Cincinnati Nature Center: Waterfall Loop (Blog Hike #46)

Trails: Edge, Geology, and Fox Rock Trails

Hike Location: Cincinnati Nature Center

Geographic Location: northwest of Batavia, OH (39.12551,-84.24594)

Length: 2 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: 1999, August 2017

Overview: A wonderful, moderate, short hike featuring a lake, a rock outcropping, and two waterfalls.

Park Information: https://www.cincynature.org/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940217
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the east side of Cincinnati, take I-275 to exit 63B, which goes onto SR 32 east.  Take SR 32 east for 1.2 miles to Glen Este-Withamsville Road (the first traffic light) and turn left.  Follow this road north 0.4 miles to Old SR 74 and turn right.  Take Old SR 74 east for 0.25 miles and turn left onto Tealtown Rd.  The Cincinnati Nature Center is about 3 miles ahead on Tealtown Rd.on the left.  A large "Rowe Woods" sign marks the entrance.  Pay the small parking fee and proceed to the main parking lot in front of the interpretive building, where our hike will begin.  A second gravel parking area is available to the right of the main parking area, should the main area be full.

The hike: The Cincinnati Nature Center is one of a few private organizations in greater Cincinnati dedicated to preserving the natural environment.  Founded in 1967, the Center operates three sites, this nature preserve and two working farms where visitors can become farmers for a day.  One can purchase an annual membership to the Center, but this is moderately expensive. 

            The nature preserve (named Rowe Woods after Mr. Stanley M. Rowe, a major benefactor of the Center) features 14.5 miles of well-marked and well-maintained trails over a diverse 790 acres of forest, creeks, hills, meadows, and ponds.  The Lookout Trail alone (described elsewhere in this blog) will take you past each of these ecosystems.  Before you begin, be sure to stop in the Rowe Interpretive Center, which houses exhibits on the local flora and fauna, a gift shop featuring a good selection of books, and a large picture window for bird watching. 

The route described here is one of the most scenic short hikes in greater Cincinnati.  There is more to see in these 1.9 miles than on most trails twice as long.  This route is beautiful all year long, but it is especially nice during the wet season when its two waterfalls are in top form.  Avey's Run is a small stream, and I suspect that the waterfalls dry up during a summer drought.  Be sure to wear some insect repellent, as the deep woods and still water are perfect for mosquito spawning.

Start of Edge Trail near Rowe Building

            Walk out the front door of the Rowe Building and turn right onto an alternating gravel and dirt trail.  This is the Edge Trail, which is probably named for its route along the edge of Powell Crosley Lake.  Walking through a mature oak forest, the trail soon comes to a newly constructed bird blind on the left.  On the morning I was here, not many animals were choosing to partake of the delicacies the park managers had offered to lure birds to this spot.  Only a couple of cardinals could be spotted. 

Hiking along Powell Crosley Lake

            Continuing along the trail, cross an arm of the lake on a wooden footbridge and pass a small meadow on the left before coming to Marsh Pond on the right.  A short boardwalk takes you out into the pond, which was a light brown color when I was there.  Not much wildlife appeared to enjoy this particular area either.

            The trail next turns to the right and crosses a drainage before coming to marker #3, a trail intersection.  Trail intersections at Rowe Woods are marked by small three-inch concrete cylinders with green and white numbers.  Ignore the trail that goes left here and continue straight, shortly reaching a shelter house overlooking the lake.  There was a couple feeding some bread to four Canadian geese on the day I was here. Feeding wild animals is generally not a good idea.  As animals become used to receiving handouts from humans, they expect each hiker passing by to give them some food to eat.  This results in a lower ability to survive in the wild and more aggressive behavior around people.

Powell Crosley Lake

            Leaving the lake, the trail descends to cross two small drainages before climbing uphill to marker #5, the intersection of the Geology and Edge trails.  Turn left at marker #5 onto the Geology Trail, which uses some wooden steps to descend steeply into the ravine containing the East Branch of Avey's Run. The first of the two waterfalls on this branch is located at the very bottom of this steep descent.  This small but pretty waterfall drops about 5 feet from a resistant limestone overhang onto less resistant limestone.

Small waterfall in Avey's Run

            When you are done looking at the waterfall, continue hiking a short distance on the Geology Trail to marker #6.  This is where the Fox Rock Trail goes off to the left and where the loop portion of this hike begins.  Turn left here and cross an old wooden bridge over Avey's Run; we will later close the loop by using the Geology Trail on the right.  The trail next turns right and begins following the south side of the stream.  The stream soon begins to disappear below you on the right as the stream decreases in elevation while the trail moderately gains elevation. 

Hiking along Avey's Run

            At the top of the hill, the trail reaches marker #33, where the Redwing Trail exits to the left.  Stay to the right at this intersection.  The trail now follows the top of the ridge through a mature maple/beech/ash forest featuring tall, stately trees.  As the trail approaches the end of the ridge, it passes a shelter featuring a nice view of the Avey's Run valley now a couple hundred feet below.

            Just past the shelter, come to a trail intersection with wooden steps descending both to the right and the left.  Turn left here to view Fox Rock, a small limestone outcrop reached via a steep set of wooden steps and a boardwalk, allowing you a great view from just a couple feet away from the outcrop.  Be careful as you descend the narrow steps.  The boardwalk ends at the end of the outcrop, forcing the hiker to backtrack to the trail intersection mentioned above. 

Fox Rock

            Turn left and descend the other set of wooden steps.  This set is longer but less steep than the first and returns you to Avey's Run.  Cross the creek without the aid of the bridge (this may require some wading during times of high water) and come to an intersection with the Geology Trail on the edge of a grassy meadow.  The Fox Rock Trail ends at this intersection.

            Turn right to begin the return portion of this hike.  Pass marker #9 and enter the streamside forest.  The streamside forest is dominated by maple and beech trees, and honeysuckle seems to grow just about everywhere.  The trail meanders to the right to follow alongside the creek.  After a couple hundred feet, the trail crosses the creek on stepping stones, only to recross it again in 100 feet.  Originally, the trail remained on the north side of Avey's Run, but a landslide in 1974 forced this short section of the trail to be moved to the opposite bank.  Again, during times of very high water, the stepping stones may be submerged, and some wading may be required. 

Old pump house

            After passing marker #8, arrive at an old pump house perched on the bank of the stream.  The stone structure, abandoned long ago, has several windows and a door where hikers can peer in at the stone floor.  Still going east along Avey's Run, the trail comes to the other waterfall in the same creek about 700 feet past the pump house.  This is a very unusual waterfall. When the creek is not very high, the water disappears underneath a limestone bridge for about one foot before cascading 6 feet over rocks.

            Pass marker #7 before coming to marker #6 where the Fox Rock Trail comes in from the right, thus closing the loop.  Retrace your steps up the hill for the last major climb of the hike.  This returns you to the Edge Trail.  Turn left, pass a well-placed bench and a wooden pier before coming to the boardwalk.  This boardwalk takes you out into Powell Crosley Lake, which is frequented by Canadian geese, mallards, wood ducks, and great blue herons.  The boardwalk terminates at the rear of the interpretive building, thus completing the hike.