Social distancing.
If you had told me several months ago that we would be facing mandated country-wide isolation, I probably would have laughed in your face.
WHAT?
But here we are.
For the sake of the greater community, we have decided to fully stay home. Theo still has to continue working, but the kids and I will be at home. No school, no church, no playdates, no playgrounds. I know that most of us are in this same situation and it’s not easy on anyone.
Here in the Miami Valley of Ohio, we do have one thing that we can do outside the walls of our home that still respects the guidelines of social distancing.
Hiking.
Taking the time to get outside in nature is one of my favorite things. It’s calming, refreshing, and it always leaves the kids with rosy cheeks and a good night’s sleep. I love putting my phone away (or not having
With the exception of Ezra, we have found that our kids can hike about as many miles as their age. So, Tera is 5 and COULD hike 5 miles. Kiah is 3 and could hike about 3 miles. Keep in mind: a hike of that length would take
You may not realize how many amazing hiking trails we have in the
(To my knowledge, I tried to put the correct pictures with each hiking place, so the pictures will give you a somewhat accurate representation of what it looks like and difficulty level)
The Narrows Reserve
This is a fantastic trail that winds along a stream/river. Trail is easy, lots of fun places for kids to stop and play and catch frogs, etc. In the Spring, there is a crazy yellow flower that blooms ALL OVER the ground for about one week.
John Bryan State Park
This is a FAVORITE. Miles and miles of trails, streams, bridges- we could spend all day exploring this park! There is even a playground, campgrounds, rock climbing clips on the rocks, and picnic shelters. This park has trails ranging from easy to fairly difficult.
Clifton Gorge
This park is technically connected to John Bryan, but it’s own separate entrance. We actually prefer this one over John Bryan. It has a moderate level trail with lots of steps and rocks to climb over. A river/stream runs along most of the trail.
Cox Arboretum Metropark
This Metropark has a
Wegerzyn Garden Metroparks
This is such a fun Metropark with a children’s garden to play in! It has a small stream, sandboxes, interactive music and all kinds of things to get your children’s hands into nature! I would probably avoid the children’s area during this time of social distancing, but the Metropark also has a small hiking trail that would be great for beginners and children!
Oakes Quarry Park
I do not seem to have any pictures of this park, but we have been a few times and have a blast! It is VERY different from most of the other parks listed here in that it does not have many plants and trees. Instead, it is very rocky and full of all kinds of dirt, clay and a little pond. It’s a great place to treasure hunt for rocks and fossils and it feels like you have stepped into another country while walking around there!
Koogler Wetland Prairie Reserve
This is our families best kept secret- but I’m sharing it with you! A .9 mile easy loop with a stream at the halfway point. The kids LOVE playing in the stream and we hardly see people at this trail. Before we moved, it was less than a mile from our house but now that we moved away I’ll have to find a new best kept secret hiking spot.
Hills and Dales Metropark
This one is close to our new place and we have really enjoyed
Charleston Falls Preserve
This one is a drive for us, but one of the few local parks that
Brukner Nature Center
We have only visited this place once, but it was amazing! They do require an entrance fee, and they use the profits to rehabilitate wild animals who have been injured. They do have an indoor nature museum (and offer fun nature camps and classes!) and you can watch around to see the rehabilitated animals (like a mini zoo!). The hiking trails are moderate.
Russ Nature Reserve
Unfortunately, this place was destroyed in the Memorial Day tornadoes and they are still working on preparing it to it’s former glory. We LOVED this park. It has a nature playground for kids made entirely out of natural objects found in the woods. They also have several trails that are easy and short.
The Learning Tree Farm
We love the learning tree farm! This is a working farm that they open to visitors. I am not sure if they are open to visitors during this time, but they do have several hiking trails that we love to explore!
Seibenthaler Fen Boardwalk
This was such a fun find a few years back! The first time we went, the boardwalk was covered in a few inches of water. We still hiked over a mile with the water up to our ankles it was so fun to make those memories! This is easy and is boardwalk the entire way.
Zaleski State Forest
This one is not exactly local as it is a 2 hour drive, but if you REALLY want to go hiking, this is the place to do it. This is where we have gone backpacking several times and we love it because there are many different backpacking trails depending on what level you want to pursue. Want to backpack and camp for a week? This is the place! Want just a two mile hike with kids? They also have that!
Those are our local favorites….what about you? Are there any fantastic hiking trails that I am missing?
PLEASE REMEMBER: I am not an expert on what constitutes social distancing, and the guidelines may change from day to day. If we have been told to lock down and shelter in place, I do not recommend going out and hiking. Be wise. Please.
Thank you for this! I had heard of Charleston Falls and wanted to go there- your post reminded me of it. My girls and I went to Charleston Falls this morning before the rain arrived. It was beautiful! Bonus that the walking paths are so wide which is great for social distancing.