Best For:
Individuals attempting to balance work and time in nature, dog owners looking for easy escapes in Ohio’s local nature, nature lovers who enjoy exploring Creekside, & rockhounds who love creek finds.
The Essence:
Reading Time: ⏰ 6 mins| Weight: 🪶 light & refreshing | Mood: 🪞 reflective and content |
Trail Notes:
- Our Trek: Where: Lobdell Reserve, Alexandria, Ohio| When: May 17th 2026, Mid-afternoon | Weather: 85 degrees| Terrain: easy | Distance: 1 mile|
- Trek Features: Creek crossings| dog, friendly trail| Bridal Trail| disc golf course| multiple connected trails| creek explorations |
- Highlights: A love of nature and not milage, time spent creekside, minerals found, & a happy pup
Lobdell Preserve, Alexandria, Ohio.
Choices & More Choices:
The first truly hot afternoon of the season didn’t arrive on a day off work for me.
It arrived like the good weather days tend to, a few hours before another mid-week third-shift shift, leaving me with a clear choice. I could stay home and wait for work, or I could make the most of the small window of time I had.
Luna and I chose the to try for the trail in the small window of time we had.
Our Lobdell Preserve Trek:
On Sunday, May 17th, we made our way to Lobdell Reserve near Alexandria, Ohio, beginning our hike shortly after 3:20 p.m.
The thermometer hovered around 85 degrees, making it one of the warmest days of the season for this area. Honestly, I’m pretty sure it was the first 85-degree day of the season and we were glad to be able to enjoy it outdoors. The heat arrived and felt like summer had ridden in on its coattails.
So in typical Luna and Axton fashion we did not aim to cover as much ground as possible.
Our goal was simple: spend a little time outside before I had to go to work. This would end up allowing Luna time to cool off in the creek.
We both enjoyed whatever the afternoon decided to offer.
As it turned out, one mile was more than enough for us to find enjoyment.
The Trek That Asks You to Slow Down:
The trail system here is made up of several interconnected loops, giving visitors the option to choose how far they want to trek. While some of the loops stretch to around three miles or connect into longer routes, there is no pressure to rush through them.
The wide, relatively gentle trails here make the area approachable for hikers of many experience levels, and the creek crossings naturally encourage you to stop instead of simply just pass through them.
About half a mile into our hike we reached the first creek crossing. Instead of continuing deeper into the trail system, this became our destination for the afternoon. The creek here was bordered by rocky banks and a small ridges layered with exposed shell-bearing stone.
These are a reminder that Ohio’s landscape was shaped beneath ancient seas hundreds of millions of years ago. Water flowed steadily over scattered rocks while sunlight reflected off the surface in bright flashes. It was exactly the kind of place that makes it easy to lose track of time.
Luna certainly didn’t mind.
She wandered along the water’s edge, occasionally she splashed through the shallows, and she was sure to investigate every new scent while I explored the rocks lining the creek.
Sometimes you find one beautiful place that provides enough reason to stop walking.
Sharing the Trail:
Right before we settled near the creek, three horseback riders were photographing their horses mid- stream.
Luna has always been fascinated by horses.
Excitement tends to get the better of her whenever she spots one, so my job becomes keeping her calm enough that she doesn’t startle them while still letting her satisfy her curiosity.
Thankfully, the riders and their horses were patient, with the few chirps she made while we gave them the distance needed to finish their photography shoot. After a few moments everyone continued on without issue.
It served as a good reminder that Lobdell Reserve is a place shared by many different outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you’re hiking, riding horses, exploring with your dog, or simply looking for a quiet afternoon outside, everyone seems to find their own pace here.
By the end of the hike we’d meet those same three horses again back at the parking area, creating an unexpectedly fitting end to the afternoon.
A Creek Worth Exploring:
Rather than chasing miles, I spent most of my time wandering up and down the creek itself. Every few steps another interesting rock seemed to just appear beneath the shallow water.
One specimen held sparkling crystal growing across its matrix. Another appeared rich in iron and may even preserve traces of ancient crinoid fossils.
Nearby were several large opaque quartz-like pieces that caught the afternoon sunlight in completely different ways depending on how they were turned.
