Spring is springing here in the Buckeye State and it's the most charming and colorful time of the year! Bearing witness to the shifting of seasons and watching the world come alive is a miracle that's best experienced outdoors. For me in Southwestern Ohio, there's one place I return time and time again and it, in my opinion, is most glorious this time of year. Lace up your boots and get ready for an enchanting spring hike along the easy, 1.2-mile Ault Park Forest Loop Trail in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Each year come March and April, something marvelous happens across the Buckeye State: a seasonal sea change with vibrant waves of colorful, whimsical wildflowers.
There are so many wonderful ways to celebrate spring in Ohio, but my favorite is the simplest: opting outside.
And my favorite destination for the perfect spring hike in Ohio? Easy: Ault Park.
Part of the Cincinnati Parks system, Ault Park is an east-side treasure that's beautiful all year-round, but positively sublime come spring.
While best-known for its sprawling cherry blossom tree grove (10/10 highly recommend), there are some trails at the park that offer a quieter "counterprogramming" to these pretty pink trees.
Enter: the Ault Forest Loop Trail, an easy-peasy 1.3-mile route that offers big scenic payoffs with minimal effort!
More a casual stroll than arduous hike, this trail encircles Ault Park and is quietly ravishing in the springtime, with verdant greenery, unbelievably tall trees, vibrant flora, and, if you're lucky, cobalt blue skies peeking through it all.
Ault Park features native wildflowers and impeccably groomed gardens, making for a dazzling feast for the eyes (and all the senses, really).
In addition to the flowering blooms and buzzing bees and pollinators, you'll also stumble on signs of new life in the form of moss-topped stumps, mushrooms, and blooming paw paw trees!
There's no place in Ohio quite like Ault Park, and experiencing this magical place and its array of spring wildflowers along is everything. If you feel inspired to explore more, be sure to upgrade to AllTrails+, which gives you access to hikes, trail conditions, maps, and more!
While you're in the area, head down to Mt. Lookout for a burger and brew at Zip's, a legendary local restaurant that's not to be missed!
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