We decided to take advantage of a warm fall day in October in Ohio by hiking at Caesar Creek State Park, just an hour south of Springfield. This large state park surrounds a lake which was formed in the 1970s after the construction of a dam on Caeser Creek. With over 43 miles of hiking trails snaking through the park, there is plenty to explore.
We parked our car on the eastern edge of the lake, at the Pioneer Village: an open air museum with fifteen original buildings from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The constructions include a Quaker meetinghouse, a pioneer schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop, and various family cabins. And zero people — even though it was an unseasonably warm Saturday, Caeser Creek doesn’t appear to be overrun with visitors.
There is a long 13-mile hike that goes around the lake but we opted for the Peninsula Walk, an easy loop through the forest and along the lakeshore with pretty views. After that we hiked out to the Horseshoe Falls. Sadly, we haven’t had much rainfall in Ohio, so the waterfall was almost completely dry. From the shape of the rocks, it was easy to see why it’s called Horseshoe Falls, but today it was more just Horseshoe Cliff.
Despite the waterfall disappointment, we loved our time at the park. The leaves were changing color beautifully, and we just enjoyed being out in nature. We crossed a suspension bridge, spotted some mushrooms, and even made a little friend along the way: a grumpy little toad. The next time we’re back in Ohio, we’ll probably return to Caeser Creek. Not only are there a lot more trails to explore, but you can do fossil hunting in some areas of the park, if you obtain a permit first.
From our Travel Blog.
