Within 0.2 of a mile the trail forks; follow the left fork heading east along the Little Miami River. This is the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati Stagecoach Trail, which for 1.3 miles winds its way along the banks of the Little Miami, and rises above it in several places for some beautiful views of th...

Starting at the Creekside Meadows Parking Lot, follow the Creekside Meadows Trail for 0.3 of a mile until it forks into two trails. Follow the left fork towards the road, and as soon as you cross the road, the Cemetery Ridge Trail begins.  Once across Clear Creek Road, the trail gains elevation fast, with the first 1/4 mile gaining almost 400 ft. From there, the trail follows the ridge line, p...

Starting at the central parking lot near the pond, follow the signs for Trail 1, which will take you down through a set of steps and boardwalks to the bottom of a steep canyon. From there, simply follow the canyon downstream.  The canyon trail terminates at Silver Cascade Falls, a unique convex waterfall that flows over a series of siltstone before dropping to the river valley floor below. From...

The trailhead begins along Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, with a relatively small parking lot at the trailhead. Starting early in the day is advised, as on nice summer days it will fill up quickly. The trail has a steady ascent for the first 2 miles starting around 6700' through aspen forests and criss-crosses streams as it makes its way up the valley.After 2 miles the valley opens up into a wide ...

Starting at the parking lot for Loon Lake, follow the signs for Red Granite Falls across a grassed yard and into the woods. The trail is a wide, well-maintained gravel trail that creates a figure-eight loop as it crosses itself twice. Halfway along the trail (regardless of which loop direction you take) you end up along the Bad River, and can hear the roar of Red Granite Falls. Several small t...

Driving to the top of Spruce Mountain is perhaps the most difficult part of the journey. Once at the top of Spruce Mountain, park and head south along a short, 0.2 mile long trail that leads to the official state highpoint of Spruce Knob. Be sure to find the USGS marker near the base of the observation tower off to the left side of the gravel trail, anchored in cement. The observation tower at ...

Starting at the trailhead near the parking lot, the trail starts off relatively paved and moves close to the base of Turtle Rock, a large outcrop of Sherman Granite that has stood the test of time from the creation of the Rocky Mountains. Following the trail to the left at the loop intersection, the trail becomes more rugged and takes you through small patches of forest and wide open areas str...

Located right off the road next to an old shed, across the road from the main pavilion and barn, the trailhead for the Joan Jones Portman Trail winds upwards 0.8 miles one way across a creek and through a narrow section of prairie clinging to the hillsides of Southern Ohio. This is one of the steeper trails in Ohio (it actually has switchbacks!), gaining over 400' in less than a mile. The payof...