California Woods · Cincinnati, OH
5400 Kellogg Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45230
Hi friends! Welcome back to my park reviews! This will be my last official post for my school assignment, but I may continue this blog at parks outside of the Cincinnati/NKY area in my free time. I hope you all have enjoyed learning about some local parks because I sure have! This week I went to California Woods Nature Preserve in Cincinnati, OH. Keep reading to see my thoughts!
Favorite aspect of the park
Ridge trail
My favorite aspect of the park were the trails. If you are looking for a park that is close to NKU and has good hiking this is the one for you. Most of the other parks that I have visited have a couple of paved walking paths and some sparse trails. Although the preserve isn’t huge, you really feel like you’re going on a bit of a trek. It’s a good workout too-lots of hills to get that heart rate up. I like that the preserve has a variety of trail lengths for people of every age especially since a lot of them are quite hilly.
Least favorite aspect of the park
Down trees
My least favorite aspect of the park were the down trees. On the trail that I went on there were huge mounds of them everywhere. I know that these thinks take time and assume they will be cleared out eventually. Despite this, it was kind of unsightly and in some areas, it even blocked the path. Hopefully, this summer they will be able to clean up the trails a bit.
Something that stood out to me
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms StoryWalk
Something that stood out to me is on one of the trails they have a StoryWalk. They laminate pages of a children’s book and placed them periodically along a trail so you could read the book as you hiked. This is a great way to get kids active and excited to go on a hike. I was thoroughly entertained as I wandered the trail. Stopping and reading the pages also provided a nice break from the uphill climb as well, something I’m sure children would also appreciate. I also like that they have this activity available since the nature center is closed for the time being.
Final thoughts
Cardinal Bird in the tree
I really enjoyed my visit to California Woods Nature Preserve. There was beautiful scenery and entertaining activities. Some of the other fun features include a nature center, butterfly garden, log cabin, variety of wildlife, and beautiful views throughout the trails. This park was super convenient to get to and a great way to escape busy Cincinnati while only being a few minutes away. I’d like to come back again when the nature center is open so I can see the inside and what activities they offer. It does look like they ae having programs throughout the summer despite the nature center being closed.
Geese and their goslings, nature center, flower blossoms, informational kiosk, back of nature center, log cabin, creek, StoryWalk trail, wildflowers, down trees, stick fort, paw paw leaves, pond, wildflowers, stream and nature center, pavilion, creek.