Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
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The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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117 parks in 7 regions

Clifton Gorge – John L. Rich State Nature Preserve

Yellow Springs & Clifton · Greene County · Southwest Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
268acres
—trail miles
—established

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, 2381 OH-343, Yellow Springs
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Hunting is not permitted in state nature preserves.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The story of this land

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve protects about 268 acres of the deep chasm the Little Miami River has cut between Yellow Springs and Clifton, a gorge carved by glacial meltwater. It adjoins John Bryan State Park and Glen Helen, so all three share the same steep dolomite walls. The Cincinnati–Pittsburgh stagecoach road ran through the area, and settlers built mills in the gorge; the Clifton Mill, built in 1802, is still working in the village.

The Buckeye Trail's Caesar Creek Section passes nearby, through Yellow Springs and Glen Helen, and the trail association lists Clifton Gorge among the section's points of interest.

Things to do in the park

  • Hike the gorge rim and river trails
  • See the cliffs and the river rapids
  • Visit Clifton Mill in the village
  • Continue into John Bryan State Park and Glen Helen

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Clifton Gorge – John L. Rich State Nature Preserve.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Yellow Springs, a Buckeye Trail Town
  • The Little Miami Scenic Trail
  • Orators Mound in Glen Helen

Hiking trails

Trails link the preserve with John Bryan State Park and Glen Helen; the Buckeye Trail passes nearby.

Wildlife you might see

  • Gorge and cliff plants and wildflowers
  • Riverside birds
  • Mature forest on the gorge walls

Fishing

  • Fishing in the Little Miami River is allowed under Ohio rules. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Hunting is not permitted in state nature preserves.

The Mill Town in the Gorge

Two hundred years ago the gorge was noisy. Water-powered mills lined the Little Miami here, a textile mill, gristmills and sawmills, and the little town of Clifton grew rich on them. Then steam and railroads made the water power uneconomical, and the mills went quiet.

One of them never stopped: the Clifton Mill, built in 1802, still grinds grain in the village.

Behind the legend

The mills, the stagecoach road and the 1802 mill are described on the Wikipedia page for John Bryan State Park, which surrounds the same gorge. The preserve's acreage is from the list of Ohio state nature preserves.

If you go

Walk the gorge rim in the morning, then eat at the working mill in Clifton.

Waterfalls near Clifton Gorge – John L. Rich State Nature Preserve

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Clifton Gorge (Amphitheater Falls and the Blue Hole)

Clifton · Greene County
A dolomite gorge on the Little Miami River carved by glacial floodwaters, with a seasonal plunge waterfall, rapids, and the deep, legend haunted Blue Hole pool.
25 ftModerate hikeLegend
Inside this park

The Cascades at Glen Helen

Yellow Springs · Greene County
A small limestone cascade in the roughly 1,000 acre Glen Helen Nature Preserve, near the iron rich Yellow Spring that gave the village its name.
10 ftModerate hike
About 3 miles from this park

Cedar Cliff Falls

Cedarville · Greene County
A 25 foot cascade over limestone cliffs on Massies Creek, framed by an early 1800s log cabin and an ancient Adena burial mound nearby.
25 ftEasy walk
About 4 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Clifton Gorge – John L. Rich State Nature Preserve

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

17 Caesar Creek Section

55 miles · Greene, Warren, Clinton
Glacial gorge preserve near Yellow Springs
4 parksMoundsTrail towns

Camping is not allowed in the preserve. John Bryan State Park next door has a campground.

Restaurants nearby

Ye Olde Trail Tavern
Said to be Ohio's oldest tavern
Directions
Sunrise Cafe
Local, organic breakfast and lunch spot
Directions
Peach's Grill
Casual bar and grill, live music
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Yellow Springs BP
Center of town, closest to the park
Directions
Speedway
A short drive from the park entrance
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.