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5 Hikes Within 5 Hours of Cincinnati

3/22/2018

I love my long expeditions into the mountains as much as the next guy, maybe even a little bit more. Days on end out on the trail are what I live for, but when I can't get that kind of time I play weekend warrior just like everyone else. Most of the time when I want to get out for a weekend trip I wander down to Red River Gorge, Kentucky and explore the scenic cliffs, majestic overhangs and dense forest canopy. Sometimes though, I've wondered what else is out there in my reach for a weekend trip. So, to answer this question, I've decided to pick a new destination every other weekend and find 5 more great places to hike within a sort drive of the city I call home, on-top of Red River Gorge.

1. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana
Drive Time: ~4 hours & 20 minutes via I-65
Destination: Dunewood Campground

Indiana Dunes, just east of Chicago, nestled on the southern shore of Lake Michigan is a beautiful place. I have yet to find a place on the shores of the Great Lakes that I haven't enjoyed. Although there isn't much opportunity for backpacking here, the cost for the Dunewood Campground and the many day hikes in the area make it a close and attractive location. Many people complain about not being close to the ocean in the mid-west but I think the lakes are even better than the ocean... Be sure to check out the Cowel's Bog Trail to get away from the crowds and see a unique ecosystem. Also, make sure you spend a sunset on the many miles of beaches.

2. The Shawnee National Forest, Illinois
Drive Time: ~4 hours & 40 minutes via I-64
Destination: Garden of the Gods Backpacking Trailhead

Visiting the Garden of the Gods (not the one in Colorado unfortunately) was an awesome adventure. I departed Cincinnati around 9PM EDT and got to Illinois a little after midnight local time. After night hiking for about 30 minutes I found the rest of my group's camp (them having got there a few hours before). I setup, settled into my sleeping bag and woke up to about 3" of snow and plenty of adventure the next day. We hiked, climbed and enjoyed our journey around the area, definitely a place I'll be going back to.

3. The Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
Drive Time: ~2 hours & 30 minutes via I-64
Destination: Two Lakes Loop Trailhead

Just a short drive from Cincinnati. I completed the Two Lakes Loop as an overnight trip in February. The weather had tricked us (or at least me) into thinking this would be an early spring hike with warm temperatures and lots of mud, instead we got cold temperatures, snow and A TON of mud. We crossed rivers in 30 degree weather, found a guy literally running laps around us on the trail and much more. It was a fun getaway and definitely a place I need to go enjoy in warmer weather! Bring lots of socks for this one.

4. The Shawnee State Forest, Ohio
Drive Time: ~2 hours via Ohio-32
Destination: Backpackers Parking Area outside the State Park

The Shawnee State Forest area is also known as the Little Smokies and I found out why on this trip. I set out on an adventure, not quite sure what to expect, on the hike I found awesome views, trickling streams and more than a few upward climbs. If you don't mind time in the thick woods then this is the place for you, and if you like fall colors or a little bit better of a view go in the late fall and winter. On my trip I also visited the Copperhead Fire Tower, one of the oldest in the state. As we climbed you could feel it sway in the wind but the views of the forest around me were well worth it. Definitely a place to go if you're looking for an easy get away and some uncrowded trails.

5. Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, Michigan
Drive Time: ~7 hours via I-31 (Ya its over 5 hours but its worth it...)
Destination: The Nurnberg Trailhead (Heads up, involves 5 mile drive down a sandy dirt road)

I stoped by the Nordhouse Dunes on the tail end of a 5 day trip around Michigan. I made some great friends on this trip and I also found one of my favorite places... Nordhouse Dunes is slightly out of the 5 hour range I dedicated this piece to but its definiately worth the extra time. Situated on the west coast of Michigan along the shore of Lake Michigan its a beautiful and isolated place. When we went in early October we only saw one other person and one other vehicle at the trailhead. As one of southern Michigan's only wilderness areas and being decently off the beaten path I would for sure recommend a visit. Be sure to bring a swimsuit, towel and flip-flops!

Any trip out is a wonderful time, but to find new places to travel to makes it that much more exciting. Some of these places, especially Nordhouse Dunes, I already plan on taking others back to.

