Sharon Woods Gorge Trail, Revisited

So, apparently my posts are on a new schedule, occurring every 2.5 years or so!  Is life really THAT busy?  Yes, it is.  Since it is still January, I'll set an intention to hike and post at least once a month for the rest of the year.  Wish me luck!

Monday was a day off of school for the boys, so we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. day and the nice weather with a visit to Sharon Woods.  I came across this quote from Dr. King earlier that morning:  "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  As we walked in the winter sunshine and encountered multiple people (and dogs) happily walking the trails, viewing the waterfalls, tossing stones at the icy lake, and playing impromptu games of tag on the playgrounds - the feelings of light and love were all around.

But the kids had more on their mind, such as this:

And this:

Sharon Woods has two main entrances. (If you are using VZ Navigator on an Android phone, do not follow the directions taking you to the Swing Rd entrance, unless you are actually planning to hit the golf course).  Here is a map of the park from the Great Parks website.  We arrived at the Lebanon Rd/US Rt 42 entrance which takes you to the playground in the top photo, (above) and easy access to the Gorge trail.  You can also find the visitor's center here which has a wonderful indoor play area for kids as well as a nature display center.  But, that's for a colder day.

The other entrance to the park is on E. Kemper Rd and takes you to the playground in the bottom photo.  During the summer, it is also a splash-land for kids and is located near the boathouse which gives you access to the lake and options for boating and fishing.

Our day was meant for hiking and enjoying nature - at least in my mind, so we used the Gorge trail to "get from one playground to the other". This strategy worked!  Here we are enjoying nature:

Giant Sycamore

Child with Giant Sycamore

Sticks are Swords

Ready to defend against wild beasts

Now, let's hit the trail!  To me, the main feature of the Gorge trail is the stream which accompanies you the whole way and contains multiple water falls and great views.  Signs along the trail talk about the natural history of the region.  But, the first sign to look for is at the trail head.  From behind the playground, you cross a stone bridge over the stream and turn upstream. You will see the first of the falls as you walk a path along the roadway.

First Waterfall

 A little bit longer and the trail head sign will be on your right.  Here it is and here we go!

Trail head sign

Second Waterfall, partially frozen - Cool!

The trail follows the stream

Third Waterfall - way down

Bridge over the stream

The Gorge trail is 0.7 miles in length.  At the end, you come to a view of the lake. On this day, it was mostly ice and we tested it only by throwing stones. 

Can I ice skate, Mom?  No.

A paved trail circles the lake and we took a portion of it to get to the playground near the boathouse.  You can see there were many people out enjoying the day.

Multipurpose trail around the lake

Resting with a Saber

Our entire visit on this day lasted just over 2 hours.  Next time, I'll pack a light snack to have before our walk back downstream and back to our car.  There is a vending machine near the boathouse playground that I tried to use, but accidentally chose the number for Hot Tamales instead of Granola Bars - [if you found a free bag of Hot Tamales in the bottom of the vending machine on MLK day in 2015...you're welcome].

The Gorge trail is a pretty easy walk on a dirt and gravel path with beautiful views, and incentives playgrounds on each side to get the kids hiking.  There is plenty more to do at Sharon Woods as well.  I encourage you to check it out, ice, rain, or shine.  Happy Hiking!

  

Two Tykes on a Bike!...Little Miami Scenic Trail, Avoca to Milford.

What a hot, humid summer it has been--better for swimming than hiking!  The boys and I have had our share of pool visits this summer, but I've found myself craving a little exercise.  Plus I didn't want to miss the late summer wildflower show when all the tall, leafy "weeds" finally pop into bloom.  So, I took the humidity as a sign to pull my bicycle out of the garage and finally try out the bike trailer I found on craigslist at the beginning of the season.  At least the boys and I would get a breeze to dry off our moist brows.


Since it's close to home, we headed to the Avoca trail head on the Little Miami Scenic Trail for our trial run.  At first, I tried to let the boys ride along, but a tattered big wheel and a bike with shaky training wheels felt very out of place on this particular trail frequented by professional cyclists more than families.  My almost three-year-old could not grasp the concept of staying to the right side and my older son kept ending up in the grass, so into the trailer they went!  


