Quiet Trails State Nature Preserve: Challenger Trail (Blog Hike #93)

Trail: Challenger Trail
Hike Location: Quiet Trails State Nature Preserve

Geographic Location: southeast of Falmouth, KY (38.55693, -84.22721)

Length: 2 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Dates Hiked: Summer 2001, October 2015

Overview: A peaceful hike through young forest overlooking the Licking River.

Preserve Information: https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Locations/Pages/Quiet-Trails.aspx

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=717477
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Falmouth, drive south on US 27 for 10 miles to SR 1284.  Take a soft left onto SR 1284.  Alternatively, from Cynthiana drive US 27 north for 11 miles and turn right on SR 1284.  Where SR 1284 turns right at a stop sign in the town of Sunrise, continue straight on Pughs Ferry Road.  The nature preserve is 1.8 miles past this intersection on Pughs Ferry Rd.  Park in the small gravel parking lot on the right.

The hike: The origins of this preserve’s name are obvious.  Tucked away on a one-lane paved road 15 miles from the nearest traffic light or supermarket, almost nobody stumbles into Quiet Trails State Nature Preserve by accident.  Likewise, the area is far from a tourist trap, as there is no fabulous scenery here, nor did a major historical event occur on these premises.  Indeed, you must be a nature lover seeking out an isolated, quiet hike to end up here.

            For those willing to take on this role, the preserve has something that many preserves in Greater Cincinnati cannot offer: solitude.  Very likely you will be the only person hiking these trails.  This can be highly advantageous, as there is nobody else to scare the wildlife away or interrupt your enjoyment of nature.  Of course, if you are new to hiking, enjoy comradery, or get lost very easily, this could be a disadvantage.  Follow this description and stay on the marked trails for a quality hiking experience.

            The 267 acres of the preserve itself are covered entirely by field and young forest.  The land has an agricultural history, and judging from the age of the forest it was probably farmed no more than 30 years ago.  Indeed, a pair of old barns and a farm pond testify to the land’s hard-working past.

            The preserve today is laced by a 3.5 mile network of wide, grassy hiking trails.  The best time to hike these trails can be a matter of debate.  Summer offers excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and catches the field wildflowers at their peak.  Unfortunately, some of the side trails in this preserve can become extremely overgrown during the summer months, and the ponds’ still waters make excellent breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects.  Winter offers better views of the Licking River and better conditions on the side trails, but wildlife is of smaller quantity.  My advice is to hike these trails at both times of the year and see which one you prefer the best.

Trailhead at Quiet Trails

            Begin by passing through the creaky wooden gate and heading down the Challenger Trail, a two-track grassy trail that usually remains relatively clear even during the summer.  Trails in the preserve are not blazed, but intersections are marked by wooden signs nailed to trees.  Pass by a green mailbox that may contain a preserve trail map, though none were available when I opened the latch.  Hike away from the road and descend gradually to pass the remnants of an old farm pond.  My presence in the area caused a mallard duck and a bullfrog to temporarily relocate.

            Still treading through young forest consisting mostly of cedars, our trail tops a small knob to reach a wildlife observation blind.  This blind overlooks nothing in particular, and therefore the wildlife viewing is less than spectacular.  Some barbed wire fence reminds you of this land's pre-preserve days.

Hiking along the ridgetop

            Now descending the east side of the small knob, the trail takes a sharp right and begins a long moderate descent into the floodplain of the Licking River.  About halfway down the hill, pass an old wooden barn on the right.  Now completely vacant, imagine the days when this barn was the work center of a prosperous farm along the fertile banks of the flood-prone Licking River, which is now less than 0.25 mile in front of you.

Old barn

            Only 0.1 mile past the barn the Deep Hollow Trail exits to the right.  Like the Cedar Trail, tall grass prevents enjoyable passage in the summer, but this trail may make a suitable return route during the winter months.  Continuing downhill will bring you to a decaying picnic shelter overlooking the banks of the river.  In the summer months, the view is completely blocked by a lush understory, but I suspect the river would be visible during the winter. 

Shelter near Licking River

            The Challenger Trail ends here.  To return to the parking lot, retrace your steps one mile back uphill along the Challenger Trail.  Alternatively and if the season permits, choose the Deep Hollow Trail for a different but steeper the return route.