ABOUT THE PARK:
John Bryan State Park - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.78696, -83.86276
TRAIL MAP:
John Bryan State Park Trail Map - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
HIKE DISTANCE: 3.3 miles
THE HIKE:
Drive 'n hike New Jersey to Missouri to help my mother who recently had hip replacement surgery. This is hike 1 of 2 on the day 2. Where I usually would drive 4 hours, hike 8-10 miles, then drive another 4 hours, I broke this down into shorter drives with two shorter hikes because of where I am with working my way back to full speed after my hip replacement surgery.
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| A connector trail to the North Rim Trail from the parking lot. |
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| At the North Rim Trail we turned left. Shawnee and I had hiked the opposite direction back on November 30, 2009. |
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| There are overlooks and access points for rappelling but even with little foliage, not much to be seen down below. |
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| The view from an overlook. |
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| The trail was lined with bluebells. |
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| Right on the John L Rich Trail down into the gorge. The North Rim Trail continues but ... |
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| ... it soon entered Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve where dogs are not allowed. |
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| Descending on the John L Rich Trail. |
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| At the bottom a bridge crosses over Little Miami River. |
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| I managed to dig up some pictures of when Shawnee and I hiked here previously. April 16, 2021 compared to November 30, 2009. |
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| Crossing the bridge over ... |
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| Little Miami River (2021 and 2009) |
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| Now on the South Gorge Trail which follows along Little Miami River. |
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| A wood duck in a tree. |
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| Wouldn't it be nice to live in that house? |
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| At a fork the South Gorge Trail is to the left, we went right closer to the water. |
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| The trail seems to get a fair amount of use as it is well-defined but there are several downed trees to go over or around. |
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| But the views are great from this level. |
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| Coming up on the bridge to cross back over to the other side. |
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| A gorgeous yellow-throated warbler. |
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| Now on the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati State Coach ... |
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| ... to where it ends at the park road. A hard right just beyond the gate ... |
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| ... leads back to the North Rim Trail and the connector trail to the parking lot. |
