My mom and I share a love for three things above all else: hiking, shopping and road trips. This means that when we started thinking about how to celebrate our birthdays together last year, the short trip from Cincinnati to Yellow Springs for a day of hiking and shopping came up almost immediately. We quickly settled on a hike at the Clifton Gorge Nature Center in the morning before heading to Sunrise Cafe in town for lunch.
We started on the Narrows Trail, connected to the John L. Rich Trail and looped back using the North Rim Trail. Our hike started with a sign warning “HAZARDOUS CLIFFS” before entering a densely wooded area. The further into the woods we got, the louder we could hear the sound of running water. When my mom and I are hiking, we always become giddy when we spot a wooden bridge. This is typically an unfounded excitement, but in this case we rushed over to see the flowing waters of the Little Miami River below to our left.
As we walked above the river, we began to notice that we hadn’t seen anyone else yet on the trails. This was unexpected but welcome, since it meant we could take advantage of every opportunity to take photos, of which there were many, and listen to the running water. There were so many spots branching slightly off of the path for us to sit and soak in the beauty of it all.
The rock formations that we saw on this hike were nothing short of fascinating. Knowing the history of the gorge, it made sense that glaciers carved it out over such a long time. We saw one boulder that really stuck out to me, Steamboat Rock. I had read about it beforehand and didn’t think much of it, but seeing it in person was glorious. It towered over us while we were on the John L. Rich trail, taking the shape of a ginormous steamboat in the small river. I half-expected us to be buying a ticket and boarding it to take us to the Sunrise Cafe for a bite!
After taking our time to soak in the steamboat’s majesty, we continued onto the North Rim Trail, taking us back towards where we started. This gave us a higher vantage point to the lower perspective of the John L. Rich Trail. Now, instead of being in the gorge, you find yourself looking back more at the forest surrounding it. It was so interesting to see how this glacier could slice through the forest, leaving a beautiful opening for the water to flow.
This hike quickly took place as one of my favorites, and I think my mom felt just the same. The rest of our day was spent reliving each sight as we ate lunch and shopped around. During our whole drive back to Cincinnati, we were already planning our next hiking trip, looking at Clifton Gorge Nature Center and the parks surrounding it as our inspiration.
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