When I got my bad ass camera lens for my birthday, I started looking around for a place to do nature photography and go hiking. After talking to some friends I was introduced to the Cincinnati Nature Center.
Located in Perintown, Ohio just east of Milford the Cincinnati Nature Center (CNC) is a 1,025 acres wooded area. The nature center offers trails, which wind through a deciduous forrest, field, streams and ponds. The land was a gift from Stanley M. Rowe, who had a vision of wooded preserve where children of Cincinnati would be taught to appreciate and understand the natural world. The center opened to public in 1967. Between 1967 and 2004 nature center would grow to its current size.
The CNC offers 10 (16 miles) of hiking trails, ranging from easy to difficult. A visitor center with a library, educational exhibit and large wildlife viewing window. A Nature Shop is also located in the Visitors Center. For kids there is nature playscape, where natural features are designed for open-ended creative play. Plants, soil, and water can be touched and manipulated, not just observed, to stimulate the senses and promote a sense of wonder. There are plenty of places for families to picnic. On many weekends there are actives for kids. The CNC also has many out reach program for adults, including a camera and astronomy clubs.
Hiking and nature photography is what I mainly go to the CNC for. I typically combine the two for the ultimate experience. The trails cross over each other so you can create your path.
Hiking paths are covered in gravel for the most part. Depending on your trail you, will hike over stream, climb hills, walk through mud and walk up rock steps; so make sure sensible shoes such as hiking boots or solid pair of running shoes with good threading on the bottom. With all of the things you could encounter on the trails, such as snakes, bugs and poison ivy/oak, you need to make sure your feet are protected. This really is not the place for your brand name attire as you will work up a sweat and could get really muddy. There are some shady areas and other sunny areas – so you might want to wear layers, depending on the weather. A few other must haves include bug spray, sunscreen, a hat, water, snacks and a camera (of course).
While hiking you will also see a variety of wild life including butterflies, birds, rabbits, mice, deer, frogs and turtles. Depending on the season you will see a variety of wild flowers. A few of my favorite trails include the Geology trail which crosses the Avery’s Run Creek. There are water falls, rocks with fossils and lots of steps. When hiking remember that each staircase or hill you walk down, you must eventually walk up. Great work out for the quads. The Wildflower trail is nice because there are tons of wildflowers, many taller than I am. There are also tons of butterflies, all sorts of colors and sizes. The Edge trail is an easy trail that winds around the small lake and the Visitor’s Center.
Every time I visit I get a great appreciation for the beauty of nature and I am reminded why we need to take better care of our Home. There are places on the trails, where no one else is around you, and you can just simply lose yourself in the sights and sounds and smells of how this area must have looked before we “civilized” it. You can smell the sweet, clean scent of wildflowers and moss. You can hear the birds singing and the rushing of water falling along the rocks. I go here when I need to clear my head and my soul or when I just need to feel something beyond the brick and mortar world that monopolizes most of my life and when I want to take pictures of course.
Because I go there often I set up a gallery where you view pictures from my different hikes and visits to the CNC:
Finding Amy 