Lexington, KY - Have you hiked ancient trails and gazed at the marvelous artifacts crafted by the American Indians? Fort Ancient, northeast of Cincinnati, is a picturesque and educational place to see Indian mounds, hike in nature and learn about the Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient peoples who lived there many years past. This 764-acre park is located on a bluff overlooking the Little Miami River Valley.
I visited Fort Ancient last October and I was pleased by the open views, hiking and well-designed museum. I grew up not far from Indian mounds in St. Louis and since then I've enjoyed visiting mound sites such as Angel Mounds (Evansville, Ind.), Serpent Mounds, Ohio, and a revisit to Cahokia Mounds, Ill. Fort Ancient not only has mounds but also 18,000 feet of earthen walls. Archeological evidence suggests that the Hopewell built and used the mounds and walls from 100 BC to 300 AD. (See "Ft. Ancient: Citadel, Cemetery, Cathedral or Calendar?" published by the Ohio Historical Society). The earth moving was done with hand tools, such as bone or antler, and carried in baskets. Certain mounds appear designed to line up with annual sun, moon and Venus positions.
The geography of the Little Miami River Valley is fascinating; the original ancestral stream flowed north, but due to dramatic glaciation effects the river flows south now. In addition, there are large boulders in the area which were brought down from Canada by the glaciers. They are not sandstone or limestone, but granite; these odd stones are called "erratics."
A guest and I first spent a few hours absorbing the information at the museum's interactive exhibits. The Fort Ancient museum encompasses 9,000 square feet. There is a video of flint knapping, a full-size canoe and lots of American Indian artifacts. The museum also includes a classroom, a reconstructed prehistoric garden and dwelling, a hands-on area, and, of course, a gift shop. After touring the museum, my friend and I had enough energy to tackle a number of the trails which wind throughout the mounds and earthen walls.
We started along the Earthworks Trail and picked up a free pamphlet listing 20 plant and tree species with descriptions. We walked to the North Fort overlook then started down along the Connector Trail, which led us 235 feet down to the level of the river. There we found a lovely bicycle path and pretty views of the riparian ecosystem. We hiked part of the way back up and detoured south along the Eagles Terrace Trail, which shows amazing views down to the valley we had left.
It was a good workout both for distance and moving our middle-aged bodies up and down against gravity. When we returned to our car and the museum area, we elected to finish our hiking on the flat bluff top to see the other mounds. We walked the Mound Trail and the Stone Circle Trail. The Mound Trail loops along the upper edge of a ravine behind the museum; the Stone Circle is an easy quarter mile walk.
Admission to Fort Ancient is $7 for adults and $3 for students and free for children aged 5 or under. Call to plan your visit at (800) 283-8904 or (513) 932-4421. There are picnic areas along the road within the site. On June 13 - 14 there will be the annual Fort Ancient Celebrations with live entertainment, music, dancing, demonstrations, lectures, workshops and children's activities. The daily cost for the celebration is $9 for adults and $5 for students.
Fort Ancient is operated by the Ohio Historical Society and is open varying hours from April through October (closed November through March). In June they are open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Their Web site notes: "Due to budget cuts, hours may change after June 30. Please call before you visit."
I hope your summer includes many celebrations and that as you travel for fun and leisure you also find wonderful places and things to learn about.
To get there
To get there from Lexington, take Interstate 75 north for about 77 miles and then switch to Interstate 71 toward Columbus, Ohio. Travel on I-71 for 36 miles to turn off on Exit 36 and turn right on Wilmington Road. Take Wilmington Road south to turn right again on Middleboro Road. After driving for 1.9 miles turn right on Ohio Hwy. 350, which will lead you directly to the entrance of Fort Ancient. The drive takes about two hours and 10 minutes. Their address is 6123 State Route 350, Oregonia, Ohio.