This Easy Loop Trail Winds Past Some Of The Most Postcard-Perfect Scenery In Ohio
By Sarah McCosham|Published November 02, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to scenic trails in Ohio. Between our glorious national park, abundant state parks, rolling countryside, and numerous coastlines, Ohio is a naturally beautiful state that’s perfect for hiking. One of our all-time favorite trails in Ohio is the Lanterman’s Mill Trail, a 4.4-mile loop that winds through some of the most postcard-perfect scenery in the Buckeye State… including a charming old mill!
Mill Creek Park was established in 1891 by Volney Rogers as the first park district in Ohio. The largest of the MetroParks, Mill Creek Park covers 2,658 acres in Northeast Ohio.
This public park is known for its natural beauty, which is essentially a microcosm of Northwest Ohio's sublime scenery (see: Cuyahoga Falls National Park!), complete with waterfalls, sun-streaked forests, beautiful bridges, and babbling waters.
Opportunities for recreation abound here, especially for those into hiking. The East Gorge Walk and West Gorge Trail offers a dramatic peek into the area’s geologic history.
Listed in the Mid-America Walking Atlas, the award-winning Gorge Trail is a breathtakingly beautiful two-mile loop along Mill Creek that consists of a boardwalk and is bordered on one side by the stream and on the other side by a massive wall of sandstone.
(Hike this trail in the winter, and you could bear witness to a real, live ice palace!)
If your legs can handle a bit more, the Lanterman's Mill Trail is one of our all-time favorite scenic hikes in Ohio; it's a 4.4-mile trek through the most spectacular scenery in the park.
The trail is admittedly a bit long and rated moderate, but the lovely landscape and varied terrain will keep you eagerly moving. Portions of the path follow a paved road, as well as some of the most noteworthy features of Mill Creek Park...
...to even a charming covered bridge! Designed after a bridge used by farmers to bring their grain to the mill in the 1800s, the Mill Creek Bridge is one of the highlights of this Ohio park.
The other highlight? Its namesake, the mill itself! Lanterman's Mill was built in 1845-46 by German Lanterman and Samuel Kimberly and restored in the 1980s. Today, it stands as a proud testament to Ohio history, and a delightful reason to lace up your shoes and get hiking.
Have you hiked this lovely loop trail before? The Lanterman’s Mill Trail at Mill Creek Park is definitely one of those hikes that will have you swooning over this beautiful state of ours.
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