Indian Mound Reserve (Blog Hike #56)

Trails: Cedarcliff and Dolomite Ridge Trails
Hike Location: Indian Mound Reserve

Geographic Location: west side of Cedarville, OH (39.73789, -83.81671)

Length: 3.7 miles

Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: December 1999, June 2013

Overview: An interesting hike through the exposed dolomite cliffs along Massie Creek.

Reserve Information: https://www.gcparkstrails.com/parks/indian-mound-reserve/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940209
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Cedarville, go south on US 42 about 1 mile to the first signed blacktop parking lot on the right.  Park in this lot.

The hike: Indian Mound Reserve, part of the Greene County Park District, protects a ruggedly beautiful piece of land just south of the college town of Cedarville.  The rectangular piece of land is split length-wise by Massie Creek and the sheer dolomite cliffs that line its banks. 

The reserve gains its name from the two sets of Indian earthworks contained within its borders.  The Adena Indian Mound, a conical shaped burial mound, is located west of Massie Creek, while the fort earthworks are located on the hillside east of the creek.  This hike will use a route that will take you past both of these earthworks and give some nice views of the cliffs on the way.  Alternatively, you could park in separate lots and visit the earthworks separately.           

Trailhead at Cedarcliff Falls

            Begin by hiking downhill from the back of the parking lot and crossing the high but sturdy steel-wood bridge over Massie Creek.  The creek flows right-to-left between steep banks about 30 feet below the bridge.  At the intersection at the opposite side of the bridge turn right and walk a short distance for a great view of Cedarcliff Falls.  Not a natural waterfall, the water of Massie Creek spills 25 feet over an old stone mill dam and makes a pretty and historic site.  
            Reverse your course at the overlook and pass the bridge intersection as you begin hiking south along the western rim of Massie Creek.  Pass a sewage treatment plant on the right, then ignore a set of concrete steps that lead left into the gorge; they simply dead end at the creek.            

Cedarcliff Falls

            Continue south through a young maple/ash forest to arrive at a set of wooden steps leading into the gorge.  Do not take them either: this is our return route.  The trail on the rim becomes laced with rocks and roots as it dips through some small, steep ravines, eventually arriving at the end of the rim.  Be especially careful of the steep descent off of the rim, as the rocks and dirt can become very slippery when wet. 

            At the bottom of the hill, the trail arrives at an intersection.  Turning left will take you along the return route beside the creek.  For now, turn right to take you to the Adena Mound.  The trail follows a dyke through some wetlands featuring young forest to arrive at another intersection.  Stay to the right to go to the mound.

Williamson/Adena mound

            The trail soon begins climbing a rocky path to arrive at a field containing the Adena mound.  The dirt mound is 30 feet tall with a set of stairs leading to the top.  It was built between 100 BC and 500 AD by the Adena Indian culture, one of the first known cultures in the Ohio valley.  This culture left burial mounds all over the state, the largest of which is Mound City in Chillicothe.  The view at the top is worth the difficult climb up the stairs.

            Retrace your steps to the first intersection and turn right to follow a wide trail that soon comes out at the southern parking area along US 42.  Angle left across the parking lot to begin the trail to the fort.  From this point, the trail leaves the parking lot to the north (right, looking from the road) and enters young floodplain forest dominated by small ash trees.  At the first fork, a brown post says "enclosure" and directs you to the left.  Follow this wide grassy path through a marshland covered by cattails.  This section of the trail may be muddy during the wet season, but it was dry when I hiked it in November. 

Entering the fort

            At the next intersection, follow another brown post that directs you to the left.  The trail soon begins a brief, moderate climb to the enclosure (a.k.a. the fort) to arrive at another intersection.  This is the trail that circumnavigates the fort.  Go to the right to begin the loop.

            Many years ago, the ground on top of the fort was cleared, but now it is covered by a dense growth of young ash trees.  The ground is covered with spleenwort, a strange-looking type of green fern.  Forts are always built on high ground surrounded as much as possible by low-lying area.  That is certainly the case here, with the mature forest of Massie Creek gorge to the west and the marsh area we just passed through to the east.  Another excellent example of a fort is the Miami Fort in Shawnee Lookout County Park, located west of Cincinnati in the very southwest corner of Ohio.

Marshland

            After completing your tour of the fort, turn right onto the trail on which you entered the fort, descend to the marshland, and retrace your steps first to the southern parking lot and then back to the trail intersection near the burial mound.  Turn right and continue retracing your steps across the dyke to the intersection of the creek and rim trails.  Turn right here to take the creek trail.  This is a beautiful trail that follows the creek on the right and the sheer rock wall on the left.  The canyon was formed at the end of the last ice age when massive amounts of water from melting glaciers eroded the dirt and limestone bedrock of the creek valley.            

Hiking the Creek Trail

            At several points along the trail the layers of bedrock are easily discernible.  The resistant Cedarville dolomite stands exposed on top for about 35 feet, followed by the less resistant Ohio black shale exposed for 5 feet below the dolomite.  The hiking is fairly easy except for a very rocky stretch about 200 feet before arriving at the wooden steps.  A short trail continues past the steps and allows a decent view of a small waterfall in the creek before coming to a dead end.  Climbing the long stairway will return you to the rim trail.  A right turn will return you to the bridge and the parking lot to complete the hike.