Woodland Mound Trails

This trail winds through a second-growth wooded area with several exercise stations along the way such as leg stretches, chin ups and parallel bars.

Bursts of color from native wildflowers, such as waterleaf, wild ginger and Solomon’s plume, will catch your eye as you traverse this path.

The forest habitat around this trail is home to several species of owls. Barred owls can commonly be heard raucously calling out their stake of territory at dawn and dusk.

Trail Length: 1.00 mile
Trail Type: Fitness
Trail Level: Moderate

You might notice large trees that have been planted in rows and have an orange-ish color to their bark; these are called hedgeapple trees. They were once used as fence rows because of the way they branch out and the thorns that they have helped to keep the livestock in fields. In the fall, you might notice their fruits that are large and green about the size of a grapefruit. Osage orange is another name for this tree.

The two ponds that are at the end of this trail provide homes to many species of amphibian, reptile and birds. In early spring, the salamanders and frogs come here to mate and lay their eggs. Painted turtles can also be spotted basking on the logs.

Many species of birds can be spotted along this trail. These include eastern towhees, barred owls, cardinals and many species of warblers. This trail provides a variety of habitats from forest to ponds to even a vernal pool.

Trail Length: 0.73 miles
Trail Type: Nature
Trail Level: Moderate

Looping along a slightly hilly terrain, this trail allows the visitor to experience woodlands, fields and edge habitats.

Wild turkeys, pileated woodpeckers, cooper’s hawks, turkey vultures, eastern bluebirds, white-tailed deer and even the secretive red fox may be encountered along the way.

Vernal ponds, which stay wet only part of the year, provide breeding grounds to varying types of amphibians, such as American toads, spring peepers and Jefferson salamanders, because predatory fish cannot survive in them.

This trail provides glimpses of the Ohio River which, just like today, has served as a crucial means of transportation for many cultures throughout history.

Trail Length: 0.80 miles
Trail Type: Nature
Trail Level: Moderate

As the trail passes through a native prairie land, visual rewards abound with birds and butterflies enjoying the abundant food sources of this habitat. The indigo bunting seems to “out-sing” other birds in an enthusiastic rush of notes that sound like “What! What! Where! Where! See it! See it!” About the size of a sparrow, the male indigo bunting is easy to spot with his brilliant blue coloring.

Forested hills roll down to the Ohio River, offering opportunity to view a bald eagle in flight. The sun drops behind the river at day’s end, creating spectacular sunsets.

Wild turkeys may meander through, scratching and pecking at the ground, always on the search for tasty morsels, such as seeds or insects. The occasional large, unearthed caterpillar is considered a prize by these birds. Wild turkeys tend to band together in groups, so if you see one, there are probably more very close by.

Trail Length: 1.20 miles
Trail Type: Shared-use
Trail Level: Easy