Cincinnati+Birding+Drive

=Ohio Birding Drives= Ohio Birding Drives are routes for birding trips which can be accomplished in one day, stopping to walk and bird at various eBird hotspots. For each birding drive, a Google map is provided with the route and suggested stops at eBird hotspots. You may save the link to the Google map on your smartphone or tablet, or print a copy on paper to take with you. Links are provided with information about each eBird hotspot. Follow those links for more information about birding each location.
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Hamilton County
Also, see other Hamilton County Birding Drives: Hamilton County Northeast Birding Drive Hamilton County Northwest Birding Drive Hamilton County Southeast Birding Drive Hamilton County Southwest Birding Drive Miami Whitewater Forest Birding Drive =Cincinnati Birding Drive= Click on the hotspot names below to view the page about that hotspot in a new tab or window. You can click on the thumbnail maps below to view a larger version in a new window or tab.

This Birding Drive explores eBird hotspots in Cincinnati in Hamilton County. When you submit checklists here you help to add to the data about birds in this region of Ohio.

@Mt. Airy Forest
@Mt. Airy Forest Mt. Airy Forest--Arboretum Mt. Airy Forest--McFarlan Woods 5083 Colerain Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45223

From I-75 in downtown Cincinnati, drive northwest on I-75 for 3.5 miles. Take the I-74 Exit and continue on I-74 for .8 mile. Take Exit 18 for US-27. Continue onto US-27 for 1.7 miles. Turn left onto Blue Spruce Road and then turn right onto Arboretum Road. The Mt. Airy Forest Arboretum is on the right in .4 mile.

There are many trails you can explore in the Mt. Airy Forest. See the Mt. Airy Forest webpage for details.

At almost 1,500 acres, Mt. Airy Forest is Cincinnati’s largest park. It was established in 1911 out of several unproductive farms and was the first municipal reforestation in America. A crew of young African Americans was employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (a federal jobs program during the Great Depression) to build service roads, the large check dams in West Fork Creek and—along with more skilled laborers working for the Works Progress Administration—most of the shelter, service and restroom buildings. They also planted more than one million trees! Each recreational area typically included a shelter, comfort station, picnic tables and a water source, either a fountain or a pump. From Mt. Airy Forest webpage

@Spring Grove Cemetery
4521 Spring Grove Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45232

From Mt. Airy Forest Arboretum drive east on Arboretum Drive for .4 mile. Turn left onto Blue Spruce Road. Turn left onto Colerain Avenue and go .8 mile. Turn right onto West North Bend Road and go .8 mile. Turn right onto Belmont Avenue and go .8 mile. Turn left onto Larch Avenue and go .3 mile. Turn left onto Hamilton Avenue. Turn right onto Groesbeck Road and go .7 mile. Groesbeck Road turns slightly left and becomes Gray Road. Arrive at Spring Grove Cemetery on the right in .3 mile.

See Cincinnati Audubon website for tips on birding Spring Grove Cemetery.

In 1845, members of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society created The Cemetery of Spring Grove with the hopes “that the natural setting would be a contemplative atmosphere conducive to consolation, commemoration, and education.” More than 160 years later, the marvelous grounds of Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum would undoubtedly exceed what the founding fathers intended.

What began as a 200-acre tract of farmland is now a unique 733-acre combination cemetery, park, outdoor museum, and arboretum that welcomes visitors and guests to experience over 44 miles of winding roads, 15 serene lakes, a 10-acre woodland preserve, and an amazing collection of architecture, sculpture, and horticulture.

Serving as a living horticultural laboratory, Spring Grove’s Arboretum boasts a remarkable 1,200 species with over 1,000 labeled for study and research purposes for universities, nurseries, and growers. The Arboretum is dedicated to the protection and stewardship of the cemetery’s heritage and to the promotion of environmental sustainability while increasing the beauty of the garden.

Visitors may also enjoy over 140 labeled trees and shrubs at another beautifully maintained historic property founded in 1910, Oak Hill Cemetery. Managed by Spring Grove since 1989, Oak Hill is located in the quaint village of Glendale, Ohio. From Spring Grove Cemetery website

@Burnet Woods
Burnet Woods Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45220

From Spring Grove Cemetery turn right onto Gray Road and go .4 mile. Turn right on Winton Road and go .8 mile. Use the right lane to turn left onto Spring Grove Avenue. Use the right 2 lanes to turn right onto Clifton Avenue and drive 1.8 miles. Turn left onto Burnet Woods Drive and arrive at Burnet Woods.

See Steve Pelikan's blog for tips on birding Burnet Woods.

This 90-acre park near the University of Cincinnati sports hiking trails, a fishing lake, a historic bandstand, playgrounds, shelters, picnic areas, and a disc golf course. The Audubon Society named the park an Important Birding Area.

The park's Trailside Nature Center, located next to the lake, has a nature library, crafts room, meeting space, exhibits and the Wolff Planetarium, which is the oldest planetarium west of the Allegheny Mountains. Twenty people can sit under its intimate dome to view the stars in all seasons and all latitudes. The planetarium may also be reserved for private functions or school groups. From Burnet Woods webpage

@Eden Park
953 Eden Park Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

From Burnet Woods turn left onto Martin Luther King Drive and go .2 mile. Turn right onto Jefferson Avenue and drive .5 mile. Jefferson Avenue turns slightly right and becomes Vine Street. Turn left onto East McMillan Street and go .4 mile. Turn right onto Highland Avenue. Turn left onto Kinsey Avenue. Turn right onto Reading Road and go .5 mile. Turn left onto Eden Park Drive and arrive at Eden Park.

Home to the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park is one of the most popular of the Cincinnati Parks. Landmarks within the park include Hinkle Magnolia Garden, which features a picturesque gazebo, memorial tree groves and paths, Mirror Lake, and the Bettman Fountain.

Twin Lakes, once an old quarry, features two lakes, a footbridge and walking paths, an impressive view of the Ohio River and Kentucky, several sculptures and a playground. It's a great spot for chess or launching model boats. Nearby is a 172-foot high Water Tower from 1894 and now used by the City of Cincinnati as a communications facility. From Eden Park webpage

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