Fort Ancient State Memorial (Blog Hike #167)

Trails: Stone Circle, Earthworks, and Terrace Trails

Hike Location: Fort Ancient State Memorial

Geographic Location: east of Lebanon, OH (39.40735, -84.09141)

Length: 2.5 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: October 2004

Overview: A fairly easy hike, only steep in a couple of places, past the burial mounds at Fort Ancient.

Park Information: https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/fort-ancient-earthworks

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=175615
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Take I-71 to exit 36 (Wilmington Road).  Exit, go east on Wilmington Road, and almost immediately turn right onto Middleton Rd.  Take Middleton Rd. 2 miles to SR 350 and turn right on SR 350.  Take SR 350 1 mile to Fort Ancient’s entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the memorial.  Pay the entrance fee and immediately turn left onto a park road that leads to the visitor center.  Park in the blacktop parking lot just beyond the visitor center.

The hike: A trip to Fort Ancient is like taking an archeology class in college, for nowhere else in greater Cincinnati will you find the rich human history that is to be found on this site.  Fort Ancient’s ceremonial burial mounds were actually constructed in two parts.  The north fort, the larger part that now contains the visitor center, was built between 100 B.C. and 500 A.D. by the Hopewell Indians.  The south fort, which now contains picnic areas and hiking trails, was built much later, around 1200 A.D. by a culture called the Fort Ancient culture because little else is known about them.  The name fort comes from the fact that the earthworks form a very rough circle enclosing an area much like a military fort does.  For this reason, early archeologists called the earthworks “forts,” and the name has stuck.

            When the Ohio River valley was settled by European civilizations, this site was not immediately recognized as a site of significance.  In the late 1700’s, the Lebanon-Chillicothe Road cut through the north fort, as builders needed to take one of the few easy access routes to the Little Miami River.  The road still exists today as SR 350, meaning that you drove through this original disruption on your way in.  In 1891, the Ohio legislature voted to preserve the site, making Fort Ancient the first state land set aside for public enjoyment.  Later, management responsibility was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society, who still manages the land and operates the museum today.  Fort Ancient has also been declared a National Historic Landmark.

            A visit to Fort Ancient should start with a walk through the museum.  Due to state budget cuts, the museum’s hours are very limited, so plan a weekend visit to make sure the museum is open.  Inside the museum you will find dioramas depicting the cultures that have lived here.  Outside you will find a garden where, in season, many plants and vegetables cultivated by Indians can be seen growing.

Re-created hut near museum

            When you are done exploring the museum, head back toward the parking lot and pick up the Stone Circle Trail, which enters the woods to the right near a mound layered with stones.  The narrow dirt trail crosses a mown maintenance pathway and continues south, heading slightly downhill.  Just before reaching the southern-most earthwork of the north fort, the trail crosses a bridge and turns right.  In only 0.25 miles, the trail comes back out into a clearing behind the museum.  This marks the end of the Stone Circle Trail.

Earthworks in North Fort

            The best trails at Fort Ancient run through the south fort, and to get there you have two options.  For the hiking purist, turn left from the end of the Stone Circle Trail and walk south along the park road.  All along the road you can see the earthworks on either side.  Just before reaching the trailhead for the Earthworks Trail you will pass through a narrow section of road guarded on either side by the northern wall of South Fort.  This is called the Gateway, and it represents an enlargement of an original opening to the South Fort.  The Earthworks Trailhead is located on the right just after passing through the Gateway.  For those wishing to avoid road walks, you can also drive along this same road and park near the picnic area in the South Fort, picking up the Earthworks Trailhead after parking your car.

The Gateway

            However you get there, go to a small sign on the west side of the road that indicates the beginning of the Earthworks Trail, and pick up a brochure if they are available.  The Earthworks Trail heads west through young, disturbed forest with a steep ravine on the right and the park road only a few feet to the left.  After 0.25 miles, come to a picnic table where the road ends at a small parking lot.  The Earthworks Trail turns left, but you should follow a gravel trail to the right that leads to a scenic overlook of the Little Miami River.  This overlook, built in the 1930’s by the CCC, gives you a nice view of the I-71 bridge over the Little Miami, the tallest interstate highway bridge in Ohio.  Also, since the Little Miami River valley is populated mostly with maple and beech trees, the fall colors seen from this overlook in mid-to-late October are excellent.

            After you have admired this view, you again have two options.  The easy option involves turning left and continuing along the Earthworks Trail, which traverses young forest inside the South Fort.  The route described here will give you a different view, a view from below the South Fort.  The cost is a couple of steep sections of trail, so take the easier route if your health and conditioning require it.

Steps leading to Terrace Trail

            From the North Overlook, begin following the Terrace Trail, which leaves from the right side of the overlook and descends steeply.  After 0.1 miles, the trail levels off as the Connector Trail exits to the right.  As its name suggests, this trail continues downhill and connects with the Little Miami Scenic Bike Path.  The Little Miami Bike Path is a paved trail that follows an abandoned railroad grade for 65 miles along the Little Miami River.  The path begins in Milford and ends in Springfield, Ohio, a city east of Dayton.  While bike paths usually do not make for great hiking, some sections of this one are an exception.  I have hiked several sections of this bike path, particularly when the ground is too wet to make hiking nature trails comfortable.  My favorite places to begin are SR 350, just 1.5 miles west of Fort Ancient, and Spring Valley, which is north of Waynesville on US 42.

            Continue straight to follow the Terrace Trail, which proceeds at a mostly level contour 65 feet below the fort.  The earthworks are still visible through the trees uphill and to the left.  This vantage point gives you an idea of how the fort might have appeared to explorers and pioneers before roads were built.  After crossing a pair of bridges over small streams, the trail climbs steeply to regain the elevation of the fort.  One final bridge over the fort itself at a point called The Pass returns you to the Earthworks Trail.

            Turn right to continue along the Earthworks Trail.  After dipping to pass through a steep ravine, the trail continues along the southern boundary of the fort and soon comes to a clearing.  The trail curves right and follows the right edge of the clearing before arriving at a spur trail to the South Overlook.  You should take this short trail, which very shortly arrives at another stone overlook of the Little Miami River valley.  This overlook does not feature the I-71 bridge but rather gives you an idea of what the area might have looked like back when Indians looked out from the fort.

View south from South Overlook

            Retrace your steps to the Earthworks Trail and walk across a mown-grass field to arrive at the picnic area parking lot.  If you chose to drive down from the Visitor Center, this will complete your hike.  Otherwise, retrace your steps along the park road, again making sure to walk on the left side against traffic, to return you to the Visitor Center and complete your journey through this archaeological wonder.