Hike Outside Your Comfort Zone

Contributors: Claire Carlson, Josh Torbeck

Dust off your outdoor gear and join us for a winter hike at Clingman Park! This month’s hike is an opportunity to explore nature even in chilly conditions. Join us in stepping (literally) outside your comfort zone for a wintery hike!

Join the Clermont Park District and Green Umbrella’s Greenspace Alliance for the Clingman Park Winter Hike on Friday, February 21 from 3-4:30 p.m.

Hidden Gems

Parks are vital community hubs. Parks are meant to be welcoming to us all, whatever our state of mind. Whether you’re in the mood to exercise, relax, explore, or play, park districts give you the space to choose the experience you want.

Enjoying Every Season

Although parks tend to be busiest when the sun is shining and the day is warm, you can still find magic even when conditions are dreary. Grabbing a rain jacket and boots during a wet spring day for a visit to the park can be a peaceful experience. In the late fall, as the winds grow colder and the days get shorter, find yourself in a drift of leaves cascading from trees, providing an immersive experience of the changing seasons. Winter’s cold and dark months provide unique opportunities to observe wildlife. While walking through a park on snowy days, you can find deer tracks and footprints from small mammals. If you’re lucky, you might even spot wing prints from a falcon as they dove to the ground to catch their next meal. On a cold day, feeling the warmth of the late afternoon sun can replenish your body with much-needed vitamin D and fresh air.

The Clermont Park District

The Clermont Park District is on a mission to preserve these experiences and the greenspaces that contain them. Clermont County, along with many communities in the region, is undergoing rapid growth and development. They currently have ten properties and are looking to further expand their footprint. Stay tuned for an educational exhibit celebrating their parks in the coming year!

Explore Clingman Park

We hope you’ll join us at our upcoming Clingman Park Winter Hike! The hike will take place on Friday, February 21 from 3-4:30 p.m. and will be guided by staff from Clermont Park District. We will meet in the parking lot at 2155 US Hwy 50, Batavia, OH 45103, which is also where Clermont County Park’s administrative and naturalist offices are located.

NOTE: If you are using Apple Maps to guide you, you might be taken to Pattison Park or Stonelick Township Cemetery instead of the park. We recommend using Google Maps OR as you’re on Hwy 132 heading to Owensville, take a left on Benton Rd. and then a right on US 50. Clingman Park will be on your left after ~.25 miles.

This hike is part of our monthly Meet a Greenspace Hiking series. We hope these hikes will provide those who join the time and space they need to reconnect with nature. If you have any questions, contact Green Umbrella’s Greenspace Alliance Manager Claire Carlson at claire@greenumbrella.org.