Blue Licks Battlefield State Park: Licking River/Heritage Loop (Blog Hike #756)

Trails: Licking River, Savannah, and Heritage Trails

Hike Location: Blue Licks Battlefield State Park

Geographic Location: north of Carlisle, KY (38.43202, -83.99307)

Length: 2.9 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: June 2019

Overview: A loop hike near a Revolutionary War battlefield.

Park Information: https://parks.ky.gov/carlisle/parks/historic/blue-licks-battlefield-state-resort-park

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=755394

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Paris, take US 68 north 22 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, and drive the main park road to the Pioneer Museum.  Park in the parking lot in front of the museum.

The hike: Most history books will tell you that the American Revolutionary War ended when British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered to Patriot General George Washington in Yorktown on October 17, 1781.  While major military operations ended at that time, conflicts involving the British on America’s western frontier continued for many years thereafter.  One of those conflicts was the Battle of Blue Licks, which occurred in present-day northern Kentucky on August 17, 1782.

            Earlier that month, a group of 50 British Loyalists allied with 300 American Indians had come from present-day Ohio and attacked Bryan Station, a frontier settlement near present-day Lexington.  When they learned that Kentucky militiamen were on their way to relieve the settlement, the Loyalists and their allies withdrew to the northeast to return to Ohio.  Led by John Todd and Daniel Boone, the Kentucky militiamen decided to pursue the Loyalists, and they caught up to them at a spring and salt lick on the Licking River known as Lower Blue Licks.

            Just before the battle, Daniel Boone voiced concerns that they were being led into a trap, and his concerns turned out to be justified.  After crossing the Licking River and advancing up a hill, the British and their allies attacked from concealed positions in ravines on the other side of the hill.  The attack was devastating on the Kentucky militiamen: nearly half of the militiamen were killed or taken captive.  Daniel Boone survived, but the dead included John Todd and Israel Boone, Daniel Boone’s son.  The remaining militiamen managed to retreat to Bryan Station.

            The site of the Battle of Blue Licks became Kentucky’s fifth state park in 1927, when local citizens donated the land to the Kentucky State Parks Commission.  The park today offers a nice 32-room lodge, a 51-site campground, a boat ramp on the Licking River, some athletic fields, some picnic areas, an interesting Pioneer Museum, and 4 hiking trails totaling 3.5 miles.  The hike described here uses most of these trails, and it forms a grand loop tour of the park’s grounds.

            Two points of interest lie near the parking area.  The historic Pioneer Museum contains artifacts from life on the Kentucky frontier and offers an interesting video about the area.  Also, the battlefield is located uphill and to the left (north) of the museum, and it features a large stone monument in a sparsely treed grassy area.  No trails pass through these two areas, so you will want to check them out either before or after your hike.

Steps leading away from Pioneer Museum

            The only trail visible from the parking area is the Buffalo Trace Trail, which will be our return route.  To make the climbing easier, this hike starts on the Licking River Trail.  To find it, head down the stone steps that exit west, the opposite side of the parking lot from the Pioneer Museum.  Walk around a picnic shelter and enter the woods at a signed trailhead for the Licking River Trail.  Another sign tells you that this path was the route used by Daniel Boone and militiamen during their retreat to Bryan Station.

            The single track dirt trail descends via a moderate to steep grade on a somewhat rocky and rooty course.  This trail gets very slippery when wet, and I had to be very careful on this descent because I hiked here the morning after a thunderstorm softened the soil.  After descending 150 vertical feet over 0.25 miles, the trail deposits you on an asphalt road the park map calls River Road.  Turn left to continue the Licking River Trail.  The Licking River appears through the trees to the right here.

Licking River

            A short road walk brings you to the park’s boat ramp, where you need to continue south to leave the park road, walk through a small mowed grass area, and find where the Licking River Trail reenters the woods at another signed trailhead.  The trail crosses a wooden footbridge before curving left and climbing slightly to reach a three-way trail intersection.  The Savannah Trail going left leads to the park’s campground, but this hike turns right to start the Heritage Trail.  On my visit this trail was closed due to storm damage, so I had to take a detour via the park’s roads.

