Indian Creek MetroPark, Springfield Road Area: Trillium and Indian Mound Trails (Blog Hike #974)

Trails: Trillium and Indian Mound Trails
Hike Location: Indian Creek MetroPark, Springfield Road Area
Geographic Location: south of Oxford, OH (39.43897, -84.76891)
Length: 1.3 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2023
Overview: A loop hike partly along Indian Creek passing an ancient burial mound.
Park Information: https://www.yourmetroparks.net/parks/indian-creek-metropark
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=949507
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming May 10)

Directions to the trailhead: From Oxford, take SR 732 south to the community of Reily.  Where SR 732 turns left to continue south, continue straight on Springfield Road.  Turn right on the west side of Reily to remain on Springfield Rd., and drive Springfield Rd. less than 1 mile to the park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park and park in the only parking lot.

The hike: Flowing through a channel that winds from north to south, Indian Creek is one of the largest creeks in Butler County.  The creek rises near the Ohio/Indiana state line west of Oxford before flowing south through western Butler County.  Indian Creek empties its contents into the Great Miami River in southwest Butler County near Ross, which is the town I grew up in.

            Located in rural Reily Township in western Butler County just a few miles east of the Indiana state line, Indian Creek MetroPark consists of 5 disjoint areas near and along its namesake creek.  Each of the park's 5 areas provide points of interest that include Pioneer Church, a brick church building that dates to 1829, and historic Bunker Hill Cemetery.  For hikers, the park's only area to contain official trails is the Springfield Road Area featured here.  Two trails explore both the upland and creekside habitats, and this area also features a small ancient burial mound.  The hike described here uses both trails, and it gives you a tour of everything the Springfield Road Area has to offer.

Start of the Trillium Trail

            Pick up the Trillium Trail as it heads north from the parking lot.  Strategically placed wooden posts block vehicle access, and a simple wooden sign that says "Trillium Trail" marks this trailhead.  The initial segment of this hike follows an old park road that is now closed to vehicles.  Some old asphalt lies underfoot, and dense honeysuckle lines either side of the road.

Leaving the cul-de-sac

            Just past 0.2 miles, you reach the cul-de-sac at this road's end.  Angle gently left to begin descending on single track dirt trail.  Maple trees are the most common tree in this forest, and the fall leaves were near peak when I came here in mid-October.

Indian Creek

            After a moderate descent, you reach the first overlook of Indian Creek.  Although the creek was quite low when I came here, the large channel filled with rocks testifies to this creek's power after a good rain.  Next you top a low ridge and continue downstream to reach the first real point of interest: an old stone structure perched beside Indian Creek.  While I could not find any information about this specific structure, the structure is clearly not natural, and its size and creekside location suggest the remains of an old bridge.  Take some time to ponder what might have been here many years ago.

Stone structure along Indian Creek

            Past the stone structure, you climb a steep set of wooden stairs to reach an intersection with the Indian Mound Trail at 0.8 miles.  Turning right here would give a short-cut back to the parking lot, but this hike turns left to visit the ancient burial mound, which is reached in a small grassy clearing just shy of 1 mile into the hike.  The oblong mound is only a couple of feet high today, but it is fun to imagine what this area might have looked like several hundred years ago.

Ancient burial mound

Hiking through the pine planting

            Next the trail curves right to begin the final segment of this hike.  Soon you pass a small pond and enter a white pine planting, as indicated by the perfect row and column configuration of the trees here.  Judging from the size of the trees, this pine planting is probably 80-90 years old.  At the north side of the pine planting, the trail comes out at the parking lot, thus completing the hike.