Current Paint Creek Weather
Total Length = 18+ miles	Overall Rating = Do it!
Usage = HIKING / HORSE RIDING	Easy / Moderate Trail

5,600+ acres and about 18 plus miles of horse friendly trails in Paint Creek State Park are good reasons to make the drive from either Cincinnati or Columbus.

For horse riders and hikers the bridle paths cover the majority of the east side of the park and are well worth the effort of getting there.

North Trail Details

Head North from the horseman's day use area and stay to the right and you'll come upon a "Pioneer Farm" after about a hundred yards or so. 

It's well worth taking a moment or two to peek in the buildings and a bonus if you're there on a day when the re-enactors are doing their thing.

NOTE: Due to recent vandalism many of these historic structures have been destroyed.

A total of a bit over 6 miles you can shorten the length by taking one of the two, red marked, loop shortcuts. While the main trail (marked with white blazes) traverses primarily heavily wooded areas the shortcuts take you through more recently cleared areas where you'll find open meadows and clearings. 

South Trail Details

A bit longer than the North Bridle Path this South side of the trail offers better views top go along with the longer ride. 

The West side of this trail is mostly flat and suitable for a canter or lope in several spots. If you like going slow stay alert lest you and your horse are both surprised by someone flying down the trail!

There are two short cuts (at 1.25 and 3.4 miles)  in this loop should you not want to take the entire trail. The second shortcut goes by a pond with picnic table and so makes a great  spot for a break.

Traveling the entire length of the loop will take you upon what's left of "The Anderson Road" roadbed. There's a marker that describes the importance of the road in the early 1800's.

Two creek crossings await you on this trail. The first, on the west side, is a broad shallow crossing. The other is more challenging. The creek is 2-3 deep at this point (recent rainfall of course will change the conditions) and you'll have to decide to go the "challenging" or "easy" route. The challenging route is an immediate ascent to the top of a hill. It's a hard pull with about 120 feet of vertical gain. The "easy" route is a more gentle climb but a you'll have to go downstream through deeper water and then climb a rock bank to get to it.

The  Plug

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