An urban village wouldn’t be complete without parks and greenspace. Northside has many attractive parks and woods, complete with hiking trails:
PARKER WOODS AND BUTTERCUP VALLEY NATURE PRESERVE form a contiguous green space of approximately 89 acres connected by natural hiking trails. Entrances are at the intersection of Haight and Bruce Avenues with additional trail heads on Stanford Avenue, Crawford Avenue. near Dane, and at the east end of Thompson Heights Drive.
JACOB HOFFNER PARK, located at Blue Rock and Hamilton Avenue, two-acres of green space including a pavilion, playground, and trees, perfect for picnics and community festivals.
JERGENS PARK, located at Bruce and Hamilton Avenue, is less than one acre in size, fenced in, and includes a shelter, walking trail, swings and a small playground.
LUDLOW MONUMENT anchors a pocket park on the corner of Knowlton and Mad Anthony. The Cincinnati Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution owns the 5.17-by-16.77-foot triangle of space on the very corner. The rest of the lot belongs to CSX (formerly the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad). DAR erected the monument to commemorate the historic spot where Israel Ludlow, the surveyor who planned out Cincinnati, had built a blockhouse in 1791.
CHASE/FERGUS PLAYGROUND is located on the southwest corner of Chase Ave. and Fergus St. and includes play equipment and a picnic table with benches.
BADGLEY RUN PARK is a small wooded area (nearly 16 acres of land) on the west side of the neighborhood, named after Robert Badgley, one of the early settlers of Cumminsville. This is an important greenspace corridor for wildlife and residents alike.
SALWAY RECREATION AREA on Spring Grove Ave. features a playground and recreational fields, and provides a popular access to the amenities of the Mill Creek Greenway.
Located between Spring Grove Ave. and the Mill Creek, the MILL CREEK GREENWAY includes nearly 2 miles of linear paved trail that extend from Spring Grove Village through Northside to Camp Washington. It provides access to a boat launch, nature trails, and an edible forest with public art works. Contact the Mill Creek Alliance about its seasonal stewardship programming here and elsewhere through the watershed.
SPRING GROVE CEMETERY + ARBORETUM, located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, is the second largest cemetery in the US, and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. It encompasses 733 acres which is often enjoyed as a peaceful running, biking, and picnic spot among the vast collection of lakes, trees, flora and fauna.
MT. AIRY FOREST, the largest of Cincinnati’s parks and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, is 1,459 acres that include miles of hiking and bridle trails. Mt. Airy has Ohio’s only wheelchair accessible public treehouse, an enclosed dog park, and 18-hole disc golf. The main entrance is located at 5083 Colerain Avenue.