Up the hill at the end of our street lies a rather vast wooded area known as Parkers Woods Nature Preserve and just beyond that is Buttercup Valley Preserve. According to what I was reading on the Cincinnati Parks website, Parkers Woods was the northern limit of the 266-acre farm purchased by the Langland family in 1822. In 1911, Alexander Langland Parker, a grandson of its original owner, sold 27.5 acres to the Park Board. And another parcel of land was added 1953. Parker Woods offers 2 trails: a paved trail and a woodland trail. The Parkers Preserve trails are great for someone looking for a small walk through the woods. According to the website, Buttercup Valley offers more intense hiking for the avid nature hiker. It has some steep inclines and very wooded trails. Trails that will make you forget you’re still in the city. One trail will take you to an area called the Flats which apparently, is a prairie meadow. And the other trail will take you to Crawford Avenue where you can see the National Historic Landmark, Spring Grove Cemetery. It’s one of only seven cemeteries to hold this national honor.

In 1973, the Board of Park Commissioners received 21.21 acres of land at the east end of Stanford Drive and Northview Drive and a .63 acre tract at the corner of Craven Avenue and Fergus Street for use as a nature preserve. And Buttercup Valley Preserve was formed. It was dedicated on Arbor Day, April 26, 1974. Additional acreage was purchased for a current total of 25.67 acres.

Both preserves are beautiful pieces of forest which have been untouched since the pioneer days. The website was saying that some of the trees in the valley are over 200 years old. They are home to various flora and fauna. Buttercup Valley is a hiker’s dream nestled right in the heart of urban neighborhoods. They are both considered the gems of Northside.

Whew! Long story short, it was a pretty day and we took the dogs to explore a little bit of the trails of Parkers Woods…

It was so pretty out in the woods. We ended up walking the trails in Parkers Woods for almost an hour and a half but we only covered one and a half miles…

Between my walking slowly on the uneven ground and Mack’s constant pulling on his leash, we didn’t move through the trails very quickly. But it sure was beautiful in the woods. We’ll keep working on Mack’s pulling. But we can’t wait for another nice weekend so we can explore more of Parker Woods and maybe next time we’ll make it to Buttercup Valley. And next time we’ll definitely take more photos too. But at least this walk managed to finally wear out Mack…

😀🌳🐾❤️