We recently visited for the first time over the Memorial Day weekend and were pleasantly surprised…read more We only hiked the Cascade Trail so that is what my review will be on. The park website and things online are very confusing. One site says, permit not required and another say one isn't. The sign at the park also says permit required, but there is no where to purchase one in person or online. We took the chance and parked without one. I did see a worker driving around and he didn't seem to be checking cars. The map seems okay for general navigating and there is signage around. The trails are marked okay I think. There could be some improvement, but the Cascade Trail is a big loop so it isn't a huge deal. The trail was well maintained. A little overgrown in places, but nothing terrible. It's also really flat except for the end of the trail where you need to walk up a big hill to get back to where we parked. My kids did fine with the trial the whole time though. The bridge is super neat and my kids had fun crossing it. The falls were pretty and a nice treat, but you really have to wander around to find a good view of it. Luckily none of us minded that. The creek is really nice to play and walk in. That was by far my kids favorite part. We also found lots of fossils to explore and look at! It was a little muddy after all the rain we had received, but nothing terrible.

My favorite 'hiking' spot in Butler County…read more My favorite part about this preserve are the trails. There are multiple trails that connect to each other, so if you get bored with hiking your usual trail, it's easy to mix it up a little bit. They are all well kept and maintained. Sometimes there is some litter, but we pick it up. There are two old building foundations on one of the trails and a piece of farm equipment grown into a tree, pretty neat! The park is big, lots of space.

We wanted to hike on this hot summer day. The trails were shaded so it was very enjoyable. We…read morestarted at the nature center and took the stairs down to the John L. Rich trail and looped back around crossing over onto the north rim trail. Heavily trafficked trails from what I saw.

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve is my first state park I have visited in Ohio, and it did not…read moredisappoint. I'm not a hiker, but I found the trail to be a somewhat easy hike for a senior and the walkways and guardrails were well-maintained. There are lots of benches to sit on to take in nature, darling native plants, and plenty of interesting facts to read about along the trail. We saw photos and explanations of how the Little Miami River was used to power grist and cotton mills, paper factories, and breweries. In the information building, we were greeted by the very friendly ranger, who gave us a botanical identification brochure (it would have been very useful during the hike) and introduced us to the turtles in their enclosure. The preserve was quiet, and we enjoyed ourselves so much. This is just the start of our adventure of the Clifton Gorge, and there are so many more activities to explore. We hope to be back during another season when the water in the gorge is flowing more rapidly.

We came here on Memorial Day long weekend and totally enjoyed our stay. We stayed for three days…read more We were a group of 12 adults and six children. It was a very family driven place and there was a lot for everyone. The water area is so good when it's sunny and there's the play area for the kids the shelters for barbecue and picnics and a lot of trails which are pet friendly. The rain dampened our visit but the park in itself was extremely good. DNR facilities were 24/7 they kept a strong vigilance in the camp, which was very comforting. Other than that all service is like fire wood ice was available at short notice.

I've mostly been stuck at home the past few weeks as I've been recovering from major surgery. On…read moreoccasion, I've been able to get friends to take me places or at least go for a drive to get me out. One such drive was to Whitewater State Park. Whitewater State Park was the 16th state park in Indiana and was founded in 1949. It's actually the third largest. It has 200 acre Whitewater Lake along with shoreline hiking, flat-water boating, swimming, fishing, and camping opportunities. It has 9 miles of horseback riding trails. The park area was originally purchased by Union, Fayette, Franklin, and Wayne counties to serve as a memorial for those lost during World War II. Additional activities include picnic areas with shelters (reservations required), interpretive naturalist services, 1 boat launch ramp at Whitewater Lake, bridle trails, cabins, fishing/ice fishing, hiking trails, canoe/paddleboat/rowboat rentals, swimming, and two marinas. Camping includes 236 electric sites, 45 non-electric, and 37 horsemen's primitive sites. There's a camp store, dumping station, and youth tent area. There are five hiking trails - all are considered moderate in difficulty. They range from 1-2.7 miles in length, though at least one also has a short loop. There really isn't a single trail that I'd say is accessible, though there are parts of trails I was able to access. That said, Whitewater in general isn't particularly wheelchair friendly other than in the more truly "public" areas. As an experienced wheelchair user, I doubt I'd head out on these trails alone. Whitewater hosts a variety of events throughout the year. While I wish it was more accessible here, I still consider this one of Indiana's more underappreciated natural gems.

