Eden Park, off Gilbert Avenue between Elsinore and Morris, was created in 1859 as a reservoir for city drinking water. Today it is a passive park of quiet elegance - there are no formal trails but patches of green and groves of trees to visit with your dog. The Presidential Grove features trees planted in honor of each American president. The park's 186 acres are dog-friendly and spread across hillsides and picnic spots on Mount Adams look down on the Ohio River.

Heading west out of Cincinnati, only 10 minutes from downtown is the Mount Airy Forest, site of the first municipal reforestation project in the United States. The stripping of trees on Colerain Hill for small farms and grazing cattle in the 19th century had left the soil unproductive and vulnerable to erosion.

The Cincinnati Park Board began its project in 1911 by purchasing 168 acres of land for planting new hardwoods and evergreens. Nearly a century later Mount Airy Forest is a park of almost 1500 acres, most of which remain in a natural state.

The hiking trail system in Mount Airy Forest, designated a National Recreational Trail, features 14 miles of walking but visiting canine hikers would do best to concentrate on Trail E. The trail begins in McFarlan Woods and touches on nearly every segment of the park in its ten-mile odyssey. The path can be hiked in smaller bites that are possible throughout the route. The trail is well-marked with white blazes but the trailhead - like others at Mount Airy - can be hard to spot.

The trail rolls up and down ravines bu

t is never grueling. You'll cross plenty of trickling streams and washes cut into the hillsides for your dog to splash in, souvenirs from the early days of abuse. Look for large sinkholes that also pepper the hillsides in places. Punctuating the walks in the Mount Airy Forest are showy seasonal wildflower displays along the trails.

After your hike you can wind down with your dog in the Mt. Airy Dog Park in the Highpoint Picnic Area on Westwood Northern Boulevard between Montana Avenue and Northend Road. There are two acres of fenced in ground to play here.

To reach the Mount Airy Forest take Exit 18 off I-75 and continue onto Colerain Avenue. The park entrance is on the left hand side at 5083 Colerain Avenue.

copyright 2006

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