Then came my favorite find. Resting among the stream stones was a nearly perfect heart-shaped rock. Finding unusual stones has become one of my favorite parts of exploring Ohio’s waterways. They’re small reminders that slowing down often reveals things we’d otherwise walk right past.
More Than Mileage:
By a little after four o’clock it was time to head back toward the trailhead. We had only covered about one mile and for some hikers that number might sound disappointing.
It felt more like exploration than disappointment to me.
Too often we feel forced to measure hikes by distance, elevation gain, or how many hours we spend outside. Those numbers have their place, but they aren’t the only measure of a worthwhile adventure.
This afternoon wasn’t about setting records.
But we did succeed at stepping outside before I went to work; instead of letting another beautiful day disappear with a car-window-view on my way to punch into the time clock. I also gave Luna the chance to splash through cool water on one of the hottest afternoons we’d seen yet this year.
I was able to find a few interesting rocks, listen to the flowing creek, and remember that even a short walk can reset your mind before the responsibilities that are waiting later that evening.
Sometimes success isn’t measured in miles and it’s measured by simply showing up.
One Final Surprise:
As we made our way back through the woods, the quiet was suddenly broken by the crashing sound of deer racing through the trees.
For a split second they seem to have startled me far more than I startled them. Within moments they disappeared just as quickly as they’d arrived, leaving only rustling leaves behind.
This was one of those moments every hiker experiences eventually. Wildlife has a way of reminding you that you’re only a visitor, even on familiar trails.
We reached the parking lot around 4:17 p.m. with one mile completed. The afternoon here came full circle as we were greeted once again by the same three horses we’d met earlier near the creek being loaded into their separate trailers.
We Liked it Here:
Lobdell Reserve reminded me that meaningful time outside doesn’t require an entire weekend or an ambitious hiking goal. Sometimes you see all you needed is an hour before work or a single mile.
If that mile includes cool creek water, curious wildlife, friendly trail encounters, fascinating geology, and a dog who spends the afternoon grinning from ear to ear, it’s more than enough.
I drove home with muddy croc junipers, a pocket full of interesting rocks, one nearly perfect heart-shaped stone, and one happy pup.
More importantly, I headed into work carrying something much harder to collect than minerals. I carried the feeling that, before the shift even began, I’d already made time for myself.
TLDR:
Luna and I visited Lobdell Reserve near Alexandria, Ohio. Although we only hiked about one mile, the creek quickly became the highlight of the afternoon.
We explored the rocky stream and shared the trail with horseback riders whose horses immediately caught Luna’s attention.
The interconnected trail system offers several easy loop options, creek crossings, and a peaceful setting that’s ideal for hikers, dog owners, and horseback riders alike.
This hike was a reminder that memorable adventures aren’t always measured by distance. Sometimes one quiet mile is exactly what you need.
What the Hike:
- Infirmary Mound Park (Granville): All trails are closed for the “Pace at the Park” equestrian event. The only exceptions are the Wildflower Fairy Trail and its immediate access paths, which remain open. Normal trail access resumes after 5:00 PM on Saturday, July 11
- Panhandle Trail (Newark to Hanover): Expect periodic closures between Dayton Road and Felumlee Road. Tree service contractors are actively removing hazardous overhanging branches and dead trees.
- The Licking Park District signed a critical conservation easement protecting open space and the river corridor at 11007 Staddens Bridge Road. Funding applications are underway for a new vault restroom facility.
- Bank Run Metro Park – Central Ohio’s 22nd Metro Park, the event center and a paved 5K loop are now officially open. The natural hiking trails, woods, and river access are still being built, with an expected opening later this year.
Plan Your Trip:
Wildflower Fairy Trail. Wayne National Forest.
Labdell Reserve. Licking Park District.
Hike Yes:
“Waterfall Confessions” my hiking journal allows you to track your progress through trails & emotional trials.
Forged from the loss of my mom this waterfall collection holds space for your emotions through many layers of grief, not specific to parent loss alone. Use my prompt on trail or off. Accessibly digitally and printable for $2.00.
You can read my response to some of the prompts in the collection as well.
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