Caesar Creek State Park: Perimeter Trail, 50 Springs to Pioneer Village (Blog Hike #913)

Trail: Perimeter Trail
Hike Location: Caesar Creek State Park
Geographic Location: east of Waynesville, OH (39.50078, -84.02068)
Length: 3.6 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Dates Hiked: October 1999, October 2022
Overview: An out-and-back to a large recreated pioneer village.
Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/caesar-creek-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=924326
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Northeast of Cincinnati, take I-71 to SR 73 (exit 45).  Exit and go west on SR 73.  Drive SR 73 west 4.2 miles to the signed entrance for the park's 50 Springs Group Camp on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, and park in the first parking lot on the left near the picnic shelter.

The hike: For my general comments on Caesar Creek State Park and its Perimeter Trail, see my earlier hike on a section of the Perimeter Trail near the dam's Visitor Center on the other side of the lake.  The section of the Perimeter Trail described here follows a buried cable corridor for most of its distance, and therefore the scenery gets a little mundane.  However, this section ends at the Caesar Creek Pioneer Village, a large collection of log cabin-type buildings most of which date to the early 1800's.  This section also passes a small waterfall, so this hike has rewards even if the route to get to them is occasionally uninspiring.

Trailhead at 50 Springs picnic shelter

            From the signed trailhead at the back left corner of the mowed-grass area around the 50 Springs picnic shelter, the wide dirt trail heads southwest into young forest.  The Perimeter Trail is marked with yellow blazes, and while the blazes are not particularly plentiful, they exist where you need them to stay on the route.  After only 0.15 miles, you reach a trail intersection.  The option going right leads to the 50 Springs Loop, which encircles its namesake area.  Angle left to stay on the Perimeter Trail and head for the pioneer village.

Hiking the Perimeter Trail

            Next the trail dips through the first of many steep but shallow ravines.  The difference between maximum and minimum elevations on this hike is only about 75 vertical feet, but there is a lot of up and down on this hike.  The forest on the next ridge is quite young, and it features some red cedar trees along with some osage orange trees.  Both of these trees indicate that this land was farmed in the not too distant past.

Old barbed wire fence

            At 0.5 miles, the trail curves left to start following an old barbed wire fence, another remnant of this land's agricultural past.  A pond with lots of lily pads appears downhill to the right.  At 0.7 miles, you cross a bridge over Jonahs Run.  A small scenic waterfall named Crawdad Falls sits just below this bridge, but the seasonally dry conditions ensured that no water was falling when I hiked here in late October.

Jonahs Run and Crawdad Falls

            Some black walnut trees appear in the forest before you intersect an old asphalt road at 0.8 miles; this road is closed to vehicles.  As directed by signs and yellow blazes, you want to turn left to hike 0.2 miles uphill on the old road before turning right to reenter the forest on single track dirt trail.  The young forest with a dense understory of honeysuckle continues, as do the shallow but steep ravines.

Pioneer village across a field

Log cabin in pioneer village

            At 1.7 miles, you reach Pioneer Village Road, an asphalt road that is open to vehicles.  Turn right and hike a short distance on the road to reach the pioneer village.  The village consists of 25 structures, most of which were moved here from other points in the Caesar Creek area; some of them would have been submerged by the construction of Caesar Creek Lake.  The structures include several log cabins, a couple of barns, a general store, and a meeting house.  The Perimeter Trail traces a 13 mile loop around the southern portion of Caesar Creek Lake, but the pioneer village is a nice turnaround point for a dayhike.  Thus, I turned around here and retraced my steps to the 50 Springs area to complete my hike.

Little Miami State Park: SR 350 to I-71 Bridge (Blog Hike #912)

Trail: Little Miami Scenic Trail
Hike Location: Little Miami State Park
Geographic Location: north of Morrow, OH (39.40784, -84.09930)
Length: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: October 2022
Overview: An out-and-back on paved bike trail that passes under the tallest interstate bridge in Ohio.
Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/little-miami-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=924275
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Northeast of Cincinnati, take I-71 to SR 123 (exit 32).  Exit, go east on SR 123, then almost immediately turn left on SR 350.  Drive SR 350 east 2.9 miles, descending into the Little Miami River gorge on the way, to the signed parking for the Little Miami Scenic Trail on either side of the road.  Park here.

The hike: Rail trails make for terrible hiking.  The long, straight, flat stretches that characterize rail trails cause the scenery to change mundanely slowly when you travel at hiking speed.  Bikes whiz by at scary speeds, and usually noise from nearby highways ruins any solitude.

            Yet rail trails also have their advantages, and occasionally a good hike will be had on a rail trail.  The asphalt surface means that the hiking remains pleasant in the winter when dirt trails are too snowy or muddy, a fact I took advantage of many times when I lived in Ohio many years ago.  Also, not every segment of every rail trail stays close to a highway, so some peace and solitude can be had if you choose your rail trail hike carefully.

            Possibly the best rail trail in southwest Ohio is the Little Miami Scenic Trail, part of which is maintained by the State of Ohio as Little Miami State Park.  The trail stays close to the scenic Little Miami River for most of its distance, and it has several rural segments that see minimal bike traffic.  One of those segments is the segment described here, which follows a narrow strip of land between the Little Miami River and a steep hillside.  Even better, this hike takes you under the highest interstate bridge in Ohio: I-71's Jeremiah Morrow Bridge over the Little Miami River.

SR 350 trailhead

            Starting from the SR 350 trailhead, head north on the asphalt Little Miami Scenic Trail.  A sign at the trailhead tells you that the community of Oregonia is 3.3 miles ahead.  The trail travels through some nice forest, which is dominated by maple trees.

Hiking the rail trail

            At first the Little Miami River stays out of sight to the left.  Near 0.5 miles, the gorge tightens and the trail is forced into a tight corridor between the river on the left and a steep 150-foot bluff on the right.  The trail is the only way to access this portion of the gorge, so the setting is serene and pleasant with a decent amount of solitude.

North bridge support

Jeremiah Morrow Bridge

Bridge over Little Miami River

            As you approach 0.9 miles, I-71's Jeremiah Morrow Bridge comes into view above you.  Named for the 9th Governor of Ohio, who held the office from 1813-1819, the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge consists of two concrete box girder spans that were built between 2010 and 2016.  The bridges tower 239 feet above the river, and they make an impressive if man-made sight that most people only see from above.  The trail continues for many miles past the bridge, but I chose to turn around here and retrace my steps to the SR 350 trailhead to complete the hike.