Explore a variety of beautiful habitat, shaded areas, and interactive displays along our 0.72-mile, all-accessible Mashburn Family Discovery Trail.

Just beyond Rowe Visitor Center, take a walk along our 0.66-mile Edge Trail and enjoy a peaceful moment on the boardwalk overlooking Powel Crosley Lake.

Discover something new as you traverse through a variety of elevations in woodland habitat, over Limestone Steps, and along Avey's Run (creek) on our Geology (1.33 miles), Wildflower (1.13 miles), or Upland Trail (1.34 miles).

Go for distance on our 2.93-mile Redwing Trail or take on the (11.1 miles) Perimeter Trail as part of our Hike For Your Health Challenge.

Plan Ahead

Learn how you can enjoy your time responsibly with minimal impact to the land by respecting our trail and dog rules. For your safety, we may close trails due to severe weather conditions. Upon arrival, members must show a photo ID and digital member card.

For your safety, we do not allow hiking after hours. Admission ends 20 minutes prior to closing.

Rowe Woods Hours

January: 8 am–5:30 pm (Grounds Open on New Year's Day)

February: 8 am–6 pm

March: 8 am–7:30 pm

April: 8 am–8 pm

May: 7 am–8:30 pm

June: 7 am–9 pm

July: 7 am–9 pm

August: 7 am–8:30 pm

September: 8 am–7:30 pm

October: 8 am–7 pm

November: 8 am–5:30 pm (Grounds open on Thanksgiving Day)

December: 8 am–5 pm (Grounds open until 3 pm on Christmas Eve, Grounds closed Christmas Day)

‍

Rowe Visitor Center 9 am–5 pm

The Nature Shop 10 am–5 pm

Rowe Visitor Center and The Nature Shop are closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. All grounds are fully closed on Christmas Day.

Open seven days a week from 9 am-5 pm.

Rowe Visitor Center houses restrooms, water fountains, our front desk and Membership Desk, animal ambassadors, The Nature Shop, the Whittaker Library, nature observation windows, and interactive displays for all ages. Free wi-fi access is available!

Please note that Rowe Visitor Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

‍

Front Desk Naturalists

Visit our front desk naturalists to ask questions about your trail discoveries or get more information about upcoming programs and events.

‍

Membership Desk

Visit our Membership Desk between 10 am–5 pm to learn more about membership, apply your daily admission toward membership, and more.

‍

The Nature Shop

Open from 10 am–5 pm daily, The Nature Shop features a variety of items, including hand-glazed ceramics, bird feeders, mason bee houses, books, apparel, jewelry, toys, and more for purchase. Many of our items are locally made and support artists and small businesses in our community. All proceeds from The Nature Shop go to support our mission of Inspiring Conservation.‍

Click here to browse our online shop.

‍

William J. Whittaker Library

Come relax by the fireplace or drop in to work part of the day from one of our tall tables. Members can check out books, DVDs, and other resources on natural history, science, and nature-related literature.

Click here for library material checkout procedures.

‍

Wildlife Viewing Windows

Discover nature at one of our large wildlife viewing areas. Binoculars and guidebooks are available for reference.

‍

Raptor Ambassador Mews

The newly constructed home of our raptor ambassadors, Unicorn, a male Eastern screech owl, and Zihna, a male red-tailed hawk, can be accessed from the back entrance of Rowe Visitor Center. We welcome our guests to read to our raptors by selecting a book from our Little Raptor Library, located just beside the mews. Please return books back to the library once storytime has ended.

‍

Nature Center Moments featuring Animal Ambassadors

Join us at Rowe Visitor Center for interactive programs presented by a Cincinnati Nature Center naturalist.

‍No registration necessary for these drop-in programs. Members free; nonmember adult $10 and nonmember child $6 (includes daily admission).

Our Nature PlayScape is intentionally designed to provide children with opportunities for unstructured play in a resilient version of local natural habitats. Native plants, fallen logs, boulders, rocks, water, and soil create forest and field habitats for children to explore. The Nature PlayScape contains very few man-made structures (swings, slides, etc.), and strives to re-create the kind of childhood experience many parents and grandparents had in nature when they were young.

