Shawnee Lookout County Park: Miami Fort Trail (Blog Hike #7)

Trail: Miami Fort Trail
Hike Location: Shawnee Lookout County Park
Geographic Location: southwest of Cleves, OH (39.12077,-84.80859)
Length: 1.4 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Dates Hiked: 1997, 2002, January 2015
Overview: A steep climb to the fort, followed by a moderate course with several lookouts over the adjacent river valleys.

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

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=716329
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 Miami Fort Trail is located where the main park road dead-ends.

The hike: Though only 1156 acres large, Shawnee Lookout County Park is truly a hidden gem in the Hamilton County Park District.  The land beneath the park has both historic and natural significance.  Acquired via donation from the old Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company (now Cinergy) in 1967, the park sits atop a steep bluff overlooking the confluence of the Ohio, Great Miami, and Whitewater Rivers.

On the history side, long before the first white settlers entered the Ohio valley, the Hopewell and Adena Indians constructed an earthen “fort” atop this bluff we now call the Miami Fort.  The earthwork gets its name from the Miami Indian Tribe who settled the area shortly after the fort was built.  The Miami tribe still occupied the area when settlers began invading in the early 1700’s.  Today’s park includes dramatic river overlooks, Indian earthworks, some nice forest, a golf course, a museum, and hiking. 

            The three nature trails in this park total 4.7 miles and combine to offer a nice day of hiking.  Despite these features and its location only 20 miles west of downtown Cincinnati, these trails are not heavily traveled, even on a pretty weekend afternoon.  This lack of visitors is probably because the park is tucked away in the southwest corner of Hamilton County and can only be accessed by narrow, rural roads.   In other words, you will not just stumble into Shawnee Lookout County Park.  You must be going there to get there. 

            Of the three trails at Shawnee Lookout, the Miami Fort Trail is my personal favorite.  Though not the longest trail in the park, the Miami Fort Trail offers dramatic river overlooks, a close-up view of the Indian earthworks, and a wide variety of forest/field habitats.  I seem to see something new every time I hike this trail, and I enjoy the trail more and more with each visit.  Before viewing the earthworks, consider stopping at the small Indian-themed museum located in the visitors center/golf course clubhouse.  The museum houses and describes some of the artifacts archaeologists have unearthed within the walls of the fort. 

Trailhead: Miami Fort Trail

            A shagbark hickory greets the hiker to the left of the trailhead.  From there, the graveled trail immediately begins ascending rather steeply through a semi-mature maple forest.  This is one of the great climbs in Hamilton County and represents the first, and most difficult, climb of the hike.  
            At the top of the hill, the trail swings to the left and enters a mowed field.  At roughly the same spot, a sign tells you that you are entering the ceremonial fort for which the trail is named. A well-placed bench sits on the right looking out on the first of several overlooks. This one looks to the northwest over the Great Miami River valley.  The river and the Oxbow wildlife refuge are in the foreground, fields and I-275 are in the middle ground, and the hills of southern Indiana are in the background. 

Great Miami River overlook

            After taking a moment to catch your breath and admire the scenery, continue up the trail through the field.  In a very short distance, the trail forks.  I suggest taking the right fork and using the left as the return route, as the hiking is a little easier this way.  The trail moves along the north edge of the field for a short distance, then reenters the forest.  For the next several hundred yards the trail undulates moderately and meanders through the forest.  Eventually, the trail comes out to the edge of a steep wooded precipice, the hill on which the park sits. 

            In another couple hundred feet, a trail goes off to the left.  Do not take it yet, but continue straight ahead for some nice overlooks of the rivers.  The trail descends moderately, with the aid of some steps, then bends right to come to an overlook, marked by another bench, of the Great Miami River’s floodplain.  Do not spend a lot of time here, as another overlook is just ahead.
            Continue on the trail, which again descends using steps, and in a short distance, come to the final overlook, with another bench.  From this point, you can see three states: Ohio (beneath you), Indiana (about 1 mile straight ahead), and Kentucky (across the Ohio River, which is seen on the left).  You can also see the I-275 bridge across the Ohio River. In my childhood, I thought the steel supports of this bridge looked like an inchworm and "named" the bridge appropriately; I have called it the inchworm bridge ever since.

"Inchworm" bridge overlook

            This last overlook marks the furthest point on the trail.  From here, retrace your steps back up the hill to the trail you passed earlier. Turn right here; this is the return route.  After a couple hundred feet, the trail dips into and out of a steep ravine via steps. 
            At the other side of this ravine, the trail comes out into the field that you crossed on the outbound section of the trail.  The trail passes a small stone monument (erected to honor the famous conservationist Daniel Carter Beard) on the left and the cooling tower of Cinergy’s Miami Fort Generation Station on the right, then takes a stiff left turn to intersect the outbound trail.  At this intersection, a right turn and a steep downhill walk remain to finish the hike.

Overlook toward Ohio River