The first ride was wonderful--me with the breeze on my cheeks, them chilling in the trailer behind, smiling people passing by, and plenty of wildflowers all around.  We even saw two deer crossing the path.  We have returned several times since and I finally took my camera to capture some of the trail for the blog.  Have a look!  And stay tuned for upcoming posts regarding bike paths in the area.


[Click on the slideshow below to see the whole album with captions and comments containing more information or click HERE.]

Trail Tale: Blue Ash Nature Park

Recently we visited the Blue Ash public library since there was a Reference Only book in their holdings that I wanted to see.  Since we were already in the area, I took the opportunity to check out a new trail for the blog (and let the kids use up some energy before heading home).  The Blue Ash Nature Park was the perfect spot.  The trail was long enough to be interesting, but allowed plenty of time for the boys to play on the nearby playgrounds as well.


After parking the car, we found a trail map just off the parking lot.

We started our hike to the right where the trail begins to loop around the outside edge of the park.

In the picture above you can see signs with the usual park guidelines and on the left, one of several small, covered picnic shelters within the park.  After a short jaunt on the paved entry way, we found the trail head, again to the right.  

There was plenty of greenery to greet us on the wide gravel path.  I noticed a vine ground cover planted on the edges of the path, keeping weeds at bay, making for a more relaxing walk since I didn't have to watch so closely for poison ivy!  Soon, we came to a wooden bridge crossing a small stream--always a point of interest for the boys.

Across the bridge, the path changes to mulch and is still nicely maintained.  Next, we find a bench, one of Marshall's favorite things.  He shouts:  "Look, a bench, a bench!" and acts as if we've been walking for hours, when it's only been about 10 minutes.  

From here, we continue right again, even though the boys have spotted one of the playgrounds.  Somehow I coax them to keep hiking with promises to play at the end.  I'm sure I mention a cookie or something like that too.  While we are "discussing" the matter, I notice a pretty painted bird house on a nearby tree.

And at least two more, throughout the park:

If I had known these were around, it would have been a fun scavenger hunt to seek these little works of art during the hike.  


We continued along the trail.

There are a couple of small side paths from the main trail, but one led to an empty space along the main road (Reed Hartman Highway) and another to someone's home.  It is best to stay on the main trail.  At one of these, we paused long enough to find some pretty moss growing at the base of a tree.

The kids took time to touch, smell, and yes, taste this tiny little carpet of green.  I love it when they get a hands-on experience with nature!  It was a patch of coolness on the hot day.  A little more hiking and we finally came upon the PLAYGROUND!!!!!!!!

  
The two play areas below lie on either side of the path.

They share space with a large picnic shelter.

Can you say Birthday Party?  This is the perfect set-up, with restrooms close by.  This and other park shelters can be rented by residents or businesses within the city of Blue Ash only.  However, I'll bet anyone can use them if they are not reserved, especially during the week.  Contact the city's parks department to be sure.


On this day, only a couple other people were around, so the boys had the place  mostly to themselves...unless you count the cool green dinosaur hanging out by the play set:

If you continue past the playgrounds shown, you will come to the park's amphitheater.  It is here that free concerts in the park are held as well as other special, family friendly performances.

We continued our walk in the other direction, toward the restrooms and water fountains.  We located another reservable shelter:

and another, smaller playground where Miles practiced his climbing skills:

This is actually the area the boys spotted as we began our hike.  There are a couple small covered picnic shelters here, perfect for someone on a lunch break from work or a small, casual gathering.  


After playing, we completed the loop and found ourselves back in the parking lot.  We ventured down the other trail head a short way just to cross a bridge and view a water feature:

This is a man made structure that is possibly used to control water runoff from the recreation center and other buildings just beyond it.  That didn't stop M&M from tossing stones into the water.

If we had continued down this trail, it would have led to another shelter, play area and the amphitheater.  But, it was time to go!  The heat, the time, and our rumbling bellies said so.  Next time I'm in the Blue Ash area, I'll be sure to pack a picnic and visit this park again.  But maybe I'll follow in the footsteps of the other Mom I saw while visiting and bring a book to read while the kids play!

