Cincinnati Nature Center - Rowe Woods

Rowe Woods is part of over 1,016 acres of land owned by the Cincinnati Nature Center that features nearly 14 miles of trails winding through Eastern deciduous forest, fields, streams, ponds and wetlands. The Woods are a mix of oak forest, old growth mesic hardwood forest and old growth bottomland forest. Approximately 96-acres are old-growth forest with some trees dating to nearly 250 years old. Dominant tree species in the old growth oak forest are Shumard oak, chinquapin oak, red oak, sugar maple, American beech, and an abundance of understory trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Bobcats, mink, pileated woodpeckers, and red bats, among other wildlife, call the old-growth forest home.

The old-growth area was purchased in late 1898 by Carl Krippendorf to preserve the forest. Krippendorf was the son of German immigrants who settled in the Cincinnati area. Carl Krippendorf purchased 97 acres of the land where he spent the summer recuperating from a childhood illness to preserve it from becoming a tobacco field and built a home there.

The walking trails that are open for an admission fee and are free to members of the Cincinnati Nature Center.