Hueston Woods State Park
Growing up near Cincinnati, I’m not sure I have a great excuse for not visiting this park more often. Hueston Woods lies less than an hour north of the city, and remote enough to feel like you’re in a completely different region. Like many larger state parks in Ohio, it ticks all the boxes. A large body of water for all your boating and fishing desires, a lodge with full restaurant and bar, a variety of quality campsites, hiking trails through old-growth forests, a golf course… I could go on and on. We camped for two nights over a weekend and HOLY COW was the campground busy. But it makes sense. The greater Cincy area isn’t super known for its outdoor recreation so when a park like this is within driving distance, you can expect people to flock here over the weekends, especially throughout the summer. And its great to see a state park busy! More visitors = more opportunities for park funding. We did have some noisy neighbors on one of the nights, but the park ranger must have swooped in and quieted things down because the next night was downright tranquil. Despite the packed campground, the trails weren’t crowded. I can’t say the same for the beach… We aren’t beach go-ers, anyway!
We did a little preparation for visiting this park (my second time). We had to see the infamous red covered bridge. I didn’t expect so much graffiti.. I was pretty shocked by that. I knew I wanted to hike the Big Woods trail again. This old-growth forest is part of the adjacent nature preserve. Untouched for generations, it is home to Ohio’s 3 tallest trees! We knew we wanted to find the bird blind I wasn’t able to visit last time. I love me a good bird blind! It was positioned right on the creek leading from Acton Lake and was the perfect spot for some morning birdwatching. Lastly, we knew we needed to revisit their top-knotch nature center. It was finished in 2022 and is home to several species of wildlife from bees to snakes. And that’s just on the inside. What we did not expect (and not sure how I missed last time) was the outdoor enclosure of the nature center full of incredible native species you definitely don’t get an up-close view to most days! We were feet from bald eagles, owls, a fox, and a bobcat, plus other animals who (for various reasons) are unable to survive in the wild on their own. We had the great pleasure of meeting one of Hueston Wood’s naturalists, Skylar, who allowed us an even closer look. After closing we stuck around for a few minutes to watch the birds of prey receive their dinner from the staff. It was such a cool sight getting to see the owls, eagles, and hawks during a more active time! We were so grateful for the opportunity!
Another memorable moment (and highly recommended) feature of this park was the meadow trail throughout the park’s Hedgerow Project, maintained by the National Wild Turkey Federation. We had this trail completely to ourselves on a foggy Saturday morning. Between the wildflowers in bloom and the huge variety of songbirds singing, it was just a birdwatcher’s dream
The last place we visited before heading home was the lodge, where we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast. I recommend the monte cristo! Even after two full days, we still hadn’t even explored all this park has to offer. So of course, we’ll be back! And we hope to see you there too!
