Greater Cincinnati is home to a myriad of parks offering diverse hiking trails perfect for every sort of hiker. Cincinnatians should take advantage of the many benefits the outdoors offers. The outdoors increases serotonin levels and gives your immune system a boost — it’s a natural energizer. Got a dog? Walk it. Have kids? Tire them out. An old friend? Reconnect with them. Or, go Walden-style and wander alone to your heart’s content. Here is just a sampling of the best hiking spots in the Cincinnati area. 

Caldwell Nature Preserve 430 W. North Bend Road, Carthage Ranked as one of the top 10 hikes in Ohio by Marmot outdoors company in 2016, Caldwell Nature Preserve in Carthage has 3.5 miles of trails that include a paved and level path into the woods that is accessible to those in wheelchairs. Photo: Kellie Coleman Photo: Kellie Coleman
Cincinnati Nature Center 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford The Cincinnati Nature Preserve has 15 trails with assorted degrees of length and difficulty. This park also offers the “Hike for Your Health” program. Grab a Hike for Your Health passport and get a stamp at the front desk after every hike. Complete all 15 trails and win a special prize. Photo: facebook.com/CincyNature
Bender Mountain 6480 Bender Road, Delhi Bender Mountain Loop Trail is a 2.3-mile hike past scenes of wildflowers and woods. This trail is considered moderately difficult and is great for a small challenge with beautiful scenic payoffs. Photo: Paige Deglow Photo: Paige Deglow
California Woods Nature Preserve 5400 Kellogg Ave., California The California Woods Nature Preserve has a small network of short hikes. Trails are open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. This park is 113 acres of woods filled with a variety of woodland and aquatic wildlife, including beavers, ducks, owls and more. Photo: Izzy Viox
Glenwood Gardens 10397 Springfield Pike, Woodlawn Glenwood Gardens has the Garden Loop Trail and the Wetland Loop Trail. The Garden Loop is 1.1 miles of paved trail leading past a gazebo, the Mill Creek and the stone bridge. The Wetland Loop is a nature trail past grassy meadows, woods and wetlands. Photo: provided by Great Parks of Hamilton County
O’Bannon Woods State Park 7234 Old Forest Road, Corydon, Indiana This 3,000 acre park offers fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, horse trails and biking. It also includes more unusual attractions like an operational blacksmith forge, a pioneer farmstead and a historic three-story haypress. Photo: acebook.com/obannonwoodsstatepark
Ault Park 5090 Observatory Ave., Mount Lookout Ault Park is nestled within an unsuspecting nook of Mount Lookout. Here, the suburban rush slows to a lull. From early morning until late afternoon, the sprawling landscape is full of people traversing its paved loops and gravel trails. If the park were smaller than its boastful 224 acres, it may feel crowded. Photo: Kellie Coleman
Sharon Woods 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville Sharon Woods, established 1932, is the oldest park in the Great Parks of Hamilton County network. Within its 730 acres are trails, a lake, a boathouse, pavilions, playgrounds, a golf course and Heritage Village, a “living museum” that recreates what Ohio life was like in the 1800s. Photo: Madeleine Meeks
Devou Park 1201 Park Drive, Covington Covington’s largest park, Devou spans over 700 acres with scenic hilltop views of the city, plus trails, a golf course, picnic shelters and playgrounds. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Big Bone Lick 3380 Beaver Road, Union If you’re up for a short drive, Big Bone Lick State Park in Union, Ky. has a collection of easy and moderate trails that pass through the historic site’s woodlands, grasslands, savanna and salt-sulfur springs. Named after the Ice Age Megafauna that once occupied the area and its saltwater streams, the park is still home to a collection of giant mammals: bison. The 10 to 15 on view are a link to the Ice Age and an attempt to reestablish a herd of the endangered animals at the park. Photo: Adam Doty
Winton Woods 10245 Winton Road, Greenhills Views of the lake, dense woods and vibrant grass fields can be found at Winton Woods. This park has 2.6 miles of paved trails, a fitness trail, two nature trails and a horseback-riding trail. Photo: Izzy Viox
Burnet Woods 3251 Brookline Ave., Clifton This 90-acre park located near University of Cincinnati’s campus offers plenty of hiking trails, a disc golf course, nature center, a planetarium, fishing lake and more. Photo: Nick Swartsell
