Shawnee Lookout County Park: Little Turtle Trail (Blog Hike #8)

Trail: Little Turtle Trail

Hike Location: Shawnee Lookout County Park

Geographic Location: southwest of Cleves, OH (39.12466,-84.79057)

Length: 2 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: 1997, 2002, January 2015

Overview: A lollipop loop through field and young forest with two Ohio River overlooks.

Park Information: http://www.greatparks.org/parks/shawnee-lookout

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=716330
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the west side of Cincinnati, take I-275 exit to US 50 (exit 16).  Exit and turn right on US 50.  Drive US 50 east 3.4 miles, crossing into Ohio on the way, to Lawrenceburg Road; there is a traffic light at this intersection.  Turn right on Lawrenceburg Rd.  Drive Lawrenceburg Rd. 2.1 miles to the park entrance on the left.  Parking for the Little Turtle Trail is located on the right a short distance past the golf course. 

The hike: For my general comments on Shawnee Lookout County Park, see the Miami Fort Trail description.  The Little Turtle Trail is the longest and probably most difficult trail at Shawnee Lookout.  On the bright side, this trail is free of power lines and other modern intrusions that clutter many of the other trails in this park.  Even better, this trail passes the two best Ohio River overlooks to be found anywhere in the park.

Trailhead: Little Turtle Trail

            The trail begins at the far side of a small play area for kids, which is located across the road from the parking lot.  The trail turns sharply left, then back to the right and begins following the edge of a kidney-shaped field on the left.  I spotted a white-tailed deer here once, and insects love the warm sunlight, not to mention the pollen supplied by the shoulder-high prairie plants in the field. 

Hiking along a field

            The trail goes all the way down the near side of the field, then curves around the end and begins up the far side, crossing some wet-weather branches along the way.  About half-way up the far side of the field, the trail takes a right turn away from the field and enters the young forest.  In a couple hundred feet, the trail comes to a crossroads.  The trail to the left is a short-cut back to the park road, and the one straight ahead is the return route.  I suggest turning right and hiking the loop portion of the trail counter-clockwise, as it avoids a very long, steep uphill climb that is encountered going the other direction. Turning right, the trail goes over flat ground through intermittent forest and field.

In a couple hundred yards, the trail turns left at the edge of a very steep precipice and shortly comes to the first Ohio River overlook, where two metal benches are placed.  This is a nice place to sit and watch boats travel up and down the river with the hills of Kentucky in the background.

1st Ohio River overlook

            The trail parallels the edge of the precipice, first descending for a short piece, then starting a long, moderate uphill climb.  Though not particularly steep, this hill climbs at a moderate pace for several hundred yards before leveling off and descending a short distance to the second overlook, which offers much the same view as the first one.

2nd Ohio River overlook

            From this point, the furthest one on the hike, the trail takes a 180 degree turn to the left and climbs the same hill it just descended before meandering to the right away from the outbound trail.  The forest here has a very thick, green understory.  The thin canopy of leaves allows large quantities of sunlight to reach the forest floor, thus allowing many shrubs and grasses to thrive on the forest floor.  In a few hundred feet, the trail begins a steep descent to the valley of a small stream; this is the only major downhill section of this trail.  Some erosion controls have been placed in the trail here, but they are too far apart to be very effective.

            Upon reaching the valley, the trail follows the stream for a short distance before crossing it and starting up the other side of the ravine.  This is the second major climb of the hike and is much more substantial than the first in terms of steepness.  The trail climbs steeply for a hundred feet, then turns right and flattens out for a hundred feet, then repeats this pattern for two or three times.  At the top of the hill, the trail arrives back at the crossroads you passed about one mile ago.  Continuing straight will lead you back around the field and to the trailhead, completing the hike.