Bortz Family Nature Preserve
Rating
Price
Free
Duration
1 to 1.5 hours for the 1.8 miles of trail at a kid's pace, including the stops where somebody insists on looking at the river. Birders and families who bring binoculars for the eagle nest routinely stretch it to two hours. There is nothing to do here besides walk and look, so it does not fill an afternoon on its own.
Best Ages
Roughly 5 through the teen years. This is a real hike, not a nature playground: 1.8 miles of gravel trail across a 119-acre river floodplain with no restrooms, no water fountain, and no play equipment anywhere on the property. Kids around 5 and up who can walk a mile-plus without being carried do well here, and the payoff is genuinely exciting for them, because Cardinal Land Conservancy describes an American Bald Eagle nest on the preserve along with endangered Indiana bats and endangered mussels. Big kids and tweens who like binoculars, bird lists, and river-watching get the most out of it. Teens will hike it happily as a short outing. Toddlers and infants are a harder sell, mostly because there is nowhere to change a diaper and nowhere to duck inside if the weather turns. If you do bring a little one, treat it as a short out-and-back from the kiosk rather than the full loop.
About
Bortz Family Nature Preserve is the kind of place you take kids when you want a real walk in the woods without paying for it or driving an hour. Cardinal Land Conservancy protects 119 acres here near the confluence of the Ohio and Little Miami rivers, on the east side of Cincinnati in the 45226 zip, and the property carries 1.8 miles of gravel trail through what the conservancy calls deep and cool woods with river views. That description holds up.
This is floodplain forest, so the canopy is high and the light is green and dim, and the whole thing feels considerably wilder than its short drive from Columbia Tusculum would suggest.
The hook for kids is the wildlife. The conservancy lists an American Bald Eagle nest on the preserve, along with an endangered Indiana bat population and endangered mussels in the river system. You are not guaranteed a sighting on any given morning, and it is worth saying that out loud to your kids before you go, but the possibility is enough to turn a walk into a mission.
Bring binoculars. That single item is the difference between a nice hike and the outing your eight year old talks about for a week.
Now the honest part, because this preserve asks something of parents. There are no facilities here at all. No restrooms, no water fountain, no playground, no shelter, no staff. The conservancy says so directly. It also means you go to the bathroom before you park and you carry your own water.
Access deserves attention too. You reach the trailhead by taking the driveway off Kellogg Avenue toward Pirate's Cove, then turning left to find the preserve sign and kiosk. It is not a signed park entrance off a main road, so pull it up on your phone before you lose signal in the valley.
And check the river level. Cardinal Land Conservancy warns the parking lot is prone to flooding whenever the Ohio is above 36 feet, which in a wet Ohio spring is not a rare event.
Do this on a dry weekday morning, pack water and bug spray, and pair it with the Beech Acres Park playground afterward so the little ones in your group get their turn.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Limited
Nursing / Changing
Not Available
Kid Meals
N/A
Setting
Outdoor
Rainy Day
Not ideal
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
A dry weekday morning, and only after you check the river. Cardinal Land Conservancy warns that the parking lot floods when the Ohio River is above 36 feet, so a rainy stretch in late winter or spring can close your visit before you leave the house. Early morning is also the best window for eagle and bird activity, and it beats the summer afternoon heat, which is real in an open floodplain.
Wait Times
No waiting at all. There is no gate, no ticket booth, and no staff on site. The only real access risk is the flood-prone parking lot, not a crowd.
Nearby Food
There is no food or drink on the preserve, so plan to eat before or after. The Turf Club is the closest listed restaurant to the trailhead, over on the Kellogg Avenue side near Lunken. Beyond that, the Columbia Tusculum and Mount Washington stretch of Beechmont and Eastern Avenue gives you a mix of casual sit-down spots, pizza, and drive-through options within a short drive, which is the practical move with hungry kids coming off a trail. Bringing a cooler is the easiest choice, since you can eat at the nearby Beech Acres Park playground and let everyone burn off whatever is left.
Why Kids Love It
There is an active American Bald Eagle nest on this preserve, and telling a seven year old they are hiking to look for an eagle changes the entire mood of a walk. The trail runs through deep, cool floodplain woods near where the Little Miami meets the Ohio, so the light is dim and green and the whole thing feels more like an expedition than a park. Kids also love that the river is right there, wide and loud with barge traffic, which makes a short hike feel like it goes somewhere.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Check the Ohio River level before you leave. Cardinal Land Conservancy states the parking lot floods when the river is above 36 feet, and there is no alternate lot to fall back on.
- Follow the access directions exactly. The trailhead is reached by taking the driveway off Kellogg Avenue toward Pirate's Cove and then turning left to the preserve sign and kiosk, which is not obvious from the road.
- Use the bathroom before you arrive. The conservancy says plainly that there are no facilities at this preserve, and the nearest reliable restrooms are back toward the Lunken and Beechmont corridor.
- Go for the eagle nest, but manage expectations. Sightings are not guaranteed on any given morning, so frame it as a hunt rather than a promise.
- Wear real shoes. The trail surface is gravel through a floodplain, which means it holds water and stays soft for a while after rain.
What to Bring
- Water for everyone, since there is no fountain and no place to buy a drink
- Binoculars for the bald eagle nest and the river birds, which is the single best add-on here
- Bug spray, because a wooded river floodplain in summer is exactly the habitat you would expect
- Closed-toe shoes that can handle damp gravel and the occasional muddy stretch
- A trash bag or pack-out pouch, since there are no facilities and no trash service on the preserve
- A downloaded trail map, because the property has 1.8 miles of trail and cell coverage in the river valley can be spotty
Cost Info
Free Admission
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
About $0 to visit.
Cardinal Land Conservancy publishes no admission fee for the preserve and there is no gate or parking charge listed, so the trail itself costs a family of four nothing.
Your real spend is gas and whatever food you bring, because there is nothing to buy on site.
If you turn it into a half day and add lunch afterward at a casual spot near Kellogg Avenue, figure roughly $45 to $70 for four depending on where you land.
Confirm current access details at cardinallandconservancy.
org before you drive out, since conservancy properties can change rules or close temporarily for stewardship work.
Tips to Save
- This one is already free, so the savings play is using it to replace a paid outing.
- Pack lunch and eat in the car or at the nearby Beech Acres Park playground instead of buying a meal, and you have a full morning outside for the cost of gas.
- Bring your own water rather than planning a drink stop, since there is no water available on the preserve.
- If your kids are into the eagle and bird angle, borrow binoculars from a library branch that lends them rather than buying a pair for one hike.
- And stack it with a second free stop nearby so a single drive covers two activities.
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