Germantown Metropark: Orange Trail (Blog Hike #47)

Trail: Orange Trail

Hike Location: Germantown Metropark

Geographic Location: west of Germantown, OH (39.64254,-84.42450)

Length: 7.5 miles

Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate/Difficult)

Dates Hiked: June 1999, June 2013

Overview: A long hike around the perimeter of Germantown Metropark.

Park Information: https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/germantown/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940215
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Our hike will start behind the nature center at Germantown Metropark.  From Germantown, take SR 725 west about 3 miles to Boomershine Rd.  There is a Germantown Metropark sign at this intersection.  Turn right and follow Boomershine Rd. for a little over a mile to the main park road marked GM-6 and turn right.  At the first paved road going to the right off of GM-6, turn right again.  This road dead-ends in the nature center's parking lot.  Park here.

The hike: Germantown Metropark was established in 1967 by the Five Rivers Metropark System.  The main plot of land for the nature preserve was leased at that time, and adjacent land has been added in piecemeal fashion ever since.  The park is centered around a steep ravine created by Twin Creek, a major tributary of the Great Miami River.  The land is unusable for development due to a flood-control dam (included on this hike) that was constructed shortly after the 1913 flood of downtown Dayton.  There is no permanent lake associated with the dam (more on this later).  Thus, the land is only underwater after a major rain event, meaning that it can be used for recreation the rest of the time.

            The long, difficult 7.5 mile Orange Trail circumnavigates the entire park.  The best time to hike this trail is during the dry season.  Due to the dam described above, one section of this trail is underwater during part of the year.  Also, the trail crosses numerous small creeks without the aid of bridges.  These crossings are easiest when the creeks are dry as well. 

            One word of warning: if you are not conditioned for this distance, you should not attempt hiking this trail, as the terrain is rather rugged in spots.  Instead, try one of the seven shorter trails that this park has to offer.

Trailhead for Orange Trail near Nature Center

            At the trail access behind the nature center, turn right to begin the Orange Trail as it heads into first young succession, then mature forest.  This and all of the trails at Germantown are well marked by wooden posts inscribed with the appropriate color (orange, for us).  Many of the intersections are also identified by numbers on posts, making the trail system more navigable. 

            After passing along the hillside for only a couple hundred feet, turn left at post 14 and cross a drainage to remain on the Orange Trail.  Likewise, keep left at post 10, still in an upland forest dominated by oaks.  The trail next begins a long descent to the Twin Creek floodplain and angles to the right. 

            For about the next 0.5 mile the trail stays in the floodplain forest with the broad creek on your left and the hillside in the distance on your right.  This is an excellent example of a floodplain forest and is dominated by sycamores and some large walnut trees.  Unfortunately, this section of trail lies so close to the creek that it can sometimes end up underwater.           

Orange Trail in floodplain

            The trail next makes a sharp, but well-marked, right turn, soon to be followed by a sharp left turn to begin ascending out of the floodplain.  This is the first major climb of the hike.  At the top of the hill, the trail reaches post 9 where the shorter Yellow Trail goes right.  Stay left to remain on the Orange Trail.  Shortly after passing post 9, the trail descends steeply into a large drainage and turns right to head up the drainage, heading for a suitable place to cross. 

            After crossing the stream, the trail turns sharply left and begins a steep ascent out of the drainage, climbing some wooden steps for the second major climb of the hike.  As the trail reaches post 8 at the top of the hill, the hiker is treated to a wonderful panoramic view of the surrounding mature maple forest.  Bear left at post 8 as the trail makes its way out to the end of a narrow ridge before curving to the right. 

            For the next 0.4 miles the trail winds its way through the most rugged terrain of the hike as it passes through two steep drainages.  On the plus side, the maple forest is very scenic in this area.  Pass post 7 (at the top of the last drainage) and post 17 (at a parking lot) before embarking on a level, easy hike to the dam.  The hardest hiking is now behind you.

