Mt. Airy Forest, OH
By Mary Reed
Mt. Airy Forest, OH photo gallery
Mount Airy Forest is Cincinnati’s real urban jungle – a 1,500-acre forest playground with 30 miles of hiking and bridle trails, a variety of wildlife, a popular arboretum, a dog park and even a funky handicap accessible treehouse – all reachable by public transportation.
“It’s one of the largest natural areas that you’re going to find certainly in most cities, any city around here,” says Vivian Wagner, manager of nature education for the Cincinnati Park Board. “You don’t bump into huge crowds of people. You feel like you can get lost, but the trails are laid so that you’re gonna find your way back.”
The trails that are most popular among hikers and runners are concentrated in the eastern half of Mt. Airy. For a short outing, try any trail around Trail Ridge or Oak Ridge roads. The western half of the park is more wild and is popular among horseback riders.
Mt. Airy was established in 1911 as one of the nation’s first urban reforestation projects. When the city acquired the land, it was just beat up farmland. Today, it’s mostly forested. “For me, it always stood as a symbol of hope,” Vivian says. “I look at Mt. Airy and I think, ‘Yeah, when people put their will to it, look what they can do.’” Vivian suggests looking for clues of the land’s history when hiking around – there’s an old quarry along Furnace Ridge and cool fossil areas in the creeks.
In the 1960s or ’70s (no one seems to be sure about the time period), a troop of Boy Scouts built the trail named La Trainee de L’Explorateur, or the Explorers Trail. Blazed with a red E atop a white background, you’ll likely hike a part of the E Trail whether intentionally or not. The current entire length of trail, about 10 miles, winds its way through both sides of the park (see map). It is only rarely blazed and is sometimes really difficult to follow; it crosses and follows roads at times (hey, it’s an urban park); it forks at the most inopportune times and has only a few water stops. Interested yet? Thought so.
And by the way, if you’re a resident of the ’nati and want to green up your act by ditching the car, the Route 18 bus (Mt. Airy-Groesbeck-Northgate) stops along Colerain Ave., practically in the park.
Where it’s at: About 10 minutes from downtown; from I-74 in Cincinnati, take exit 18 toward Colerain Ave. The park entrance is on Colerain. Or take the Route 18 (Mt. Airy-Groesbeck-Northgate) bus.
Contact: City of Cincinnati Parks Department or (513) 352-4080
Digs: Winton Woods (Hamilton County Parks) has camping and cabins ($20-$35), www.greatparks.org/parks/winton.htm or (513) 851-2267; The Clifton House B & B is a swanky option, www.thecliftonhouse.com or 888-347-7486 ($135 and up)
Grub: A required stop is Putz’s Creamy Whip for soft serve ice cream, right along West Fork Road, http://putzscreamywhip.com or (513) 681-8668; for a nearby meal, try Myra’s Dionysus, http://myrasrestaurant.com or (513) 961-1578
Brew: Barrel House Brewing Company, www.barrelhouse.com or (513) 421-BEER
Gear and Outfitting: The Benchmark, www.benchmarkoutfitter.com or (513) 791-WILD