Trail Tale: Rheinstrom Park

Sunshine!  Finally, a sunny day!  One day I took a drive around nearby Indian Hill to get the kids out of the house on a drizzly day and we came across this little nature preserve, Rheinstrom Park.  Today, I headed back with my camera because I thought it was a perfect little hike to highlight on Two Tykes.

The land for this park was donated by a long-time resident of Indian Hill, James Rheinstrom.  For more information about the origin of the park, check out the Indian Hill Historical Society page about Mr. Rheinstrom by clicking HERE.  

It's easy to miss the driveway for this park as you drive along Graves Road in Indian Hill.  Look for the short wooden poles which line the driveway and paved parking area for a clue (pictured above).  The trail begins directly off the back of the parking lot and crosses a creek. 

The trail begins

Stone Bridge Over Small Creek

Across the bridge, we encounter this sign.  The park contains a Blue Bird trail and the sign explains how to go about creating one yourself.  

And just ahead, we come to an intersection and choose to turn right.  From here the path makes one large loop around the property and ends at this same intersection.  If you go straight, you can also easily hop onto the loop about halfway through.  If you have a thirsty pet, you may find some water bowls and jugs awaiting their arrival as we did on our first visit--no water for humans though, so bring your own.

Soon into the walk, we are transported into a wild green scene.

As we round a bend, we are greeted by a grove of some enormous pine trees on the right.  Pictured below is probably only a fifth of the tree's actual height.  Just beyond the pines is someone's home, so we know we're not totally in a wild forest.

And then we see evidence of the old estate. The house and barn that used to occupy this land were removed years ago.  This gate and fence seem to be relics from the past, though I'm not sure if they were original or added at a later date.

After wandering through the dappled shade, we hit a sunny, grassy patch with some nice big trees filling up the view of the sky. There are several beautiful giants throughout the park.  [To see more photos of the trees, check my Flickr album].

Next, we walk into the dappled shade beside some newer trees.  

The ground beside the path is a little wetter in this area and Miles squeals with delight: "another puddle, Mom!" Gosh, he's a cutie!  We see a bunch of puddles which contain piles of broken twigs placed there for some reason--possibly to keep dogs from getting too wet.  There are quite a few very excited, off-leash dogs along our way.  All are friendly and seem to know their way around. 

We also find several benches on the path.  Each one sits in between two ornamental trees and look into the interior of the park.  It is an interesting juxtaposition, to see the native landscape rising up just beyond the formal sitting area.  Depending on where you place your eyes, you could be in a wild area or on someone's old estate.  It's a good place for letting the imagination roam.

And a good place for deer to roam as well!  Marshall finally spots these deer tracks in the mud after looking and looking and mistaking thousands of dog prints for deer.   

We are a little more than halfway down the path when we come to the section I mentioned earlier where you can find water bowls for dogs near the fork.  We see some dogs taking advantage of this added feature, maintained by community members, I assume.  From our spot, you'd have to cross a grassy patch to hit this part of the trail.  You could also shorten the hike by taking this path back to the main intersection.  If you have a stroller, this might be a good plan because the path ahead dips down and then climbs back up a fairly steep hill.  If you want to get your heart beating, though--continue on!

The boys decide to run ahead to the top of the hill.  This is after Marshall tripped on his sandal and stubbed his toe while trying to run down the hill.  
I'll spare you the photo of his distress.

You can check out this piece of natural sculpture as you finish the hike.  Cool.

And here we go to the end.  We turn right to head back to the parking lot.

At the edge of the lot, I snap one more photo of this idyllic scene with a rustic wooden bench crossing the creek in the distance.  

The whole trail was not quite a mile in length.  The paved path was very well maintained: smooth and without obstructions.  I appreciate the opportunity to roam a bit of the natural area in Indian Hill without feeling like I may be trespassing on someone's property.  The homes in this neighborhood are breathtaking.  The natural beauty that surrounds must be their inspiration.