Date: 09/12/2021 – Distance: 3.7 mi – Elapsed Time: 2.0 hr – Ascent: 430 ft – Descent: 390 ft – Difficulty: Medium
Taylorsville MetroPark, part of Dayton, Ohio’s Five Rivers Metroparks, is a large park situated on the Great Miami River just north of Dayton near Huber Heights. The Old National Road, US 40, travels right across a dam which is on the south end of the park. The dam was created along with 4 others in the north Dayton area in 1922 to prevent flooding after a devastating flood inundated Dayton in 1913. None of these dams hold back reservoirs, but merely serve as backup mechanisms for flood control in the event of heavy rains. The park has 4 major areas, labelled according to the compass directions. I spent some time in the East Park area, which is dominated by steep cliffs and deep ravines leading into the Great Miami River.
Sign at the entrance to East Park.
Trail map at the trailhead kiosk.
Some info about the park.
An old Civilian Conservation Corp, 1930’s era, shelter.
Typical CCC construction.
There are cornhole boards out back, but no bags.
Another angle of the CCC shelter.
Trails are well marked with colored signs matching the map.
The woods are thick and dramatic.
There are cliffs along the east edge. US 40 travels along the cliff edge.
Trails are well maintained.
On the map, this is the Rock Outcrop.
It’s a cool little recess cave.
It’s still being shaped.
In fact, the last collapse was in 1996. Don’t be under it then, and certainly don’t encourage it.
The trail along the cliff follows the ravine contours.
Rocks like this are common-place.
An old spring.
Purple Aster.
Zig-Zag Goldenrod.
It’s quite and scenic trail.
There are a few bridges along tributaries.
This one has stairs and cool rails.
An interesting burl.
More stairs.
See the trail climbing the hill on the other side?
Looking back.
The trail isn’t too difficult.
And the cliffs above can be dramatic.
I’m not sure what this tree and fruit are.
This hollowed branch caught my eye.
That is a big Eastern Red Cedar, especially in these parts.
Moss flowers.
These rocks are not native to Ohio, and are brought from Canada by glaciers over 10,000 years ago.
That’s a big one.
The maples start losing their leaves early.
Paw Paw tree.
Another large tree. Look at the base, below…
Hiking sticks are four feet long.
More stairs. These lead to the valley flood plain.
Buckthorn?
The trail along the valley floor heads back to the trailhead and is quite straight and level.
You can see the Great Miami River at times.
This left is a shortcut back to the trail above.
Here’s an access to the river.
The river is quite scenic.
There’s a fisherman down there in the river.
That’s about how deep the river is here all the way across.
Sycamores are common along waterways, and this one is quite large.
Getting back to the Rock Outcropping near the trailhead.
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