Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve (Sept 2009)Leave the Village in almost any direction and you’ll see the color starting to change in both the soy bean and corn fields, and maybe, even in a few trees. It won’t be long and folks will begin thinking about taking the annual drive to see the fall foliage. Load the family in the car, maybe pack a few sandwiches, and head out to see who can find the brightest reds and the purest golds.
We’re fortunate to have lots of places around Yellow Springs to walk, bike or drive to enjoy the gradual change of seasons. But something inside us seems to say that we have to go some place else because the colors might be just a little bit better – probably some sort of latent migratory gene.
Hocking Hills is one of the usual destinations – not my favorite place and way too crowded at the big name spots like Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave and Cedar Falls to name just a few. However, we found a book (Wild Ohio by Jim McCormac) that talks about the 40 best remaining natural areas in Ohio. Three of those sites are in the Hocking Hills and well worth the drive if you enjoy hiking what seemed to us during a recent visit, “the roads not taken”.
Clear Creek Metropark is actually part of the City of Columbus park system. Conkles Hollow State Park – probably the most well known of these three and maybe the best views of the fall color if you hike the upper trails – a little over 2 miles. And finally, the very pristine, Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve (see picture) located just outside of Jackson. Lake Katharine is noted for the rare umbrella magnolias and the endangered bigleaf magnolias – sometimes over two feet long.
You can find lots of additional information about these three places on the web. By the way, Clifton Gorge and Cedar Bog are both mentioned in the book. Enjoy!
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