            The Heritage Trail crosses Old Maysville Road, which leads to the historic Licking River ford at Blue Licks, before passing under the US 68 bridge over the Licking River.  Next you pass Tanner Station, a reconstructed pioneer settlement founded by David Tanner to exploit the area’s salt licks.  For the next 0.5 miles the trail remains level as it passes through the Licking River’s floodplain.

Hiking bluff above Licking River

Pedestrian bridge over US 68

            2 miles into the hike, you begin a gradual to moderate climb up a wooded bluff that overlooks the river.  The trail comes close to US 68 for several hundred feet before crossing it on a fantastic stone, concrete, and steel pedestrian bridge.  Just after crossing the bridge, the Heritage Trail ends at a T-intersection with the Buffalo Trace Trail.  Turn right, and after another 1000 feet of gradual climbing you reach the parking lot for the Pioneer Museum, thus completing the hike.  Make sure you check out the museum and the battlefield before you leave if you have not already done so.

Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve (Blog Hike #755)

Trail: Pin Oak Trail

Hike Location: Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve

Geographic Location: Colerain Township, OH (39.23435, -84.59333)

Length: 0.8 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: June 2019

Overview: A short loop through a small nature preserve with many habitats.

Preserve Information: https://www.greatparks.org/parks/farbach-werner-nature-preserve

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=754841

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the northwest side of Cincinnati, take I-275 to US 27 (exit 33).  Exit and go south on US 27.  Drive US 27 south 1.6 miles to Poole Road and turn right on Poole Rd.  The signed preserve entrance is only a couple hundred feet ahead on the left.  Park in the only parking lot.

The hike: If you need further evidence that good things can come in small packages, then consider Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve.  At only 22 acres, the preserve is one of the smallest parks in the Great Parks of Hamilton County, but it provides a haven for birds and wildlife in highly developed Colerain Township.  The preserve contains many habitats including mature forest, succession forest, prairie, and pond/wetland.  Many local people come here often, and I enjoyed coming here many years ago when I lived in the Cincinnati area.

            The preserve came to be when Alfred and Elizabeth Werner donated the property in memory of their family, Bertha Werner and Ada Farbach.  Due to its size, the preserve has limited amenities, but it does offer a gift shop, a barn in which nature programs are held, and a butterfly garden.  In terms of trails, the preserve offers only one short trail, but the 0.8 mile Pin Oak Trail is a good one.  The Pin Oak Trail features a mixture of asphalt and gravel surface, and it explores all of the preserve’s many habitats.

Trailhead between barn and gift shop

            Start on the asphalt trail that passes between the gift shop on the left and the barn on the right.  Very quickly you pass the butterfly garden on the left.  I did not see many butterflies here on my early afternoon visit in late June, but there were some nice colors and odors coming from this garden.

            After crossing the service road that accesses the barn, the trail curves right and comes to a complicated intersection.  Turn left to continue southeast and arrive at a pair of small ponds.  I saw several turtles sitting on logs here, but recent rain had greatly swelled and muddied the pond’s water.

Rain-swollen pond

            As the trail passes around the ponds, the parking lot for Groesbeck United Methodist Church comes into view through the trees on the left.  At 0.3 miles, you reach another trail intersection.  To follow the longest loop possible, this hike turns left here to leave the asphalt and head into the southernmost corner of the preserve.

            The gravel trail makes a pair of right turns through the preserve’s nicest forest, which features some large maple and beech trees.  I saw numerous common woodland birds here including robins and cardinals in addition to small mammals such as squirrels and rabbits.  Where the gravel trail ends at the asphalt, turn left to continue the longest possible loop.

