Yellow Springs, Glen Helen, Clifton Gorge

The village of Yellow Springs has been called one of "America's Coolest Small Towns".  It has an eclectic array of shops, restaurants and galleries. The town itself has an artsy feel to it with its many decorated light posts and trees, which you may notice in the picture below.

Discovered around 1800, the area was popular for those seeking the curative waters of Yellow Springs, which we found yesterday while hiking in the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The wooded glen was donated to Antioch college by Hugh Birch in memory of his daughter Helen.

Glen Helen can be found along the scenic Little Miami River Valley Trail. One can choose to even take a short trail in this preserve and still find 400-year old trees, limestone cliffs and overhangs. There is also a Hopewell Indian Mound built BC100 and AD400, which we saw while hiking the preserve.

Clifton Gorge on the Little Miami River is a post glacial canyon which has carved out scenic waterfalls and and rapids. The town of Clifton was once a hub of Ohio industry and travel. The natural geography of the area provided ideal conditions for the establishment of a variety of mills. A woolen mill furnished material for the army during the War of 1812. It was also on the banks of this gorge that Daniel Boone pulled off a dramatic escape from the Native Indians. We enjoyed our hike above the gorge, it is always very thrilling for us to discover such places of natural beauty among the flat lands of the midwest!