Fort Thomas trails highlight
An alien holding a rabbit!
With Spring Break beginning tomorrow, the middle of a pandemic is the last place most students want to be. With plans being cancelled left and right due to travel restrictions and courteous decisions to “social distance,” most students will be chilling in the Fort instead of having a fiesta in Siesta. However, not traveling shouldn’t take the possibility of fun out of break. Fort Thomas itself provides three great parks filled with walking paths and hiking trails for residents to enjoy. Although it is strongly advised for students not to meet up at these locations, Highland Hills, Tower, and Rossford parks all provide wonderful spaces for families or individuals to go out, explore, and get some fresh air all while being respectful to others during the uncertain time.
Highland Hills Park is one of three main parks in Fort Thomas that provides an outdoor escape during the COVID-19 quarantine.
All Fort Thomas parks are still currently open to residents. However, it is essential that all visitors abide by the town-provided guidelines.
A new trailhead at Highland Hills Park. This trailhead, located to the right of the main entrance leads to many of the wood carved statues in the park.
A wood carved cardinal found on the Highland Park trails
A colorful wood carved owl in the woods on the Highland Park trails… this owl used to provide a stop for the Fort Thomas Recreation Challenge which occurred last year.
A bridge on the Highland Park trails… within the past few years new trails and bridges have popped up at Highland Park as part of the park improvement project.
One of three alien carvings on the trail
The second alien carving on the trail
The third alien on the trail, throwing a peace sign
An alternate entrance to the Highland Park trails located at the end of Ohio Avenue
A wood carved bench at Highland Park… this and the rest of the wood carvings at the park were done by Chris Rust, Senior Connor Rust’s father.
Just a little ways off from the Ohio Avenue Highland Park trail entrance is a wetland/marsh area to explore. Watch out; when there has been a lot of rain the mud will take your shoes off!
A carved red fox in the woods… this fox was one of the first carvings to appear back when the trail was first created. Since then it has received a paint job.
A wood carved squirrel at Highland Park… if you decide to take a hike there, try to find all of the different carvings featured in this gallery.
This Highland Park carving is without a doubt one of the most difficult to find. If you look closely, the face of a man has been carved into this old stump.
This trailhead is located behind and to the right of the dog park and leads down toward the creek.
Just down the hill behind the main shelter at Highland Park is the location of the soon to be Fort Thomas Splash Park. Less than a year ago this area was still a sand volleyball location. However, due to its lack of use mayor Eric Haas decided it should be repurposed and currently a splash park is the front running plan.
The James Avenue entrance to the Highland Park trails… currently this entrance is very muddy (but still serviceable) due to construction.
Now onto Tower Park! This trailhead is located at the intersection of Pearson St. and Clitz and leads along a gravel path before dipping down toward the creek.
A new entrance to the trail shown above… This entrance was created as another part of the Fort Thomas parks project and gives some hint to the difficulty of the path.
The Fort Thomas Forest Conservancy’s Model Native Garden… Although the garden is currently mostly brown due to the winter passing through, it should soon start to turn green and bloom, being worth a visit in the next few weeks. (The museum in the background is currently closed for COVID-19.)
Inside the Fort Thomas Forest Conservancy’s Model Native Garden
Just nearby the Model Native Garden is another one of Chris Rust’s carvings~ this one being a turtle with a bear and wolf riding on its back.
If you continue down past the Model Native Garden and into the woods, you’ll finally reach a three way intersection. If you turn left (the path pictured) you can go down to the creek and creek stomp up it!
This is Dwarf Larkspur on a Tower Park trail. Right now, the blooms are closed but in about two weeks they should open up and will resemble fairy hats.
A very colorful bloom of Sessile Trillium comes up out of the leaves.
A Trout Lily springs up and flops over. Just like the Larkspur, this flower will soon be in full bloom.
A skull resides on a Tower Park trail. One of the neatest aspects of hiking through the woods is that you never know what you’ll come across each time.
A broken tree forms a natural arch on a Tower Park trail. If you’re bored during the break and simply want somewhere to escape to, challenge yourself to go and find this arch (alone or with family only, of course!). Go take a picture underneath it for an artsy photo-op. The opportunities are endless out in the woods for good photos!
A view from the Infantry Row Tower Park trail. Soon, too many leaves will be up to see the river but for just a few more weeks being able to see the river makes Tower Park hikes even more fun.
A batch of Rue-Anemone begins to bloom. Although wildflowers don’t last long, new flower species will emerge when these disappear.
The Fort Thomas Landmark Tree Trail is another popular Tower Park hike. This trail weaves you down and around old growth forest as well as takes you past an old wall used in the days when Fort Thomas was actually a military fort!
The creek at Tower Park… already a popular location, the creek is both fun and challenging to hike up and always provides a great opportunity for photos or just relaxation.
A popular trailhead located by the old basketball courts (currently being redone)… this trailhead connects to nearly any trail in the park, making it a great place to start out. It is also the closest if you want to go to the creek right away.
This Tower Park trail head is located to the right of the tennis courts if you come in through the main entrance by the Tower. Although the trail is short, it is well graveled and connects to other main trails.
The two main staircases leading up to the Rossford Park walking loop… the loop at the top of these stairs is a quarter mile (equidistant to one lap around the track) and can be used to practice running or just enjoy a walk.
A field at Rossford Park… if you’re feeling boring or just want to get out of the house, there are plenty of fields (like this one) that you can go to play soccer, run, play frisbee, or practice another sport. Remember, don’t meet with friends or go to any Highlands-owned sports fields.
A downhill stretch at a Rossford Park trail… beware of the bamboo shoots sticking up out of the ground at the bottom of this trail!
A view from the 1/4 mile walking loop at Rossford Park
One of the trails at Rossford Park… although Rossford’s trails are much shorter than those you’d find at Highland or Tower, they still provide an enjoyable nature experience in the middle of a busy week.
A shelter at Rossford… Currently all shelters and playgrounds are closed until further notice to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
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