Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve

I LOVE hiking. And traveling. So many of my travel destinations involve hiking (like this one in Norway). But since COVID-19 hit over a year ago, my traveling has slowed down a bit. I’ve had to be a bit more innovative and find my adventures locally. Being Ohio born and raised, I love this state, but MAN do I keep getting surprised by how many amazing hiking spots there are within our great state. And recently I found a new spot I had never been to, and I LOVED IT. Let’s talk about Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve.

About Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve

Pets are not permitted at Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve (and the signs constantly remind you of this). There are no public restrooms (though there is a porta potty near the parking lot) and it is open a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset. Warning- be on the lookout for ticks. I found one on my arm the day after visiting. We hiked almost 5 miles of trails when we visited, you can see the map of our hike below.

Lake Katharine covers over 2000 acres. I decided to visit after I read it was one of the top places in the state to see spring wildflowers. When I visited it was early May and I was not disappointed- the flowers were just starting to show up. I bet it is even better in late May or early June. Take a look below at some of the flora my hiking buddy Mike and I snapped pictures of during our trip.

Hiking at Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve

Pine Ridge Trail

The Pine Ridge Trail, about 2.4 miles in total, is a moderate trail with an elevation of about 300 ft. Early in the walk we were passing beautiful flowers, and some great rock formations.

It was so green at Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve! You walk along a river for quite awhile, and it is so calm and relaxing. There were very few other people we passed on that Saturday afternoon.

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Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve is a sandstone gorge system similar to the Hocking Hills area. But much smaller, and much less crowded. About a mile into the hike we came to the first of the large sandstone cliffs we saw that day. Growing up in Columbus, I so often think of Ohio as being completely flat, and I’m therefore always enthralled with any rocky cliff I see during my Ohio hiking trips.

Our hike led us to the TOP of that sandstone cliff, and then we had some wonderful views down into the ravines.

As I looked down the cliffs I thought I had found the waterfall I read about prior to my visit. I didn’t realize what was just up ahead on the trail…

Rock Run Falls

Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve is home to Rock Run Falls. While certainly not the largest waterfall I’ve seen, this waterfall was so serene. With a bridge crossing over the top, a view to the lake to the right and a path to the bottom of the falls on the left, I loved it so much. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I had one of those moments where I just had to stop and praise God for all the beauty he has created in this world.

Check out the video below to see the waterfall in action and feel like you were there.

As you can guess, the waterfall runs directly off of Lake Katharine. This man-made lake is the focal point of the preserve. The lake is named after Edwin Josie’s (one of the men who helped acquire this area) wife Katharine. The lake can be used by permit only, and then only by muscle powered boating (you even to be able have to carry the boat into the water).

After seeing the lake we continued on the Pine Ridge Trail, enjoying the nature. We soon came to other trails, including the newest Lakeview Trail, but we opted to do different trail…

Calico Bush Trail

This trail is about a mile long, and is rated as easy. On this trail we saw some of the best rock formations on our hike. There were also lots of placards on this trail telling hikers about the trees and flowers. This trail starts near another sign pointing hikers back to the parking lot, but I really recommend doing this trail!

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I am always amazed by tenacity of trees and plants that are able to grab hold to the rocky edges, just hang on and keep growing (as you can tell from how I am lovingly petting the ferns in the picture above). I loved the color of the rocks, and have I mentioned how beautiful, serene and relaxing the Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve is? On this trail we didn’t pass a single other person. It was just us, and nature.

Salt Creek Trail

The last trail we explored was the Salt Creek Trail. This trail first took us around a river bend, and then we were walking along the bottom of an amazing sandstone cliffside. There were stairs to descend, but it was an easy hike of 1.7 miles.

Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve is part of Appalachia. Some of the trees located here include some Magnolias that are rare in the area, Hemlock, Sweet Gum, Birch and Beech. There were so many beautiful flowers, including lots of bluebells. Every thing was so green, including the cliffsides.

The Salt Creek Trail has two options- long loop and short loop. We chose the long loop because we wanted to walk on the boardwalk. It was about a mile long, and the short loop is about a quarter mile.

After the boardwalk, the Long Loop didn’t offer much we hadn’t already seen. We did pass some people who were very enthusiastically birding, and it was a lovely hike.

I absolutely loved Lake Katharine. It has three deep ravines, beautiful trees and flowers, rock formations, bridges, boardwalks and a cascade. I mean, what is not to love?

Sixth Sense Brewing Company

Sixth Sense Brewery opened in 2017 as a self-described nano-brewery. They offer craft beer and crafted cocktails. They also has a kitchen (in the for of a food truck on the patio) that offers burritos, bowls, nachos and more. When I visited they had over 14 beers on tap, including some collaborations with breweries in central Ohio. We had a great time there, check it out when you are in the area.

Thanks for visiting Catching Katie! Be sure to check out some of my other blog posts, and come back soon for my next blog post. I appreciate you visiting, and love your comments and suggestions. Until next time!