Tallgrass prairie

Wolf beech tree

            Next the asphalt trail passes through succession forest that features some dying red cedar trees before passing beside a small tallgrass prairie.  At the next intersection, turn left and soon pass a large beech tree.  This type of tree is known as a wolf tree: its low branches indicate it grew here before the younger surrounding trees prevented sunlight from reaching these low levels.  At the next intersection, turn left to pass the barn and return to the parking lot, thus completing the hike.

Glenwood Gardens County Park (Blog Hike #754)

Trails: Garden and Wetland Loops

Hike Location: Glenwood Gardens County Park

Geographic Location: Woodlawn, OH (39.25755, -84.47172)

Length: 2.8 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: June 2019

Overview: A semiloop through wet forest and prairie.

Park Information: https://www.greatparks.org/parks/glenwood-gardens

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=754838

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: On the north side of Cincinnati, take I-75 to Glendale-Milford Road (exit 14).  Exit and go west on Glendale-Milford Rd.  Drive Glendale-Milford Rd. west 1.8 miles to SR 4.  Continue straight through the SR 4 traffic light, then angle left to enter Glenwood Gardens.  Park in the main and only parking lot.

The hike: Consisting of 335 acres of former farmland near the border of Glendale and Woodlawn, Glenwood Gardens is the newest park in the Great Parks of Hamilton County (formerly known as the Hamilton County Park District).  The park was established in 1993 when the Burchenal family donated their farm to the Park District, but it did not open to the public until 2001.  I lived in Cincinnati for the first 28 years of my life, and when I moved I had hiked every trail in the Hamilton County Park District that existed at that time.  I returned 14 years later to hike these new trails, and I found Glenwood Gardens to be an excellent addition to the Great Parks of Hamilton County.

            Nature takes center stage at Glenwood Gardens, as the park features only some formal gardens for amenities.  The Cotswold Visitor Centre is the old Burchenal residence, and the historic stone building is worth a stop if it is open on your visit.  Unfortunately, the Visitor Centre was closed when I came here on a humid Monday morning in late June.  The Gardens feature two interconnecting loop trails, the asphalt Garden Loop and the gravel Wetlands Loop.  This hike uses both of these loops to form a 2.8 mile grand tour of the gardens.

View from Cotswold Overlook

            Walk through the information kiosk beside the Visitor Centre to reach the Cotswold Overlook, a northwest-facing viewpoint that provides a nice overview of the park’s meadows and woodlands.  Next you pass the Legacy Garden, a small formal garden that featured many colorful flowering plants on my visit.  Past the Legacy Garden, the asphalt trail descends on a gradual grade to reach the intersection that forms the Garden Loop.  Turn right to start hiking the Garden Loop counterclockwise.

            The Garden Loop heads west through sunny prairie, and it features distance marker plaques embedded in the pavement every 0.1 miles.  Just past the 0.3 mile marker, the Wetland Loop exits right.  To see all the gardens have to offer, turn right to start the Wetland Loop.

Hiking the Wetland Loop

            The asphalt turns to gravel just before a side trail exits right to reach the park’s service road, which sits just a couple hundred feet to the right.  At 0.9 miles, the trail curves left as it crosses the West Fork of Mill Creek on a nice footbridge.  Sunny prairie has now been replaced by wet lowland forest, which is dominated by sycamore and basswood trees.

West Fork of Mill Creek

            Next comes a gradual climb, and at 1.2 miles you reach another trail intersection.  The Wetland “Loop” is actually a figure-eight route that consists of two loops, and this intersection is the pinch of the figure-eight.  We will return to this intersection and continue straight on the larger lobe of the figure-eight in a few minutes, but first turn right to hike the shorter lobe.  When the trail splits a few hundred feet later, turn left to hike the shorter lobe clockwise.  An oddly-placed garbage can sits at this intersection.