Always a great place for walking, relaxing, playing basketball or soccer, and enjoying the day. I…read moreeven began learning how to drive here. The best park in town, and the best around other than Caesar's Creek. Highly recommend a visit:)

Beautiful park. Long walking/hiking trails, disk golf, tennis courts, basketball courts, beach…read morevolleyball, soccer fields. Small catch and release pond.

Yet another gem in Ohio's FABULOUS state park crown!! I had just one goal this visit, one I hadn't…read moreyet accomplished during previous visits, to see/cross the swinging bridge. Check!! Done and worth the wait!! SO much to see/do here... Camping, hiking, biking, boating--- It's a WONDERFUL four-seasons getaway!! Check it out, there's DEFINITELY something for EVERYONE!!

My husband, mom, baby, and I recently spent the day on the beach. For a lake beach, it is a good…read moresize and honestly pretty well kept. There was minimal trash on the beach. The water is murky, like you would expect, and the sand is really rough and gritty, again like you would expect for a lake, but it's not slimy. The bathrooms are brand new. There is a ton of green space and plenty of room to spread out from other families. There are picnic shelters and grills. Huge parking lot! Even on the busiest summer holidays, I have never struggled to find parking. There is a really nice fenced in dog area, as well as as a dog section of the beach. If it was closer, we would probably be there a lot this summer as it's a great way to cool down.

WOW, OH WOW! I've been trying to hit a different park or hiking trail each weekend during these…read morewinter months, and most of the time, it includes a 40 minute drive from Loveland, Ohio. I stumbled upon this park about 15 minutes from my house, right behind Kings Island. I actually have had a few local friends suggest this park to me, and when I looked up the park on AllTrails, all of the trails were about 2 miles. I didn't really think it would be worth the time... And oh, how I was wrong! This park is directly next to a Kings Mills elementary school. There is a huge mansion, and a driveway to the left of this large house. There is a small parking lot in front of this beautiful old barn with a mural painted on it. At first, I thought I must be in the wrong place, as it did not look like a hiking trail. There is a blacktop version of a trail close to the old barn with signs for an archery shooting range, but if you go behind the barn towards the elementary school, there is a patch of woods and a hiking trail to the right (it's kind of hidden). You want this trail! I did pull up the AllTrails app, but I got curious, trying to explore all of the trails that lead off of the main trail. I did 3 miles, and I didn't even hit the trail that was marked through the AllTrails app. I'm always looking for a place to mountain bike, and you can tell that there have been some people biking through these trails. They have put logs over a creek beds, and placed rocks in muddy places. It is a fantastic, hiking trail, especially if you were in the mood to explore-- but I can't wait to bring my mountain bike next time! There are several trails that head towards the river. So if you were looking for an opportunity to explore the Little Miami riverbed, choose the trails that head down towards the river. Honestly, the most fun of this hiking trail was getting off of the trail to explore. Since the water level was very low, I was able to walk out to the edge of the Little Miami River and hang out in the riverbeds. I definitely had the park to myself... So definitely be aware of your surroundings. I did feel completely safe; however, you can tell they are definitely some kid to hang out towards the water. There is lots of graffiti down by the river and a place people have had fires. Regardless, it is a super cool property to explore. Interestingly enough, the guy who used to own this property started Kings Mills, Ohio. He supplied gunpowder to the famous Peters cartridge factory that has just been redone into a brewery. This mansion and park sits at the top of the small town of Kings Mills, and the property weaves down to the river, not too far from the Peters factory. If you are local and have not been to this park yet, check it out! I'm learning that you don't have to drive 45 minutes outside of the city to find some really neat places to explore! What a gem!

My favorite scenic park to fish and run in the summer! Really great scenic yet secluded park. Love…read moreit and come often this time of year.

1st time here, when you drove uphill, at the lake, the view is spectacular! There is plenty…read moreparking. We walked half or maybe 1/3of the trail beside the lake, very nice trail, and excellent view. There is creek running through several area through the trail, but the time we were here in Autumn, it's mostly dry. We didn't finished the whole trail, will definitely come again to try the trail from the other side.

This is such a beautiful area! We parked in the small paved parking lot on the east side of the…read morepark, which let us walk right into the area with the gorgeous pond area, featuring a ton of plant and wildlife, including these gorgeous large flowers. The trail around the pond area is paved and easy to walk, and as you approach the far end, signage indicates access to an unimproved trail. There is nice seating near the pond, as well as a great overlook deck. What a great little park!

Wetlands is a great local park with beautiful scenery, and nice paved trails or alternatively…read more"mowed" trails. You can go shorter or longer distances as you wish. Parts of the park are located along a fairly busy road so there is some road noise along some trails, just FYI.