Krippendorf Lodge was built between 1898 and 1900 as the home of Carl and Mary Krippendorf. Today it is used as a rental venue for celebrations and private events. Daffodils were Carl Krippendorf's favorite flower, and he planted millions on the property during his lifetime.

Surrounding Krippendorf Lodge is the newly accredited Krippendorf Arboretum. Explore this arboretum, and a section of Old Growth Forest along the Mashburn Family Discovery Trail, Upland Trail, and along a small portion of Edge and Fernwood Trails.

The Herb Wall was said to have contained the greatest variety of plants in the Midwest during the Krippendorf period. Three-tiered beds below the wall were built to display tulips, roses, and others. Cold frames below the Herb Wall were built in 1938—canvas covers ran on metal tracks to protect these plants from cold temperatures.

The Herb Wall can be accessed via the 1.34-mile Upland Trail, just off the Mashburn Family Discovery Trail, near Rowe Visitor Center.

This stone lodge was built around 1918 by Grace and Glendening Groesbeck, friends of the Krippendorfs. The graduated sizes of the slate pieces on the roof make the building both beautiful and unique. The Groesbecks asked Gertrude Jekyll, a famous British landscape designer, to prepare a garden plan for the site. Although the specific plan was not implemented, the design had elements of the original plan. Remaining features include the Haile Pillar Garden and greenhouse and garden shed.

The 1.54-mile Fernwood Trail surrounds Groesbeck Estate and the Nature Preschool and Fernwood Shelter resides just up the hill, along Groesbeck Drive.

Wander through a spiral-shaped garden of native plants that attract birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. The Witt Pollinator Garden is always changing; see what’s in bloom at different times of the year and get ideas for your own yard.

The pollinator garden can be accessed via the all-accessible, 0.72-mile Mashburn Family Discovery Trail, near The Nature PlayScape and Abner Hollow Pioneer Cabin.

The Abner Hollow Pioneer Cabin was originally built by pioneer settlers in Adams County, Ohio in the early 1800s. The owners of the property where the cabin stood are long-time members and benefactors of Cincinnati Nature Center. They donated the cabin as a centerpiece for education about pioneer life. The cabin was dismantled for transport and reassembled on this site in 1997.

Stop by and explore the Abner Hollow Pioneer Cabin via the all-accessible, 0.72-mile Mashburn Family Discovery Trail, near Witt Pollinator Garden and Matt's Pond.

Oaks planted in the early 1920s once lined the drive from Tealtown Road to Krippendorf Lodge—built between 1898 and 1900 for newlyweds Carl and Mary Krippendorf.

The Oak Allée is still maintained today and can be seen on the left as you are entering Rowe Woods through the gatehouses.

In July 1965, the National Audubon Society issued a report on our Krippendorf Lodge property, stating it as a suitable location for a nature education center. They only cited one serious shortcoming—a lack of surface water. At that time, there was a small pond west of Krippendorf Lodge, and a stream called Avey’s Run, but not nearly enough water to attract and maintain a variety of wildlife.

In the summer of 1967, bulldozers moved in and work began on what would become the centerpiece of the project: a five-acre lake. Within a few weeks, 20,000 cubic yards of earth had been dug and a 300-foot-long, 45-foot-high dam created from clay and fill dirt along the southern edge of the site. A small island was left near the northern shoreline and the adjacent Marsh Pond was created. This island would be named Wallace Island in memory of Wallace Espy, nephew of Grace Groesbeck.

The lake would be fed with run-off water from the surrounding fields and forest, and a 12-inch overflow pipe near the dam was put in place to control the water level. The new body of water was named Powel Crosley Lake in honor of a generous gift the Nature Center had received from the Powel Crosley, Jr. Foundation. By the summer of 1968, the lake was filled and had attracted a number of new visitors, including great blue and green herons, as well as small flocks of wood ducks and mallards.

The 0.66-mile Edge Trail surrounds Powel Crosley Lake, accessible from either side of Rowe Visitor Center. Edge Trail can also be accessed from the intersection of Geology, Whitetail Trace, or Lookout Trails.