The 14-mile paved Kokosing Gap Trail runs from Mount Vernon through Gambier and Howard to Danville. Along the route, nature watching meets a chapter of railroad history: visitors can spot deer, wild turkeys and great blue herons, with wildflowers adding to the scenery in spring and summer. A Chesapeake & Ohio caboose is also permanently on display at the trail’s Gambier Station.
Trails for Every Kind of Hike
The Heart of Ohio Trail also offers plenty of distance: nearly 20 miles of smooth, high-quality asphalt invite visitors to hike, inline skate, geocache and cycle. Dry Creek crosses beneath the trail at 19 bridges. The creek itself continues winding toward the Kokosing State Scenic River—the trail and the creek follow different routes.
Wolf Run Regional Park offers nearly ten miles of hiking trails, along with woodlands and a pond. Within the park boundaries is the 30-acre Knox Woods State Nature Preserve. The park also has a nearly two-acre fenced dog run where dogs can roam off leash. Another trail idea is the Storybook Trail, where visitors can read the pages of a children’s book in sequence as they follow the path.
The two paved long-distance trails differ in their stated lengths: the Kokosing Gap Trail is 14 miles long, while the Heart of Ohio Trail is nearly 20 miles. Activities listed for the Heart of Ohio Trail include inline skating, geocaching and cycling, in addition to hiking.
Waterfalls, Preserves and River Scenery
Honey Run Waterfall is 25 feet high, and the park is open to the public 365 days a year. Across the road is Honey Run Highlands, a 348-acre property with hiking trails and picnic facilities. The waterfall site is home to a rare plant community considered a disjunct boreal habitat—a type of habitat more commonly found in Canada.
During the summer months, volunteers use the Butterfly Transect Trail at Honey Run Highlands to monitor butterflies. This seasonal activity gives the property an additional connection to nature alongside its trails and picnic facilities.
The Brown Family Environmental Center is a 700-acre preserve in the Kokosing River Valley in central Ohio. Its public programs and events include stargazing, full-moon hikes and prairie tours; it also hosts an annual nature photography contest. In its lower reaches, the Kokosing River flows through a sandstone gorge before joining the Mohican River.
The Kokosing Scenic River is known for its aquatic diversity. Its fish community is described as exceptional and as one of the most diverse and healthiest in Ohio. The river landscape thus adds a distinct perspective on the region’s nature to its hiking trails and preserves.
Bridges, Lakes and Culture
The 370-foot-long covered Bridge of Dreams is near Brinkhaven, Ohio. It was originally built as a railroad bridge in the 1920s, covered in 1998, and is the second-longest covered bridge in Ohio. The permanently displayed caboose at the Kokosing Gap Trail’s Gambier Station also recalls the area’s railroad history: Chesapeake & Ohio Railway caboose No. 90776 was built in Baltimore in November 1924 and remained in service until 1979.
The three large lakes in Ariel-Foundation Park were once gravel pits. The Rastin Observation Tower offers views of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Here, the landscape and cityscape sit alongside a visible trace of the site’s former use.
The CA&C Visitor Center is housed in a passenger depot built in 1905 and serves as a welcome center for the city and county Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Knox Memorial Theater adds to the area’s cultural attractions with productions and concerts held there throughout the year.
Discover more destinations: Mount Vernon, Gambier, Howard, Pickaway County, Harrison County, Lorain, Stark and Jefferson.
See the broader travel guide: Ohio.
