East Fork Riparian Preserve (Blog Hike #804)

Trails: (unnamed)
Hike Location: East Fork Riparian Preserve
Geographic Location: south of Wilmington, OH (39.23476, -83.83294)
Length: 1.7 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: June 2020
Overview: A semiloop through various habitats with views of the East Fork of the Little Miami River.
Park Information:
http://cincywildflower.org/attachments/EastForkRiparianPreserve05222012_8x1110042012.pdf
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=818973
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From Wilmington, take US 68 south 14.5 miles to SR 251 and turn left on SR 251.  Drive SR 251 south 1.2 miles to Kernan Road and turn left on Kernan Rd.  Kernan Rd. becomes Webertown Road when you cross back into Clinton County.  Drive a total of 2.7 miles from SR 251 to the blacktop preserve parking area on the right.  Park here.

The hike: Tucked away in the extreme southern corner of Clinton County, East Fork Riparian Preserve protects 70 acres of prairie and forest on the north bank of the East Fork of the Little Miami River.  The site is owned and managed by the Clinton County Park District, which currently maintains 5 tracts of land for public recreation in Clinton County.  The park district dates only to 2009, and the preserve's establishment in 2006 means the preserve actually predates the organization that manages it today.

            Most of the sites managed by the Clinton County Park District are small with few amenities, and East Fork Riparian Preserve is no exception.  The preserve has only a parking lot and some trails, and there are no other facilities (including restrooms) at the trailhead.  Many hiking routes are possible, but the route described here gives a nice tour of the site's riverside prairie and forest while doing minimal backtracking.  I was the only person in the preserve on the warm sunny Sunday afternoon I hiked here, and I enjoyed the simple serenity and solitude this preserve has to offer.

Trailhead at parking area

            From the signed trailhead at the rear of the parking lot, pick up the mowed-grass main entrance trail as it heads south through a short grass prairie.  The trails at East Fork Riparian Preserve are unmarked and unsigned, but they had recently been mowed and were easy to follow on my visit.  When I hiked here in late June, many wildflowers adorned this prairie, including wild geraniums, yellow daisies, and prairie lilies.

Wild geraniums

Prairie lilies

            After 700 feet, you reach a major trail intersection involving at least 4 trails.  Turn softly right and descend steeply for a short distance with private property on your right.  At the bottom of the hill, you reach another trail intersection.  We will eventually turn left to head for the river, but first continue straight and hop a small stream.  After ascending slightly, the trail forks to form its loop through the preserve's tall grass prairie.  I continued straight and used the trail going right as my return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.

            The trail traces the perimeter of the tall grass prairie with the prairie on your right and the woods on your left.  Some woody plants including young black walnut trees were encroaching into the prairie on my visit, so some controlled burns or other invasive plant control techniques will be needed here in the near future.  Some short-cut trails exit right to go through the center of the prairie, but I stayed with the main loop on the prairie's perimeter.

Perimeter of the tall grass prairie

            At 0.9 miles, you close the loop around the tall grass prairie.  Turn left and re-hop the stream, then turn right to head for the river.  After a few hundred feet of level walking, you reach another intersection.  We will eventually continue straight to head around the back side of the short grass prairie, but first turn right and walk across a sketchy-looking bridge consisting of two iron beams and some old wood planks.  I made sure to keep my substantial weight near the iron beams, but the bridge got me across the creek without incident.

Sketchy-looking trail bridge

East Fork of the Little Miami River

            1.1 miles into the hike, you reach the East Fork of the Little Miami River.  Less than 10 miles from its source, the river runs shallow and slow here, and a bench allows you to sit and enjoy the riparian scenery.  Finish the short loop through the river's floodplain, re-cross the suspect iron/wood bridge, and then turn right to begin the final leg of this hike.  Another mowed-grass trail, this trail traces the south and east sides of the short grass prairie, and the preserve's east boundary comes very close on the right.  At 1.6 miles, the trail comes out on Webertown Road.  Turn left and walk along the road for a short distance to return to the parking area and complete the hike.