Hiking in Greene County

Whether you want to pop out of your car for a quick vista of spectacular scenery or hike for hours past limestone cliffs, waterfalls, and sparkling water, think Greene County, Ohio. One of the prime areas for hiking in Greene County is the area surrounding the villages of Yellow Springs and Clifton.

For more information call the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce at (937) 767-2686.
www.yellowspringsohio.org

Clifton is a charming village on SR 72 at the headwaters of the Little Miami River. Start at the Historic Clifton Mill and after lunch ask for a WALKING TOUR OF HISTORICAL SITES. There are many opportunities for shopping for antiques and country crafts in the village. Take the time to stop by the Clifton Fish Decoy Company near the top of the hill on 72 and learn about this rare American folk craft.

For more information call Tony Satariano at the Historic Clifton Mill at (937) 767-5501.
www.cliftonmill.com

Hiking in the Yellow Springs/Clifton area
Three natural areas combine to form over 2,000 wooded acres along the Little Miami River watershed with over 30 miles of hiking trails. In fact, it is possible to hike from village to village (a distance of 4 or 5 miles) without leaving the woods except for an eighth of a mile walk along a secluded county road. It is also possible to pop out of your car for a quick glance at some of the most spectacular scenery in the Great Lakes area. While you don’t need a map to enjoy the 34 miles of trails, your trip will be more enjoyable with one. Please contact the organizations directly or contact the Greene County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 733-9109. www.greenecountyohio.org

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve
Located in Greene County on SR 343, 1/4 mile west of Clifton at the east end of John Bryan State Park. Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve offers 4 miles of trails. There are two parking lots – one on State Route 343 and one at the west end of Water Street in the Village of Clifton.  (That’s the opposite end of Water Street from the Historic Clifton Mill.) Here is one popular hike that takes about a half-hour to an hour depending on your pace. Start at the Water Street parking lot where the National Natural Landmark Plaque is located. This is the start of the 1.3 mile long John L. Rich Trail. Follow this trail until you arrive at the new maintenance building. Near here you will find a set of wooden steps leading down to the Little Miami River. Continue along the trail past the wooden steps around Amphitheater Falls until you come to a trail on the right that leads up and out of the gorge. (If you follow the trail straight you will pass the famous Blue Hole and eventually come to the boundary of John Bryan State Park and the end of the Rich Trail. Simply reverse your steps and return to your vehicle or continue on to visit John Bryan State Park or even hike on to Yellow Springs. In John Bryan, the trail becomes the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati Stage Coach Trail.) Follow this trail up and turn to the right at the top of the grade. Follow the North Rim Trail back to a gate near the maintenance building. This is also near the Bear’s Den Interpretive Area. Turn to the right and follow the Rich Trail back to the parking lot.

For more information contact Tim Snyder at 937 767-7947.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/dnap/location/clifton.html

For more information, contact Scott Fletcher at (937) 767-1274.
3790 State Route 370, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
www.johnbryan.org

If you are hiking from Clifton to Yellow Springs, follow the road that begins at the wooden gate on John Bryan Road. The road soon becomes a footpath. A safe bet is to stay to the right on the path (stay on the main trail) until you come to a road. This road leads to the Raptor and Outdoor Education Centers. Turn left to go to the Cascades on Birch Creek. After crossing the bridge, turn left and follow this trail until it dead ends near the Stepping Stones on Birch Creek. Turn right here and follow the trail to a bridge on the left. Cross this bridge and go up the Stone Staircase. The Trailside Museum is at the top. To get to downtown Yellow Springs, turn right on the Little Miami Scenic Trail bike path.

