Miami University Natural Areas: Beck Preserve (Blog Hike #116)

Trails: Beck Preserve-Western Woods Loop

Hike Location: Miami University Natural Areas Trail System (MUNATS)

Geographic Location: east side of Oxford, OH (39.50774, -84.71660)

Length: 2.2 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: May 2002, October 2015

Overview: A moderate hike starting along Four-Mile Creek, then proceeding to the surrounding upland forest.

Area Information: http://miamioh.edu/student-life/natural-areas/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=717891
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From downtown Oxford, go east on SR 73 for 1 mile to a gravel parking lot on the left adjacent to a soccer field.  Park in this lot.

The hike: For my comments on the Western Reserve portion of MUNATS, see the Western Reserve Trail blog entry.  This trail takes hikers through one of the newest sections of MUNATS: the Beck Preserve.  On the west bank of Four-Mile Creek and south of SR 73, the Beck Preserve was a very strategic addition to the land and trails of MUNATS.  The Beck land was donated to MUNATS in 1997, and trails opened to allow visitors access to the tract in 2001.  The addition of the Beck Preserve increased MUNATS’ Four-Mile Creek frontage by more than one mile.

The land flanking the west side of Beck is Western Woods, formerly a narrow strip of university-owned woodlands bordered by university proper on the west and undeveloped private land on the east.  Only a single 1.5 mile linear trail traveled through Western Woods, making it a long two-way trek for some dayhikers.  With the addition and subsequent trail development in Beck, a loop can now be formed, and that is the route described here.  This route starts in Beck as a streamside stroll and comes back along one of the best stretches of the Western Reserve Trail.

Beck Preserve trailhead

            From the parking area, a little backtracking is necessary to reach the trailhead.  Walk across the SR 73 bridge over Four-Mile Creek and look for a gated cinder road that enters the forest on the right.  Walk around the gate and proceed about 30 feet to a faint trail that exits right; this is the start of the Beck Trail.  The trail curves right and heads south under the SR 73 bridge you just crossed.  In short order the trail comes out at a clearing that contains some Oxford Water Department buildings.  Proceed straight across the field and reenter the woods. 

Now on a much wider path, continue straight where a grassy path exits right and heads for the Ditmer parking area.  Four-Mile Creek is now well in view on the left and a lush, green floodplain forest with sycamores, honeysuckle, mayapple, and garlic mustard surrounds you.  Keep your eye on the creek; more than once I have flushed out a great blue heron along this part of the path.

Hiking along Four-Mile Creek

            Cross a couple of small tributaries via wooden bridges and come to what is marked as a trail intersection.  There are plans to extend this trail straight to create a longer loop and a later connection to the Western Reserve Trail, but that trail was not completed when I hiked here.  The only option is to bear right and climb the hillside via a couple of well-placed switchbacks.  A bench awaits at the top for the weary.

Once atop the hill, the trail proceeds through a small but quiet and pleasing pine grove before coming out at a cinder road and a complicated trail intersection.  To the left is where the other option from the intersection in the floodplain will connect once it is completed.  To the right, about 20 feet from where the Beck Trail comes out, is where the Western Reserve Trail crosses, going both left and right.  The cinder road continues straight and comes out onto the Miami campus proper.  This hike turns right onto the Western Reserve Trail and returns you to your original trailhead.  Turning left would eventually lead to Peffer Park along US 27.

Western Reserve Trail

            Now heading north on the Western Reserve Trail, the trail descends slightly through some nice beech forest.  After paralleling a small stream for a short distance, the trail curves left and climbs slightly, only to descend again to cross another tributary of Four-Mile Creek right in front of the Ditmer parking lot.  The trail turns left and climbs moderately back to the top of the hillside, this time coming within sight of Western Field, ironically the eastern most point of campus proper.

 Ignore a side trail that goes left and continue right as the trail circles the perimeter of Western Field.  As SR 73 comes into sight ahead, the trail turns sharply left away from Western Field and descends some wooden steps.  When the trail intersects SR 73, cross the road and look for the brown sign on the opposite side that marks the trail’s reentrance into the woods.  After a little more descending, the trail arrives at the Miami University stables.  Walk around the left side of the stable to reconnect with the cinder road you walked on at the beginning of the hike.  Turn right on this road and walk 0.3 miles back to SR 73.  A walk back across the SR 73 bridge over Four-Mile Creek completes the hike.