Hueston Woods State Park College Corner, Ohio Distance: About 1 hour This park surrounds Acton Lake, where visitors can fish and canoe. Its almost 3,000 acres of recreation land also include hiking and fossil hunting sites. Other amenities include an archery range, dog park, disc golf course and other sports facilities. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Red Bird Hollow 6167 Given Road, Indian Hill On the edge of Terrace Park sits Indian Hill’s Red Bird Hollow, a narrow, 3-mile-long gravel trail with a stream running alongside it. The path is simple: You come out the same way you went in. When the trees are in full bloom, the Hollow looks like a labyrinth— sun rays can’t penetrate through the leaves and there are minimal sounds other than a trickling stream and chirping birds. Photo: Madeleine Meeks
Loveland Bike Trail Loveland, Ohio Ride for miles on a flat-paved trail next to the Little Miami River. Hike along it and enjoy the cool shade of the trees along the trail and stop at the many locations scattered throughout the trail, including the Loveland Sweets shop that sells ice cream and candies. Photo: Savana Willhoite
Photo: Madeleine Meeks
Mount Airy Forest 5083 Colerain Ave., Westwood “Mount Airy is the heart and soul of hiking for Cincinnati Parks because it has so many trails,” says Explore Nature’s Ruthann Spears. “It’s a historical, man-made forest that can only evoke gravitas.” Red Oak Trail is 1 mile long and is the primary artery cutting through the western woods of the park. Many other trails stem from Red Oak, namely Ponderosa, a 3-mile trail, and Beechwood, a 1.3-mile trail. Runners often compile the Beechwood, Quarry and Red Oak Trails into a 7.5-mile jogging loop. All are considered intermediate. Want a challenge? The Stone Steps is a strenuous 90-stair uphill climb that runners often tackle. For an easier alternative, there’s the 1.75-mile Treehouse Trail, which starts at Everybody’s Treehouse, the park’s wheelchair-accessible hidden gem wooden treehouse. Although Mount Airy Forest’s trails are numerous, all of them delve deep into a forest of woods and wildlife. The sheer size — a whopping 1,500 acres — is breathtaking. Both standing and fallen trees span for miles and miles, accompanied by a bed of shimmering, silver-gold leaves leftover from winter. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Woodland Mound 8250 Old Kellogg Road, Withamsville Woodland Mound Overlook trails include a 1-mile fitness trail through the woods, a half-mile trail called the Hedgeapple (past two ponds home to frogs, salamanders, snakes and more), another nature hike with a view of the Ohio River and a shared-use trail that leads to almost 2 miles of woods and prairie. Photo provided by Hamilton County Parks Photo: Provided by Hamilton County Parks
Withrow Nature Preserve 7075 Five Mile Road, Anderson Township The Trout Lily Trail in the Withrow Nature Preserve is a moderately difficult 1.7 mile nature trail through verdant green woods, bushes and grass. This trail is rarely crowded so it makes for a great peaceful walk. Photo: Paige Deglow
Miami Whitewater Forest 9001 Mt. Hope Road, Harrison Miami Whitewater is the go-to park for people living in Harrison. Four nature trails wind through the Miami Whitewater Forest. The paved exercise trail leads through views of woods, creeks, grasslands and local rural neighborhoods for a 1.4 mile loop or the outer loop of almost 7.8 miles. Photo Provided by Hamilton County Parks Photo: Provided by Hamilton County Parks
Tower Park 900 S. Fort Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas Tower Park has a list of short walking trails adjacent the Ohio River. Photo: Paige Deglow Photo: Paige Deglow
Shawnee Lookout 2008 Lawrenceburg, North Bend Shawnee Lookout Park is known for its views and historical values. The park has a small series of nature trails between 1 and 2 miles long that lead to views of the forest and of the Ohio River and Great Miami River valleys. Photo provided by Hamilton County Parks Photo: provided by Hamilton County Parks
French Park 3012 Section Road, Amberley Village French Park has a trail almost 3 miles long and open year round. Enjoy a stroll, jog or run past woods and a creek for a fairly easy hike. Photo: Madeleine Meeks Photo: Madeleine Meeks
Johnson Hills Park 7950 Bridle Road, Dry Run An easy and relaxing walk through the Johnson Hills Park trails through forest areas is perfect for walking, running and hiking. The park’s trail loop is a little over 2 miles long and open for all skill levels. Photo: Izzy Viox