East Fork State Park (dogs allowed)

State Park Overview:
One of Ohio's largest state parks, East Fork offers a great diversity of recreational opportunities and natural history only 25 miles from Cincinnati. The park's terrain includes both rugged hills and open meadows, setting the stage for a wonderful getaway.

Nature of the Area:
Clermont County's rolling hills and meandering river valleys provide a colorful backdrop for spacious East Fork State Park. Shaped by the forces of the Illinoian and Wisconsinan glaciers, the East Fork region is characterized by beautiful hill country scenery and is noted for the occurrence of remnant prairie habitats.

East Fork's diverse landscape includes dry-forested hills, rocky cascades, abandoned farmlands, thickly grown floodplains, marshy grasslands and swamp forests. This diversity lends well to an abundance of plant and animal life. Woodlands are composed of beech, sugar maple, red and white oak, shagbark hickory, and wild black cherry. The swamp forests contain silver maple, American elm, sycamore, and black gum. The meadows and remnant prairies contain big bluestem grass and purple coneflower among others.

Animals of the area include eastern plains garter snake, fence lizard, red fox, deer, raccoon, Canada geese, song sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and the barn swallow. This time of year, the coyote is the main animal that we would see though they do tend to steer clear of groups of adults.

If you want to read up on the history of the area:
http://www.stateparks...

Photo gallery of the park:
http://www.stateparks...

Where to meet:
We will be meeting up here to grab breakfast/coffee and to caravan or carpool if anyone so chooses:

Everything Bagels
792 Eastgate South Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45245-1593
[masked]

Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.c...

This place is supposed to have top notch bagels, so it will be a bonus treat for those who can crawl out of bed a little earlier.

We will leave promptly at 10:00 AM to head out to the park, so if you need to hit the restroom, grab some food, or get gas, please plan your arrival time accordingly.

It's about a 30 minute drive from the Meetup spot to the trail head parking lot. If you prefer to meet us at the trail head, please plan to be there no later than 10:30 AM.

The hike plan:
We will start out on the Cascade trail, then join the Twin Bridges Trail, and finish with the complete Red Fox Trail loop. The total planned hike is 8-10 miles. However, there are several intersection points that offer the option of reducing your hike length to ~4 miles. This will take us all along the lake, with a number of good outlook points and a variety of terrain.

If you continue on to the Red Fox Trail with us, you will get to conquer several steep ravines. The midpoint of this trail overlooks Harsha Lake and is supposed to be a spectacular sight especially in winter.

There will likely be two groups, which we will keep in touch through two way radios. If we get too stretched out within each group, we will take short breaks to allow the rest to catch up.

Here is some info on the bridle trails we will be using:
http://www.trailmeist...

Here is the trail map:
http://www.trailmeist...

Overall park map:
http://www.boatcincin...

The after party:
After the hike, we will plan to drive back out to the Eastgate area for an early dinner. We will plan to eat at Ban Thai which is very highly rated. They make authentic thai cuisine, are vegetarian friendly, and have sushi as well. I will get a head count as we are leaving the park and call ahead for a table. (It is located in the same shopping center as the bagel place so we can reclaim any cars left behind)

Ban Thai
792 Eastgate South Dr
Cincinnati, OH 45245
[masked]

Special notes for this winter hike:
It will likely be cold and maybe icy. Please dress appropriately in layers with boots that can handle the potentially slick conditions. There are some steep areas, so if things are icy or snowy expect to fall (I don't want it to happen, but odds are someone will). Expect a good workout. Bring lots of water and some snacks for the hike.

If you have hiking crampons (snow chains for your boots), you might want to bring them if weather is really bad (items like http://www.amazon.com... ). Hiking poles may also be a good idea to bring if you have them.

Trail Conditions:
Currently the lake level is under control, and the trails are dry. However, I will call back a couple days prior to the event to check the trail condition and water levels.

By joining this group and attending Tri-State Hiking Club events you are agreeing to the club's LEGAL WAIVER at http://hiking.meetup....