For more information call (937) 769-1902.
405 Corry Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
www.glenhelen.org

The area (and more specifically, the Yellow Spring) was discovered around 1800 and quickly became a major attraction for those seeking its "curative" waters. For more than one hundred years the town was a popular health resort with hotels, spas, boarding houses and a tavern to serve travelers on the nearby stagecoach road. With the completion of the Little Miami Railroad in 1846, Yellow Springs became the center of trade and recreation for the region. The spring, which gives our town its name, still exists but the spas, boarding houses and large hotels are long gone. The railroad has been converted into miles of biking trails for everyone to enjoy. Today visitors come for shopping, dining, recreation, and to enjoy a variety of events. The downtown offers an eclectic assortment of shops and restaurants. In our village, you are far from the crowds and retail chains of the malls. Yellow Springs' streets and window-boxed storefronts invite you to explore. Here you will find gifts, spices, health foods, herbs, hand-crafted jewelry, pottery, clocks, sandals, stained glass, toys, musical instruments, art prints, books, bicycles, imported clothing and a variety of dining choices. Yellow Springs offers live theater groups, a chamber music series, and a first-run art-film movie theater. In addition, visitors may enjoy the interesting galleries within the village.

More info about the Historic Clifton Mill
Clifton Mill is located about halfway between Dayton and Columbus, about 15 minutes East of Xenia, Ohio.
75 Water St.
Clifton, Ohio 45316
Office: (937) 767-5501
Fax: (937) 767-1992

About the Mill:
Built in 1802, the nation's largest water powered grist mill still in existence. Originally called Davis Mill by its founder Owen Davis. Built in this location to take advantage of the natural power of the concentrated water funneled into the gorge. The Little Miami River that powers the Clifton Mill today once powered 5 other mills that were built within a mile of the Clifton Mill. The Clifton Mill is the only one still standing.

At one time, there were approximately 100,000 mills in this country. Now there are less than 100 still in their original operating condition.

One of the early owners was John Patterson, who helped create Dayton's NCR Company.

The Clifton Mill, as well as the other mills in the village, played a part in the Civil War. The Clifton Mill provided corn meal for federal troops from this part of Ohio, while the linen mill provided cloth for uniforms.

The Satariano family purchased the mill to help preserve such a historical and beautiful piece of property. 

Christmas Light Display:

When: The light display starts the day after Thanksgiving and is on every night until January 3rd. The lights come on exactly at 6:00 PM so leave plenty of time to park and find a good spot to see how one switch turns night into a beautiful winter wonderland. We suggest you call before making the trip, you never know about Mother Nature. Call us at (937) 767-5501.

What: A holiday tradition here in the Miami Valley for over 10 years. The light display is one of the country's finest with over 3.2 million lights illuminating the mill, the gorge, and grounds to create a winter wonderland.

More Info: It takes 6 men, 3 months to check and then put up the lights. The lights have been featured in Midwest Living Magazine. There is a replicated miniature scale model of the town of Clifton.

Santa Claus Collection
The Mill has one of the county's Largest Santa Claus collections.
Over 3,000 Santas -- Ages ranging from 1850 to 2000.
The Santa collection is the private collection of the Satariano family and has taken 31 years to amass.

About The Area
The Mill is located in Greene County, Ohio. There are 5 covered bridges within the county. At one time, there were over 100.

Clifton once served as a stop on the much traveled stagecoach line.

Woody Hayes (Ohio State Football Coach) was born in Clifton. His father was the school superintendent.

Meltwaters from the retreat of the last glaciation have given the Glen’s valleys their shape. Much of the land within Glen Helen has been cultivated, timbered, or grazed. However, since dedication, many areas have been left undisturbed and the dynamic process of succession can be observed. The steep slopes, rock-strewn valley floor, and oak-dominated uplands support a profusion of wildflowers and provide a rich habitat for nesting birds and small mammals.

Scenic features include valleys, ledges, potholes, the Cascades, and the Yellow Spring, from which the village gets its name. A 250-acre parcel within the Glen has been designated as a "National Natural Landmark" by the National Park Service. The State and National Scenic Little Miami River flows through the southern area of Glen Helen.

Hiking trails in Glen Helen are open to the public year round from dawn until dusk.

Glen Helen is a 1,000-acre nature preserve and environmental education facility, which is safeguarded as a place for the observation, study, and enjoyment of natural ecological processes.

