April Hikes in and Around Cincinnati

I’m excited to be partnering with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to help you get outside more and enjoy some wonderful adventures in nature.

Hi, I’m Tammy York the author of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Cincinnati. I’m an avid hiker but not what you would expect. I’m not a lean mean hiking machine, I’m your standard work-at-home-mom-suburbanite who also happens to really love hiking and writing. My point is you don’t have to be a Bear Grylls to enjoy hiking. You can just be you and that’s perfect.

Why hike? Scientific studies repeatedly show how important it is for your health and happiness to spend unstructured time in nature. But, it can be scary leaving the safe sanctuary of the living room and stepping into the wild surroundings of the great outdoors.

So, that’s where I can help you. In partnering with the awesome people at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and my amazing publisher Menasha Ridge Press, we’re bringing you a free series of handpicked hikes for you to enjoy. There’s no catch. The hikes are the same hikes as in the book.

What?! Why on Earth would we do that? We want you and your children to reap the benefits of spending time in nature and are really excited to hear about your adventures.

Each month, I’ll give you the lay of the land and recommendations for the best hikes to do over the next several weeks. You can download the pdf files of that month’s hikes, grab the kids, invite a friend, and hit the trail.

You aren’t going to need any specialized gear but I do recommend a good pair of tennis shoes or hiking boots, good socks (I love SmartWool), weather appropriate clothing, enough water for you and your children, some healthy snacks, printouts of the hike and property map, small first aid kit, bug spray, sunscreen, and your cell phone.

My picks for April include trails with spring wildflowers, waterfalls, woods, and ponds. You are likely to see some neo-tropical migrants as we get further along in the month. While Cincinnati Nature Center and Sharon Woods are longer trails, the trails are formed by several shorter loops so you can do a segment at a time.

Caldwell Preserve is a nice walk through the woods. The trail goes up and down a few hills and has some great views. Downloadable PDF of Caldwell Preserve Hike.

Sharon Woods is the perfect place to see some beautiful waterfalls and the nature center is incredible. Downloadable PDF of Sharon Woods Hike.

Cincinnati Nature Center the trails are well maintained and marked so it is easy to navigate the trails. Plus, the nature center is awesome. The naturalists are extremely helpful and friendly. Downloadable PDF of Cincinnati Nature Center’s Rowe Woods Hike.

Sugarcreek MetroPark the trails are well marked and it is a lot of fun to hop from rock to rock to cross the creek. Downloadable PDF of Sugarcreek Metropark Hike.

If you have any questions about hiking, I’m here to help, please comment below.

Enjoy the trails! And, don’t be shy – share with your friends via Twitter and Facebook what trails you accomplished. Please tag Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and 6060Cincyhikes in your Facebook posts and use @6060cincyhikes and @cincychildrens for your tweets so we can celebrate your accomplishments too!