Trail: Wood Duck Trail
Hike Location: Mitchell Memorial Forest
Geographic Location: south of Miamitown, OH (39.1914,-84.71733)
Length: 1.1 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Dates Hiked: 1997, June 2013
Overview: A lollipop loop through young woodlands and past a small pond.
Directions to the trailhead: There is no broad, direct route to this park, so follow these directions on the back roads carefully. Take I-74 to SR 128 (exit 7). Exit and go north on SR 128. Drive SR 128 0.7 miles to the center of Miamitown and turn right onto Harrison Ave. Take Harrison Ave. 0.6 miles to East Miami River Road and turn right. Drive East Miami River Rd. 1.1 miles to Gum Run Road, a narrow road that goes up the hillside, and turn left on Gum Run Rd. Take Gum Run Road to where it ends at Buffalo Ridge Rd. and turn right on Buffalo Ridge Rd. Take Buffalo Ridge Rd. 0.8 miles to Zion Rd. and turn left onto Zion Rd. The park entrance is only a few feet ahead on Zion Rd. Turn right onto the park entrance road and park in the parking lot on the left just past the lake on the right.
The hike: Mitchell Memorial Forest, part of the Hamilton County Park District, sits on a high bluff on the eastern side of the Great Miami River. The park was created in 1977 with the donation of the land to the Park District. Despite its isolated location (relative to the rest of Hamilton County) and lack of development, the park is popular with hikers, fishermen, and picnickers. Unfortunately, although there are several mountain bike trails, there is only one hiking trail in the park. Thus, the Wood Duck Trail described here will have to satisfy us hikers.
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| Trailhead: Wood Duck Trail |
From the parking lot, the trail immediately enters the woods and begins a gradual march downhill. In the fall, this is one of the prettiest sections of the trail, as a row of young maple trees with bright yellow leaves stands on either side of the trail. After passing through the rows of maples, the trail forks in the middle of a small open area. To hike the trail counter-clockwise as I did, turn right here and use the left trail as the return route.
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| Trail in small meadow |
The wide gravel trail crosses a drainage pipe then turns sharply left and begins steadily climbing a ridge. After a short climb, the trail levels off for a short distance, then begins climbing again, this time more steeply. Once atop the hill, the trail levels off atop a hogsback with steep drop-offs on either side. This section of the trail goes through young forest consisting mostly of maple trees with the occasional ash.
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| Trail near ridgetop |
After several hundred feet atop the ridge, the trail takes a sharp left turn and descends rather steeply into the valley. At the bottom of this hill you will get your best glimpse of the large pond that may contain the duck species for which this trail is named. Upon my visit here, I saw a few brown ducks and several mallards swimming peacefully in the green algae of the pond but no wood ducks. From the shore, all ducks appeared to be having a very good time.
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| Pond on Wood Duck Trail |
Having done your duck watching for the day, continue along the trail as it crosses a small hill, then begins meandering along a small stream on the left. The bedrock is very close to the surface here, and pines and young maples are the dominant species. Watch for a spot in the creek where water tumbles over the layers of bedrock. I imagine this makes for a small but pretty waterfall during the wet season.
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| Concrete trough |
At about this point, the trail becomes noticeably rocky with medium-sized blocks of limestone sticking up in the trail. Their origin may be explained by a concrete water trough that stands not far from the closing of the two arms of the loop. These items combined with the youthfulness of the forest suggest that this area may have been a farm as little as a couple of decades ago. After closing the loop, only a short uphill walk remains to the parking lot.
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