Return to Clifton Gorge/John Bryan State Park

Long, long I muse, then on my way go wandering,
Many a changeful season to follow, and many a scene of life

This short piece from Walt Whitman came to mind as I decided with my brother, Jack (who took a couple of the photos in this post) to revisit the Clifton Gorge and John Bryan State Park once more as the long winter its break into Spring.

Actually, the hike through John Bryan State Park was new to me. It is contiguous to the Clifton Gorge Preserve and so our six mile hike began at the northern part of the Gorge only a few miles from the headwaters of the Little Miami and followed that scenic river as it passed by the still operating Clifton Mill then on down into the State Park.

It was an overcast day with threat of rain that never materialized until long after the hike was completed. I still have to say I am amazed in the beauty of that little river as it narrows and cuts through the soft limestone. The increasingly rapid water suddenly opening up into nearly still pools after the rush of what came before gives one pause at the awe of mother nature.

This trip was made much more interesting by the slow changes taking place in nature as the early bloomers begin coming alive creating an excitement that all will soon burst into a newness. One of the wonders of the nature that surround us as even this hiker feels the sense of renewal afforded by the coming Spring.

After about a half mile, you can descend into the gorge since it begins to open up allowing passage slightly closer to the river. The trail at this point is rough with large tree roots and pieces of dolomite sticking up in the path requiring one to pay attention to the pace of movement. Early flora included the Spring Beauty in various states of full bloom to its just beginning to pop from its pods. As you move down the trail, you start seeing it everywhere - high up on places of the rock cliffs and down at your feet just off the path. Gradually throughout are the snow trillium nestled among their three-leaf beds.

It was a busy day in the gorge as we passed or were passed by many people also out for the hike experience. Soon the day brightened a bit and began to warm slowly. As we neared the area known as The Blue Hole, a flock of Canadian geese were displaying a trial of individual geese attempting to assert their dominance while the meeker ones quietly swam around the calm waters. As we continued down the trail, these geese seemed to follow us with their continuing honking echoing off the high cliffs of the gorge.

The Blue Hole is an area of the Little Miami River where it seems to open into a still pond. It is famous in that it was depicted by African-American/Scotch-Canadian artist Robert Duncanson, whose painting of the scene is in the Cincinnati Museum of Art. It was painted by the artist in 1851 and provides a small picture into how the area might have appeared in those early days. Duncanson came to Cincinnati in 1842 traveling the area and painting. This part of the pool gets its name because of its depth and the algae, but according to Shawnee myth, it was called the "Spirit Pool" because of an Indian maiden who drowned herself here in a case of unrequited love. If you listen closely, it is said, you can hear her sobs.

Soon one comes to the end of Clifton Gorge Preserve and the trail splits. You can cross the Little Miami and begin hiking on the South trail or continue through onto the old Cincinnati-Pittsburgh Stage Coach trail on the North side. We chose the Southern trail, and so we crossed the bridge and entered John Bryan State Park. This side of the river opens up with more distant cliffs, though fewer in number. Occasionally, the trail would rise up rocky paths and we would find ourselves looking down onto the river or over small backwater tributaries. Even more of the early bloomers were visible heading back into the open area of the park forest. The honeysuckle on this side was just beginning to open green leaves. Unfortunately, this type of honeysuckle usually is responsible for killing trees and tends to create more open areas that are virtually nothing but honeysuckle. I am not looking forward to seeing bunches of that as Spring moves to summer.

The trail continues until you reach the western most bridge, which is the only direction you can go. That brought us back to the Stage Coach trail which is a wide relatively smooth trail. This south side of the river brings one closer to the steep cliffs which have areas where one can practice rock climbing. The trail eventually returned us back into the Clifton Gorge Preserve and back to our starting point.

Returning to this old friend as the season begins to come alive was an enjoyable renewal of acquaintanceship.

Indian Mounds Park Cedarville, OH

A hike I took last year was to the Williamson Mound State Park near Cedarville. This is a beautiful hike, though relatively easy. Like the rest of the Greene County parks area it is filled with remnants of the post-glacial period - weathering cliffs of dolomite rock outcroppings and small waterfalls.

One feature, however, unlike the others in the county is the presence of Indian mounds. Ohio has over 70 mounds which were burial sites for the Adena and Hopewell tribes. These mound builders inhabited central and southern Ohio as far back as 3000 BC all the way to the 16th century. The mounds at the Williamson site were part of the Adena tribe and were built roughly between 500 B.C. and 100 A.D. While most were burial sites, some were also used for lookouts.

The Williamson Mound State Park hike began near a reconstructed log cabin. I traveled there on a January day when the weather was cool, but there had been recent storms leaving some areas off the trail with standing water. Some of the path was muddy though the rockier areas were pretty clear. The trail leads into the park and soon breaks giving you a choice of heading toward one of the mounds or crossing a wooden bridge into the denser areas which lead to the creek and gorge areas. Once you reach this area expect some more challenging hiking but beautiful views. One thing about hiking at this time of the year, there aren't many people. The warm sun and cool air always makes for more comfortable hikes.


As you hike the paths along the easier routes, you pass a number of cliffs. Gradually these cliffs lead to areas where they have collapsed into the river making for increased rapid activity an interesting photo opportunities. As you can see in the photo to the left, you can literally get almost right into the river area for some good shots.


As you continue hiking the path begins to rise until you begin to hear the sound of falls even though you cannot see them. Continuing down the path, as you come up over a rise, the falls are suddenly there and afford a platform for an opportunity to stand and view the area, or to take pictures. Farther back down the path is a wooden bridge that cross the stream. Photos taken from the bridge are also possible and afford a good view of the falls, at least at this time of the year when the trees are bare of leaves.