"And this, our life exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything."
-William Shakespeare

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Crater Lake National Park

3/17/2018

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Our Trusty Steed

You often take off on a trip and expect one thing to happen, but little do you know everything is going to go in a completely different direction. This story starts with myself and my group taking off for Crater Lake National Park from Cincinnati, Ohio on a Friday evening with 12 of us, packed to the gills in a passenger van with a long ride ahead and no idea what we had signed up for.
The drive was long but easy; I had previously traveled with my cousin Nathan and my buddy Alex and knew they would be able to pull through the long night shifts. I figured the others could too, but I wanted to play it safe on the way out there. After 34 hours on the road we finally arrived in Klamath Falls, Oregon to collect our snowshoes and head up the road to Crater. We met the owner of a local shop who we rented shoes from and he told us what to expect up at Crater Lake, he also proceeded to tell us about wolves, bears and mountain lions and I could see some of my group member’s eyes widen.

It was a foggy day in town as we headed up Mt. Mazama (the long extinct volcano that holds Crater Lake in its teeth) but as we got closer the fog cleared and we could see the snowcapped peaks around the rim. After a short time, we gathered our permits drove up to the rim, got everything situated (including the car that had to be left 3 miles back, 1,200’ down at the visitor’s center in case the road up to the rim closed due to high snow, PS thanks for the rides up and down Craig and Sharron) and we were off. Our goal was to circumnavigate the entire caldera in 4 days and 3 nights, close to 30 miles all the way around. In the summer this would be a pleasant and nice trip, with very little elevation change and beautiful views, but in the winter, you strap on snowshoes and sometimes posthole deep into the 7’ snowpack making the hike a whole different challenge.

One of The Many Overlooks

For most of the day everyone was getting used to the bulky snowshoes, we were enjoying the views and for those of us who didn’t already know each other, we were becoming friends. As the day went on I could feel myself start to wear out, having only slept for 5 hours out of 48 will do that too you… I really wanted to get into camp and knew we were getting close, after about 5 hours on the trail we had covered close to 7 miles, not bad for snowshoe pace. We made our goal for the day which was a good sign since I had already doubted our chances for success earlier in the day after seeing the upcoming forecast of snow later in the week. Once we got in, we stamped the snow, setup tents and dug out a pretty rugged snow kitchen. I was so exhausted from the past several days I collapsed into a deep nap waking up almost an hour later feeling much better.

Camp At Crater Lake

Apparently during my nap though the group had gotten to talking, several of them felt that we wouldn’t be able to complete the loop the way we were going and wanted to figure out a plan B. The way I saw it we had three options, split the group up and half goes on and half goes back then we rendezvous in a few days, we all go back and spend another night in the snow with a sunset summit of Watchman Peak or we could book it out in the morning, get the snowshoes back, get some money back and make the best of what we have for the rest of the trip. We decided on the latter. In the morning, we packed up and headed out the way we came. I had a lot on my mind that morning, it was a beautiful hike, but I was going the wrong way. I knew if we went the rest of the way we’d have an extremely difficult few days ahead of us and what I wanted more was for everyone to have an amazing spring break. We arrived back at the car, dropped off the shoes and I did a little impromptu trip planning in the parking lot.

In A Burnt Out Red Wood

It was decided that we would drive to California that night and camp, then in the morning we would hit the beach and day hike then backpack up into the mountains for the night. The next day we would come down and drive to either the Umpqua or Alvord hot springs in Oregon and camp depending on the weather at each location. Finally, from there we would continue back the way we came, spending a night in the Salt Flats of Utah and getting home sometime Saturday. All of this happened and so much more…

Taking A Dip In The Pacific

Alvord Hot Spring

It was an amazing trip, with amazing sights. We sat in hot springs in the desert, swam in the Pacific, hiked among the Red Woods and wandered the Salt Flats. It shook a little of the urge to run off from me but made me hungry for a long trip out in the backcountry. I made great new friends and figured out that I’m pretty damn good at solving my problems (especially when I-80 closed and we had to detour through the back roads of Wyoming). I look forward to my next adventure, I couldn’t have been happier with this one and I’ll keep dreaming of more.

The Great Salt Lake

"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
-Sir Edmund Hillary

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5 Hikes Within 5 Hours of Cincinnati

"And this, our life exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything."
-William Shakespeare

Crater Lake National Park

"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
-Sir Edmund Hillary

BEn Shaw

Trips

5 Hikes Within 5 Hours of Cincinnati

"And this, our life exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." ​-William Shakespeare

Crater Lake National Park

"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves" -Sir Edmund Hillary

BEn Shaw

Trips

"And this, our life exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything."
-William Shakespeare

"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"
-Sir Edmund Hillary