Adjacent to the campus of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, nearly all the land was given to the College by alumnus Hugh Taylor Birch in 1929 as a living memorial to his daughter, Helen Birch Bartlett.

Antioch University
150 E. South College Street
Yellow Springs, OH 45387
Phone: 937-769-1340
Fax: 937-769-1350

More About Young’s

In 1958, the three sons decided to sell raw, whole Jersey milk directly to the public. They bought a used refrigerator, a few glass milk bottles, and went into the retail business.

The local community seemed enthusiastic about visiting a farm to buy their milk, and they began to request other related products. So in 1960, Young's added to the red barn and opened up their first "real" retail store. During the mid sixties they added ice cream, cheese, and other related products.

Adding Family Fun Over the Years
Young's built the first part of the Dairy Store in 1968. They did this to have room to add a line of baked goods and sandwiches to their menu. They located the bakery in the old store. The bakery complimented the ice cream part of the business, especially in the winter months.

By 1972, they needed more room. Young's doubled the size of the new store building and moved the bakery production facilities over to it. They used the old store building for a variety of things. Today, it is where they bottle all the milk and make all of their homemade ice cream.

Between 1972 and 1990, Young's has added additional parking, more seating for the restaurant, and expanded the kitchen area to keep up with the increased demand for sandwiches and meals. The latest big addition to the restaurant was in the spring of 1990 when they doubled the inside seating capacity and added a meeting room.

In 1993, Young's added the first activity at Udders & Putters ®-- an 18 hole, farm theme miniature golf course. 1995 marked the first year for the driving range. 1996 saw the addition of a state of the art 9 position batting cage, which features softball and hardball pitching machines.

Young's opened a new full service restaurant, The Golden Jersey Inn in 1998. This beautiful timber frame building restaurant features great country style food with a generous helping of friendly service.

In 1999, approximately 1,400,000 Customers visited Young’s Jersey Dairy.

Community Involvement
The Young family has always been a supporter of the community. Various members of the Young family are actively involved in local school organizations, 4-H, the volunteer fire department, and other community organizations. They support many local school organizations -- from the athletic boosters to the band boosters, PTO fund-raisers, and many others. They also sponsor several baseball, softball, and soccer teams for our youth.

Young's Fantastic Employees
Young's has been steadfastly proud of their employees. Over the past 50 years, over 2,000 people have worked with them. The average employee stays with Young’s for over 3½ years. Many employees work with them through their high school and college years. What success they have enjoyed over the years has been the direct result of the contribution of the great people they have working there. Young's presently has about 220 employees, including sixteen members of the Young family.

Young's Fabulous Customers
The customers have always been great to Young's. The local customers live within a three mile radius of the farm. They typically have been coming to Young's on a regular basis almost from the very beginning. The local customers have always been the backbone of Young's. They visit frequently, and they never hesitate to tell them when they have an idea for Young's to use to improve their service.

The second kind of Young's customer lives farther away. Young's gets about 70% of their customers from places like Xenia, Fairborn, Beavercreek, Springfield, Huber Heights, Dayton, Enon, and Cedarville. They even have many customers who visit from the Columbus and Cincinnati areas several times a year. These customers usually don't visit as often as the local customers. They like to come to Young's with their family to visit the farm, pet the goats, play a game of miniature golf, have some homemade ice cream, and relax. They like to experience the friendly, farm country atmosphere.

Young's attracts mostly families. That is what they have designed everything here for -- family fun. Parents and grandparents love to bring children and friends to the farm and visit. Young's will always focus on families as their customer.

While they sell a lot of food and ice cream, the main product is fun, education, and entertainment. Young's knows they have to give their customers a reason to visit. There are hundreds of places to get a meal or a dip of ice cream. They have to do a better job on service and quality to keep their customers happy and coming back.

Young's Jersey Dairy
6880 Springfield-Xenia Road
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387-9610
cows@youngsdairy.com
937-325-0629
Fax 937-325-3226