Adams County, Ohio Travel and Visitors Bureau

47-acre lake with boat ramp. Electric motors only.

The adjoining Adams Lake State Nature Preserve has two short loop trails for approximately 1/2- mile total hiking. Both are considered easy hikes, The Prairie Dock Trail is yet another example of small prairie openings common in Adams County. The Post Oak Trail features a short hike through an oak-hickory forest.

A private preserve of 18,000 acres of forest, prairies, waterfalls, gorges, and mountains, containing over 100 rare species of plants and animals. Administered jointly by the Nature Conservancy and Cincinnati Museum Center, the preserve contains and protects such local landmarks as Buzzardroost, Cedar Falls, Red Rock, The Swirl Hole, and Lynx Prairie.

• The Edge of Appalachia Preserve has four hiking trails open to the public. All trails are marked and well maintained. Click here for trail maps.
  
  
• Lynx Prairie Trail is 1.6 mile round loop trail. The Lynx Prairie is a National Natural Landmark and it best viewed in late summer when the prairie is blooming. It’s an easy hike that features over 200 species of plants and prairie flowers.|
  
  
• Wilderness Trail is 2.5 mile loop trail. A moderate hike through the 1,200 acre preserve will reveal an unbroken forest with limestone cliffs and over 50 rare plants and flowers. A good spring and fall hike.
  
  
• Buzzardroost Rock Trail is a 4.5-mile round-trip trail to Buzzardroost Rock. Buzzardroost is perhaps the most popular hike in Adams County and for good reason. A strenuous hike of three miles to the “Roost” and back rewards hikers with a spectacular view of Brush CreekValley at the trails end. Spring wildflowers, fall colors, and during winter, the surrounding landscape lays bare all its unique geological features for everyone to see include the nearby Tiffin cliffs. Excellent hiking year round. 

• Helen C. Black Trail at Cedar Falls is the Edge Preserve’s newest trail. This 3-mile, round-trip trail begins among a grove of eastern red cedar trees and ends at a dramatic overlook perched on the edge of a cliff above the falls.

• Joan Portman Trail/Buckeye Trail where you can experience a panoramic view of the Ohio Brush Creek Valley on this 1.5-mile, round-trip trail extending through both prairie and forest. The 1,400-mile Buckeye Trail continues eastward from the overlook but is designed for long-distance and through-hikers only. It does not return to the parking area.
   
   
   
  George Rieveschl Jr. Creek’s Bend Overlook
  Stop by the preserve's visitor information area to learn more about the preserve, get maps, launch a canoe on Ohio Brush Creek or walk the short, all-accessible Prairie Garden Trail. 
   
  *Photo credit goes to Eric Albrecht
   

270 acres filled with Dolomite cliffs, slump blocks, sinkholes and good spring wildflowers. Pull off parking and a sign are present. The preserve has a moderate 1-3/4 mile hike among the Ohio River hills.  During late fall, after the leaves are gone, hikers can view the Ohio River valley.

From their website: "Located in the Appalachian foothills near the banks of the Ohio River, Shawnee State Park is nestled in the 63,000-acre Shawnee State Forest. Once the hunting grounds of the Shawnee Indians, the region is one of the most picturesque in the state, featuring erosion-carved valleys and wooded hills. The rugged beauty of the area has earned it the nickname 'The Little Smokies.' "

Shawnee State Forest is along the border of Adams & Scioto Counties and has many quiet gravel roads - excellent for mountain bike trips.

There are several hiking trails including a section of the North County Trail that goes through the Shawnee Wilderness Area. The Buckhorn trail, a seven mile bridle & hiking trail takes hikers into the heart of the wilderness area. The Cabbage Patch Trail also leads into the interior of the wilderness area can be accessed off Lower Twin Creek Road. The trails range from moderate to strenuous. Hikers may encounter remains of old sandstone quarries active during the late 1800’s.