Miami Whitewater Forest

Last night's "date night" with the lovely Robin (a weekly event we both look forward to with relish...and sometimes other condiments) included our first ever visit to nearby Miami Whitewater Forest, the largest of Hamilton County's seventeen parks, woods, forests, and preserves. As I have written about before on this blog (here), I have long wanted to experience and explore this park.

We had no trouble finding our way there, and found ample parking. Unfortunately, the gift shop and visitor center was closed (we arrived well after 7 p.m., which is closing time). But we weren't there to buy anything, but to enjoy the warm evening and talk a nice walk.

Which we did. We started on the path that skirts the lake, where people were boating and fishing, and then continued to the trailhead of the Shaker Trace Trail.

We opted for the 1.2-mile "inner loop" rather than the 7.8 mile "outer loop" on the trail. A wise choice, no doubt, since we didn't bring along a flashlight. But it was a glorious little hike, utterly free of exertion (THAT'S how we likes our exercise!).

Miami Whitewater Forest's 4,345 acres offer a visitor center with nature displays and a gift shop, multiple hiking trails and two riding trails, a nine-hole disc golf course, a soccer complex, shelters, picnic areas, and a campground. New in 2013 will be the installation of the Simmonds Family Dog Park, an eleven-acre facility that will be the largest dog park in the Cincinnati region.