            The gradual climb continues as you enter young forest with a dense understory and pass a small pond.  1.5 miles into the hike, you reach the highest point in Glenwood Gardens and another overlook.  This viewpoint looks southwest into Trillium Trails Wildflower Preserve, a forested tract of land that has been under public stewardship for much longer than Glenwood Gardens.  A bench here provides a nice place to sit and rest near the midpoint of this hike.

Looking into Trillium Trails

            Past the bench, a gradual descent takes you above a larger pond that sits downhill to the left before closing the shorter lobe.  Retrace your steps to the longer lobe, then turn right to continue the longer lobe.  The gradual descent continues until you reach the lowest point on this hike, where the Wetlands Loop crosses the West Fork of Mill Creek on another excellent footbridge.

Cotswold Visitor Centre

            Just after crossing the bridge, you reach the end of the Wetlands Loop at another intersection with the asphalt Garden Loop.  Turn right to continue a counterclockwise journey around the Garden Loop.  An excellent view of the Cotswold Visitor Centre appears uphill and to the right as you round the final curve of the Garden Loop.  After closing the Garden Loop at 2.6 miles, turn right and retrace your steps uphill to reach the parking lot and complete the hike.

William Harbin Park: Harbin Park Path (Blog Hike #753)

Trail: Harbin Park Path

Hike Location: William Harbin Park

Geographic Location: west side of Fairfield, OH (39.31849, -84.57511)

Length: 1.1 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: June 2019

Overview: An out-and-back on asphalt trail passing one of the best views in Fairfield.

Park Information: https://www.fairfield-city.org/425/Harbin-Park

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=754840

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the north side of Cincinnati, take I-275 to US 127/Hamilton Avenue (exit 36).  Exit and go north on US 127.  Drive US 127 north 2 miles to Hunter Road and turn left on Hunter Rd.; there is a traffic light at this intersection.  Hunter Rd. dead-ends at William Harbin Park in 0.7 miles.  Park in the first parking lot on the right.

The hike: Owned and maintained by the City of Fairfield, William Harbin Park consists of 230 acres in the city’s highly residential southwest quadrant.  The park is the largest park in Fairfield, and it comes with numerous amenities including athletic fields, a disc golf course, several picnic shelters, and one of the area’s best sledding hills.  An overlook accessible by car provides a nice view from the top of this sledding hill.

View from top of sledding hill

            Harbin Park features three trails that are signed as “nature trails,” but these trails see a lot of mountain bike traffic because they were built by and for mountain bikers.  Partly due to the mountain bike traffic, partly due to some thunderstorms that were moving in from the west, and partly due to recent rain that left all lowland trails a muddy mess, I chose to hike the short paved Harbin Park Path described here.  As with most paved hike/bike paths, the Harbin Park Path does not make for the best hiking, but it provided a workable option given my constraints.  Also, while most bike paths are nearly flat rail-trails, the Harbin Park Path has just enough elevation change to help get the hiking muscles powered up after a long winter’s nap.

North trailhead: Harbin Park Path

            From the parking lot, walk across the park road and look to the right for the signed start of the asphalt bike path.  A picnic shelter sits to the left here.  The trail embarks on a general southward course with gradual ups and downs.  Planted trees line the asphalt, and stone plaques indicate that some of these trees were planted as gifts or memorials.

            The park’s disc golf course crosses the trail as a blue water tower comes into view ahead and to the right.  A gazebo sits off to the left here, and a 1.4 mile fitness trail passes through the grassy area to the left.  I would have considered adding the fitness trail to my hike, but some thunder started rumbling in the distance when I reached this point.

Water tower

            Past the water tower, the trail comes very close to the park’s west boundary, which is marked by a line of honeysuckle shrubs.  A moderate descent brings you to the trail’s south end at a maintenance building on Gray Road, thus marking the end of the bike path.  Turn around and walk 0.5 miles back to the parking lot that contains your car.  The overlook at the top of the sledding hill sits just uphill from this parking lot, and it makes a nice short detour either before or after your hike.  The thunderstorm that threatened me during my hike unleashed a torrent of rain as I was driving out of the park.