The Williamson Mounds State Park is an easy hike for anyone looking for good views but with extensive hiking facilities.

In the Glen Helen Preserve

One of my favorite nearby hikes is the Glen Helen Preserve at Yellow Springs, Ohio in Greene County. Yellow Springs is a small village and formerly home to Antioch College, currently closed, though hopefully renewed in the near future as new fundings are found.

One of Antioch's premiere features is the Glen Helen Preserve which is a legacy of Hugh Taylor Birch, who donated the lands to Antioch College in 1929 in honor of his daughter, Helen. This is a working ecological institute with many events on the ecology of the area and nature preservation. The Glen is open to anyone for hiking. Some of the trails are so easy that villagers and former students often take morning runs along its easier paths. But buried within this 1000 acres is a 25 mile network of paths are some geologic treasures as well as wonder flora.

I've hiked its trails in Winter as well as in Spring and never grow tired of the wonders of its beauty. There are two creeks that run through the Glen. The area historically provided waters thought to be curative at a spring called the Yellow Springs based upon the discoloration from the iron content in the water. In the 19th century a spa was built on the site.

The area also affords more difficult trails up and over the weathering rock limestone. Some of the formations are amazing. One in particular is called Pompey's Pillar forming a large platform sitting upon a narrowing column of dolomite. As you can see in the photo, the rock formation is rather isolated. This is typical of some of the eroding rock in this area. It is these little surprises that make the area a fascinating hike.

Beginning at the parking lot area near the Trailside Museum and Visitor Center, one is faced with a 30 foot or so downward climb into the valley of the Glen itself. The beginning trail soon splits and can lead toward Pompey's Pillar or toward the creek that is forded by stepping stones that can be completely covered in early Spring when the waters rise. Crossing over leads to steep climbs up and slightly out of the ravine area. One follows one area of a gorge along one of the creeks. This is a moderate hike with views of the water below as well as steep eroding cliffs.

Like the Clifton Gorge, this Preserve touches John Bryan State Park. You could continue a straight hike right into the park if you choose. But with its many winding paths and places to explore right in the Glen, it is a day trip unto itself.

Hiking the Clifton Gorge, Clifton, Greene Co., Ohio

Hiking in the Clifton Gorge area is particularly poignant if you are interested in the history of the area. Having just read Allen W. Eckert's book "That Dark and Bloody River: Chronicles of the Ohio River Valley" which includes some narration about the Shawnees, their campsites and some of the famous people who were captured and escaped from them, it brought some of that history to life walking in the area.

The Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve is a great place for a moderate hike with some beautiful scenery. Greene County has some nice geological formations left from the post-glacial erosion. The river that was formed was the Little Miami River which has its headwaters just north of the town of Clifton in Southwest Ohio. Clifton itself is historic as it is the site of an historic mill which is still in operation and affords a nice place to lunch before or after the hike. Attached to the Nature Preserve is John Bryan State Park, which has trails that continue following the scenic river for an extended hike.

I began when I parked in an area just slightly south of the town of Clifton and set out on an easy trail. A few hundred feet into the hike, are the stairs that take you down into the gorge and closer to the river itself. From the upper trail there aren't very many views of the river itself. But as you step down into the gorge, you are still mostly a ways above the river. There are places where the rock formations have made it difficult to get closer to the river. Gradually, the gorge flattens out slightly and you can easily walk up to the river itself.

The rock formations are always fascinating to look at in this part of the hike. More resistant dolomite makes up the upper portion of many of the cliffs sometimes rising 40 to 50 feet, while the less resistant on the lower half has weathered to form not only recesses, but interesting shapes. The gorge is gradually widening due to the weathering and previous rockfalls. But the trails wind their way through and among these rock formations. Whether you are hiking in the lower gorge or along the top of the cliffs, you'll be presented with some pretty spectacular geologic formations.

The historical aspect is that this is the trail often used by the Shawnees as they traveled up and down the Little Miami River. Not far from Clifton in Greene County is a small modern village called Oldtown. It was the original site of the second primary Shawnee village named Chilicothe similar to the first Shawnee settlement at the time on the site of the present town of Chilicothe. This second Shawnee location is where Daniel Boone and Cornelius Darnell were held captive. Both men were captured at the Blue Licks in Kentucky. They were taken to the Indian village of Chilicothe (now Oldtown) where Daniel Boone escaped a few months later. Later yet, Cornelius Darnell escaped and traveled north up the Little Miami where he was chased by the Shawnee. At one point in the Clifton Gorge in the Narrows, they came so close to catching him - meaning slow death and torture if re-captured - he leaped across the chasm. Though he fell short, he was able to grasp some small trees which then covered the cliff and break his fall. By doing this he was able to escape back to Kentucky ultimately.

Within about three quarters of a mile, the hike begins to widen and flatten. The views and closeness to the river begin to afford some wonderful photo opportunities. The river moving rapidly through the Narrows begins to slow down tremendously almost becoming like still pools. Close to this point one can take a path that sharply takes you back to the upper portion of the gorge where you can hike back to where you parked along an upper trail. If you want to continue hiking, you will soon leave the Preserve and pass into John Bryan State Park where you will find yet more interesting landscape.

All in all, Clifton Gorge is a great place to come and hike. As you can tell from the photos, I last hiked it in December. Hiking when the foliage is just beginning to bloom in early April is another excellent time. It has reached any kind of heat in the day and blooming flora presents some great photo opportunities.