Hiking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller
Date: February 25, 2021
We visited this 216 acre Miami County Park a five days after a six inch snowfall. Between water from a small underground spring a few miles to the east and the snow melt, a beautiful cascading 37 foot waterfall (Photo#1) was the highlight of the hike. The main falls trail led us down steps to the base of the falls which was a combination of rushing water and 30+ foot frozen icicles. Steps led us past the falls and back up the trail to a limestone cave (Photo#3) large enough for me to crawl into. The cave is “L” shaped, about 25 feet long with a small exit at the other end along the cliff. Small limestone stalactites are seen on the cave ceiling. Wild columbine and walking ferns covered limestone sections of the gorge. Photo#2 shows Rosie ascending the trail with the stream on the left and the cliff face on the right. The stream from the falls eventually makes its way to the Miami River. The park has a total of 3.7 miles of trail that take you to a tree covered valley and a tall grass prairie. Since Rosie was recovering from a knee and calf injury we took our time hiking just two miles on the often wet, snow and ice covered trail. The trail we chose took us above and around the falls to great viewpoint of the falls from a higher vantage point (Photo#4).
