This easy walk out to see the bison at Big Bone is the most popular hike at the park. On hot days, the bison typically stay in the shaded areas away from visitors to beat the heat. Knowing this, I visited a couple hours before sunset and enjoyed watching the herd make its way around the fields as the shadows grew long and the day’s heat subsided.

This is a drive-up overlook at the end of the road in Hartig Park and Wildlife Reserve in Gallatin County. Views like this are few and far between along the Ohio River, and this 800+ acre park is something of a lesser known in Northern Kentucky. It offers free camping, this amazing view, and a number of trails that I’ll fully explore in the coming weeks. Also, expect to see deer in great numbers along the farm fields leading to the park during their active hours.

This short loop and spur offers a nice walk in the woods plus a wonderful overlook of Downtown Cincinnati. Feel free to make a figure eight out of the loop with the connector trail that bisects it.

This is a really nice walk in the woods on well maintained, beautiful trails. There were plenty of wildflowers along the route and a couple small stream crossings with mini-waterfalls that were trickling along. After an extended wintertime hard freeze, these spots would be magnificent with icy cascades.

This is a nice, easy loop along the western banks of the Licking River in Covington. The portion on the flood wall is mostly paved with dirt and gravel on the trail section closest to the river. On this day, I enjoyed a massive patch of wildflowers at the trail’s southern end along the river. It was beautiful!

I really do enjoy this hiking area. The trails are well-cared for and the surroundings are both varied and interesting. This double loop includes the Wetlands and Dickerson Trails with plenty of wildflowers, birds, and solitude to enjoy. Well away from densely populated areas, the sign-in sheet shows about one visitor per day - and that’s a wonderful thing.

This is a good sized park with lots of sports fields that happens to have a few trails mixed in. The trails weren’t very interesting and were largely devoid of even the most common wildflowers. I would suggest skipping this one unless you’re already there for an event.

Part gravel double track and part grass fields, this loop hike is a nice one on sunny days to catch some rays. It also had more bluebells along the forested trails than I can remember and side trail access to both Banklick Creek and Brushy Fork are available with varying degrees of effort.

This is a fantastic hike that includes Moser Branch Double Falls, and plenty of forested trails on the Highland Cemetery property. It is filled with wildflowers including a few varieties that I haven’t seen elsewhere in Northern Kentucky. Kids will love playing in the creeks and parents will appreciate the options to shorten up when needed;-)

This is a nice little treat in Northern Kentucky where waterfalls on public lands are scarce. And, while it is a waterfall in the lay sense, it is also man-made. The excavation work to create Doe Run Dam and the soccer field below the falls created Doe Run ‘Falls’. Regardless, it’s a very relaxing place to spend some time and unless there is a soccer match in progress, you’re likely to have it to yourself as I did.

The southern section of this loop is on single/double track dirt/mud trails and is both rugged and beautiful. The northern section is gravel double track with a few benches and picnic tables overlooking the lake. There are numerous challenges for hikers that complete the loop. For an easy hike, head to the southern section and turnaround at the badly damaged bridge.

This is a beautiful set of well-built and maintained trails with a little more elevation gain per mile than many trails in Northern Kentucky. The spur trail was cut by the NKY chapter of the Sierra Club, and it provides a great walk in the woods leading to a nice, but limited view of the adjacent ridgeline and the Licking River Valley. If you seek solitude, this is likely among the best options in the region.

Wildlife Management Areas are great hikes that usually have some unruly sections, and Mullins is no exception. Much of the hike is on double track grass (loads of ticks) with a short portion in the woods on single track trail. What you give up in comfort, you gain in wildness. We enjoyed our time here and didn’t encounter another soul. Also, there is a unique area on the loop that has a stand of dead trees and abundant fungus growth.

This is my favorite trail combination at Big Bone - and I’ve probably run a few hundred miles across these loops. Springtime is the ideal time for a visit to enjoy the many varieties of wildflowers lining the trails - especially near the creek. And, Big Bone is home to a small, beautiful herd of bison!

Next door to Big Bone Baptist Church is Adair Wildlife Management Area (WMA). We decided to take advantage of this long dry spell to do some arrowhead hunting and hiked the dried up stream beds on the eastern half of the area. This time of year, it’s a guaranteed bushwhack, so be prepared and don’t wear anything nice:-)