California Woods

California Woods has an address that's inside Cincinnati, but it doesn't look like most of the other parks in the City. The road in here is about a mile long, and it's VERY narrow - so narrow that I suspect it would be dangerous if you run into someone driving in the opposite direction... True to its name, this place has some fairly dense woods, and it's also got a fair number of hills. You'll find trailmaps for the taking inside the park, and you'd be wise to bring bug spray ;-)

This was another new (to us) hiking spot my husband and I checked out recently. On a Friday morning we only saw one other group in the woods. A good mix of flat, hilly, and moderate trails. One trail had pages from a children's book on signs as you went along the path, which was cute. Like others have said, it's not always very intuitive which trail you're on. But since they all lead back to the main path, you never feel like you're lost. Also want to reiterate driving in/out slowly due to the narrow road leading in.

Nice place to walk. A bit rustic & non-level terrain. Plan to go back in the warmer weather.

It had been a long week and I desperately needed to get out of the house and into nature. I'd driven past this nature preserve but had never visited. The temperatures had finally dropped and it was a good day for an easy hike. Although the visitor center was closed, I found some trail maps outside the building and set off. Several of the trails overlap and once I was on my way, I wasn't always sure what trail I was on. While the trails are cleared and easy to find, the map was a little vague. It didn't really matter though. It's not so big that you could get lost so I just walked in whatever direction felt good. Some trails had steep steps, but usually only for a short distance so they weren't challenging. It is a lovely and peaceful place, although in some areas you can still hear nearby traffic. I listened to a podcast while I walked so this didn't bother me too much. I'll definitely add California Woods to my list for an easy, quick get out of the house and be in nature walk.

This is a tough review to write. Part of me wants to give California Woods Nature Preserve five stars. The other part of me wants to give the Nature Preserve three stars. I decided to split the difference with four stars, though I am writing my review separately below. Five star review: The California Woods Nature Perserve does a lovely job of preserving nature. Trees were lush. Their canopy provided welcomed shade from the Summer sun. Many different birds could be heard chirping. Their calls echoing through the quiet. A few sparse flowers dotted the trails. A lingering reminder of Spring. Water in the creek was flowing. Aside from my children's incessant talking, the preserve was quiet and peaceful. A few other cars were present, yet we never saw or heard another person. We truly felt alone in nature. We were able to hike The Ridge Trail in it's entirety. Climbing over a couple downed trees on the trail only added an element of adventure, in the eyes of my children. It is a moderate level trail. My youngest was able to hike with assistance at times. This would be an interesting trail to hike every season; to see it's changes. There is a Nature Center, though it did not appear to be open durning our visit. A small butterfly garden is planned around the Nature Center sign. This allowed us to observe a beautiful black and yellow butterfly, as well as both an adult and a juvenile hummingbird. Educational programs may be scheduled with the ranger. A list of prescheduled programs is posted. A covered picnic area is also available. The structure has an old, almost pioneer feel. During our entire visit, only two pieces of trash were seen. Three star review: I understand this is a nature preserve. Preserving nature is key. I also feel that if there is an open and marked trail one should be able to hike it. We had to turn back on the first two trails we attempted to hike. The first one narrowed to about 9". Those 9" were lined with poison ivy. The second trail narrowed to about 12", and was lined with stinging nettles. I wish the trail was either widdened so people may hike, or that nature was allowed to take it's course. When hiking with little ones, these plants come much higher up on them. I would be interested in visiting when the weather is cooler. Maybe we may progress further along the trail in long pants, and long sleeves. The road in is narrow. Since the road was closed just after the Nature Center, that means visitors must enter and exit via the same single lane. A few turnouts are available. Still this seems dangerous. There is a lack of signage. We would have liked to know why the little cabin/shack was near the stream. Several fire pits are round the Ridge Trail, complete with fire wood. There is nothing to indicate if those pits are free for visitor use, or if they are set up for another purpose. There is signage indicating no dogs are allowed.

I've been meaning to visit California Woods for a while (being a fan of the nearby Pirate's Cove). There are a multitude of trails throughout the park ranging from pretty short loops to much more uphill, longer loops, but they all interconnect and ultimately lead back to the main entrance road. We hiked for a couple of hours trying to decipher the trail organization only to check out the nature center (and pick up a detailed map) after we were done. It was almost more fun that way though! There are a couple of meadows and a picnic area next to the nature center. I marked this down a star only because as we took the thicket trail, we noticed the path was overgrown with some rather thorny bushes. Fortunately we all had long pants on, because otherwise... ouch! As we came to a fork in the trail there was a sign noting that the trail we had just come from was closed... whoops. It probably should have been marked on the other side too. We weren't bothered at all, but we did see a lot of people hiking with small kids, and that path would have been a mess to navigate a little one through.Overall though, this is a very cool hiking spot with meadows, a creek, some very cool boardwalks and inclines. You can definitely hear road noises from Kellogg, but it's pretty minimal. We're planning to come back to check out the trails we missed.

Located in California, Ohio. Yes there is a California, Ohio. It's technically in Cincinnati, but gets it's own name. Its just off Kellogg Avenue and is really easy to get to. The park contains a great deal of land and activities. There are meadow habitats as well as 113 acres of various stages of forests with trails to hike in. Apparently there are 53 species of trees! Lick Creek (great name huh?) runs right through it. There is a butterfly and hummingbird garden right in front of the nature center which is always fun to look at. I love hummingbirds! On the meadow trails you can even see some different types of foxes if you're lucky, I've never seen any, but who knows.

Seriously the best kept hiking secret on the east side.The driveway is narrow and 1 car wide, but after some maneuvering it is worth the hassle.Best marked trails in the city and there is a nice little map. We've been a couple times and never really encountered many people on the trails. But we have encountered tons of wild-life. The trails definitely rank challenging at parts and are not "accessible" if you are looking for trails like that.There is some open grassy areas all the way in the back if you are looking for that but the overall feel of this park is WOODED.If you want a GOOD solid hike where you can't hear any road noise, just the beating of your heart and the songs of the birds... I totally recommend California woods.

Beautiful woods and hills smack dab in the middle of the city. I went from about 6:30 - 9 on a June evening. The woods kept the heat at bay (it was almost cool on some of the more shaded trails), and I only saw about 5 other hikers the entire time. The trails have stairs and fallen logs, so this is not a stroller-friendly place. Overall the scenery is beautiful, parking is fairly easy (although the road in is only 1-way, and I'm not sure what I would have done if I had met another car while coming or going), and trails are mostly maintained. I say mostly (and also knock a star off the perfect rating) because the "K" trail was the worst. Overgrown to the point of scratchy, stinging plants cutting my arms. I didn't continue on to the trail very long because enough was enough. Every other trail was great! Just avoid K. Even without all the plants covering the path, I would have liked it the least, because it was the least scenic. Overall a great hiking experience for someone who needed just a few hours away at the end of a long day of work.

In the number 5 spot, this nature preserve finishes off my "Top 5" list with a "Wow..!!" This location holds a special place in my heart as it was one of my Grandfather, Mark Devine's (a noted, local photographer, former McNicholas High School teacher and Retired Lieutenant for the Cincinnati Fire Dept) favorite places to document the flora and fauna of the Ohio River Valley. You can find a dedication to him at the base of the beautiful Trillium Trail. Once again, like the Nature Center, this is a park for education and exploration. Plan to hike, and know, it's so worth the excersize...