Features and Facilities | Maps | Upcoming Events |  The Wildflowers of California Woods Nature Preserve

Park Description

 California Woods Nature Preserve comprises one acre of prairie/meadow habitat, and 113 acres of forest community that include one of the finest remaining examples of a climax mixed mesophytic woodland in southwest Ohio. The forest surrounding the climax forest is in various stages of succession.

There are 53 species of trees in the nature preserve including prime examples of beech, red oak, hickory, black walnut, basswood, tulip, pawpaw and yellow buckeye. The preserve also protects over 203 species of herbaceous plants, including trillium flexipes, dragonroot, fawn lily, Canada lily, synadra, wild hyacinth, hepatica, Lily-leaved twayblade, twinleaf, blue cohosh , shooting star, and several Ohio "threatened" species.

Lick Run Creek runs through the nature preserve, providing suitable habitat for kingfishers, snapping turtles, small fish and myriad invertebrates. During occasional high waters, grebes, mallards, wood ducks and beaver visit. The riparian forest along the creek floods yearly and is a good area from which to observe red-headed woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks, and great horned owls roosting in the tall sycamores.

Special Features
There is a butterfly and hummingbird garden located directly in front of the nature center. The garden is a wonderful place to watch butterflies and hummingbirds feeding, or skinks and northern water snakes sunning in the garden. Plants are labeled for your information.

The nature center was built in 1938 as a pool house consisting of only the two-story center section. Over the years, as the building came to be used as a day camp and now a nature center, it accumulated a second floor west addition in 1950, the east wing in 1968 and the front deck in 1987. Despite all the alterations, however, the building still reflects the Modern approach taken by the original architects Hubert M. Garriott & John W. Becker. The pool was filled in and surfaced with turf block to create a parking lot in the early 1990s. The Nature Center provides educational programs to schools, community groups and the public. The Nature Center staff presents programs year-round for the public, schools and other organized groups. Annual events include Pancakes in the Woods, Honey Harvest and Winter in the Woodlands. A quarterly nature activities guide for all Cincinnati Park Board parks and preserves is available upon request.

Trail Information
There are two National Recreation trails located in the nature preserve. The California Junction Trail is approximately a one-mile loop and follows a section of the old Cincinnati to Portsmouth rail line. Once you hike up to this trail, it is an easy level trail. The second National Recreation trail is the Trillium Valley Trail which is known for the beautiful spring wildflowers found along the half-mile distance. This trail has steep steps and is considered moderately difficult.

The mile Prairie/Meadow Trail takes walkers to an open area in the nature preserve. This prairie/meadow area is actively managed to encourage prairie grass and flower growth. While walking in this area look for gray fox, red fox, meadow voles, groundhogs and browsing deer, eastern bluebirds, gold finch and soaring hawks, and an active honey bee colony. The prairie's diverse plants provide year-round observation opportunities. Look for the showy flowers or interesting seed heads of New England asters, rattlesnake master, big bluestem and many more prairie species. This is a level trail for easy walking.

Numerous other hiking trails in the nature preserve offer different levels of hiking difficulty.

HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA WOODS

Visiting California Woods:

5400 Kellogg Ave.
Cincinnati, OH  45226
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