Trail Tale: Withrow Nature Preserve, Hepatica Hill Loop

On one of the first non-rainy days of early spring--which are few and far between--the boys and I took a little trip to a place I had visited a couple of times a few years ago and always wanted to return, Withrow Nature Preserve in Anderson Township.  This off-the-beaten-path green space is perfect for this blog, which aims to introduce readers to places they may not have heard about before.


The Preserve sits atop a wooded hillside along the Ohio River on the east side of town, near Coney Island.  It is somewhat secluded which is evident as you enter the park.  A long sloping driveway slowly takes you up into the woods and ends in a large paved parking lot.

Just beyond the lot, the Highwood Lodge resides on the grounds of the park.  This building and it's surrounding formal gardens is a popular spot for weddings and receptions.
  

To locate the Hepatica Hill Loop trail, look for a welcome sign and informational sign which also contains a small map just beyond the parking lot and before you reach the house:

The trail will begin on your left. [There are two trails at Withrow, Hepatic Hill Loop, which is covered in this post, and the Old Farm Loop, which will follow in a separate post]. 

The boys wasted no time getting on the trail.  Within just a few feet of our hike, we found some spring wildflowers in bloom and what a welcome sight!

MORE FLOWER PHOTOS, CLICK HERE

I've spent most of our fall and winter hikes looking up with my camera at the stark tree branches pasted against the sky.  Today's spring time hike has me staring and pointing at the ground, saying, "Look boys, another flower!  This one is purple, my favorite color."


Of course, they are hard to convince, especially when there is a stump to climb up ahead!

The trail at this point is rounding the hillside, with the wildflower patch on our right and a ravine with a creek at it's bottom on our right.  Just ahead, a solid wooden stairwell descends toward the creek, making this particular trail unfriendly to strollers, but fine for walkers.

We take time to check out the fallen tree beside the stairs, one of many at the Preserve.  Droughts, high winds, and storms in recent years have sadly taken a toll on many Cincinnati trees.  At the bottom of the steps, the boys take advantage of a bench overlooking the creek:

From here, the trail works it's way back up the hill.  There are still plenty of wildflowers to be found along the way.

Another stairwell:

And another bench:

I love the huge Sycamore tree looming above the deck!

From here, the trail goes behind the Highwood Lodge and passes through the gardens where you can see the setting for outdoor weddings.  Not a bad place for renewing vows either...


This concludes the post about the Hepatica Hill Loop trail.  Since the boys were still in the mood to hike, we went back to the trail head and turned left to head toward the Old Farm Loop--read about it in the next post!