Need something to do on a sunny day in Cincinnati? Look no further than our Day 48 of “365 Things to do in Cincinnati” – a trip to Miami Whitewater Forest.
One of the Hamilton County Park District parks, Miami Whitewater Forest is located west of the city near Harrison. This park covers 4,329 acres and has a gorgeous 85 acre lake with a boat house.
At the boathouse you’ll find all kind of fishing supplies and sundries. You can rent a variety of “toys” such as mountain bikes, row boats, motorized fishing boats, and some really fun “go cart looking” bikes (as seen above).
You can even rent a bike that you pedal on the lake! How cool is that?! And if getting into the water is not your thing, you can admire the lake from the covered picnic area (which is adjacent to the full service harbor snack bar).
They also have a great wet playground, Parky’s Pirate Cove. They do charge admission to the wet waterpark (currently $2/child or $5/3 children). The park has more traditional playground equipment in addition to the water features.
Miami Whitewater Forest has a number of walking trails throughout the park. They have one paved trail (Shaker Trace Trail – 1.4 miles for short loop and 7.8 miles for longer loop). The long trail would be great for biking and I actually saw quite a few bikers riding the paved trail.
There are many picnic areas along the road complete with tables and grills. They also have reservable picnic shelters.
Rather than walking on the paved trail, I opted to take a hike on one of their nature trails. Side note: you can get a free park brochure with a map in it at the Nature’s Niche store. I drove from the Visitor Center to the head of the Badlands Trail. A trail marked “moderate”, the Badlands trail has a shorter and a longer loop.
I was glad I made the choice to take a walk in the woods rather than walking the paved trail. I appeared to be the only person out there. The woods were gorgeous and the trail was shady. I was almost done with the trail when I heard two deer run down the hill beside me. They stopped to examine me and I did the same.
As you can see, the woods are thick. The undergrowth is lush and green. It was a great walk! Truly gorgeous!
Miami Whitewater Forest has a 9 hole Frisbee golf course, a traditional golf course with driving range, campgrounds, and equestrian trails. You can learn more about Miami Whitewater Forest at its website.
You will find Miami Whitewater Forest at 9001 Mt. Hope Road, 45030. You do need a Hamilton County Park sticker (one per car) to enter. But they’re quite the bargain at $5 for the entire year. The park sticker will get you into all of the Hamilton County Parks.
Don’t miss our visits to some of the other Hamilton County Parks:
Glenwood Gardens
Winton Woods Campground
Sharon Woods