Germantown Dam

            The trail stays near the top of the hillside with Conservancy Road a few feet over your head on the right and Twin Creek 70 feet below you on the left.  The dirt trail soon emerges from the forest on the west side of the dam.  The earthen dam measures about 150 feet high and is covered with field grass.  The construction features a hole (the top of which is visible from the trail) on the east side of the dam where, during normal weather, the water of Twin Creek passes through uninterrupted.  A lake only exists when there is too much water in Twin Creek to pass through the hole, causing water to back up behind the dam.

            The trail crosses the creek on a gravel path built into the side of the dam and reenters the forest via a wide gravel trail on the opposite side.  Now on the east side of Twin Creek, the trail first makes a right turn, then a pair of lefts following a network of gravel roads.  These turns are confusing but well-marked, so watch for the orange blazes.

Trail following old service road

            The trail now follows a wide alternating gravel and dirt path that appears to be an old service road or farm lane.  The next 0.75 miles are pretty flat and unexciting until you reach what appears to be the remains of an old farm house.  The only thing visible of the past structure is part of a stone chimney that sits just off the right side of the trail.  After passing the chimney, the trail soon turns left to descend to a small drainage.  The climb out of this drainage takes you past post 15 and represents the fifth major climb of the hike.

            Keep left at post 6, which is only a few hundred feet past post 15, and continue to follow the Orange Trail is it dips through a pair of small drainages.  The forest here is still dominated by maple, but a few tulip and ash trees have made their way into the mix.

            Continue straight and pass under a power line to arrive at the edge of a meadow.  This good farm land was purchased by the park only about 20 years ago and has not yet begun reverting to forest.  The trail stays on the left side of this large meadow, occasionally dipping into the nearby young forest.  Look for wild roses, nodding onion, thistle, and daisies in this meadow.            

Trail passes through meadow

            After about 0.5 miles in the meadow, the trail enters what appears to be a young maple forest.  Actually, it is an old red cedar forest, but the cedars are being out-competed by the broadleaf maples.  Your ears soon pick up the sound of traffic, meaning that you are nearing Manning Road, the northern most end of the park.

            When the trail comes out onto Manning Road, follow the orange signs that direct you to turn left.  To connect with the rest of the Orange Trail, you must walk along the side of the road as it crosses Twin Creek.  Always remember to walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.  The road is not very heavily used and the sight distance is good, but keep an eye out for oncoming vehicles.  Upon crossing Twin Creek on the highway bridge, the trail makes a 180-degree turn around a small retaining wall, passes through a meadow, and heads back into the forest. 

            The trail spends the next few hundred yards in the floodplain forest, crossing over a particularly cumbersome windfall.  Germantown has a policy of not removing windfalls, but leaving them in their natural state to replenish the soil.  This is great for the soil, but makes hiking slightly more difficult.  The trail soon leaves the floodplain forest on a long, moderate climb. The stint in the uplands is short-lived, as the trail descends back to the floodplain almost as soon as it reaches high ground.  Several hundred feet later, the trail crosses a drainage and ascends moderately to post 4.  Keep to the left here to stay on the Orange Trail as the Green Trail goes right.            

Trail in upland forest

            The trail spends the next 0.4 miles hugging the oak-forested hillside about halfway between Twin Creek and the top of the hill.  During this stint, the trail passes underneath the powerlines again.  The power line cut allows the hiker a clear view of the opposite hillside and Twin Creek.  After this stretch, the trail makes a sharp right turn and makes a short but steep climb to post 2.  Keep right at this intersection and climb a bit more to reach post 3, where you should turn left.            

Boardwalk behind Nature Center at trail's end

            The trail now passes through a cedar forest in which hardwoods are being cut down to allow the cedars to survive.  After passing a small pond on the right containing some cattails, the trail arrives at post 1.  Turn right here and descend a short distance back into mature forest where the trail crosses a boardwalk.  There are some interpretive signs here to provide information about this section of forest.  Upon crossing the boardwalk, the trail arrives back at the interpretive center.  A short walk up the concrete path remains to complete the hike.