The Fairfield-Hocking county line runs through Clear Creek Metro Park. (See the map for the location of the county line.) eBird hotspots are organized by county. If you carefully keep your bird records by county, be sure to use the specific hotspots in this park so that the birds will be assigned to the proper county.

Fern Trail
1.7 miles – moderate to difficult –hike
Goes along a steep ridge and through a forest with pines and hemlocks.
Hemlock Trail
1.5 miles – difficult – hike –dirt and gravel
Descends and ascends a steep ravine and goes through shady hemlock groves, sandstone outcroppings, a carpet of ferns and ridges topped hardwood trees.
Cemetery Ridge Trail
2.5 miles – moderate to difficult – hike ­– dirt and gravel
Begins with a steep zigzag ascent through the woods peaking at about 700 feet. At the top of the ridge, the trail alternates between forest and meadows.

Clear Creek Valley is one of the most pristine and secluded natural areas in Central Ohio. Variations of land surfaces, soils and climates have produced a medley of habitats that harbor more than 800 plant species and 150 species of birds, many of them rare.

You may catch a glimpse of turkey, deer, ruffed grouse, coyote, black vultures, or even see the traces of the elusive bobcat along the park’s 12 miles of trails.

Centuries of glacial flooding have cut the valley through the Black Hand sandstone leaving an array of scenic cliffs and rugged rock formations overlooking the creek.

Oak and hickory forests interspersed with giant hemlocks and ferns, along with the last remaining Ohio colonies of rhododendron, provide the perfect backdrop or a getaway from city life.