It was a beautiful November day – blue sky, mild temp, and a gentle breeze. The goal was to enjoy some late fall color. Boone Cliffs is a 74 acre preserve that we have visited many times, starting in the early 1980s. It was the first preserve purchased by the Kentucky Nature Conservancy, when it was acquired in 1975. It features a wooded valley with twenty to forty foot cliffs composed of conglomerated glacial gravel, that was deposited by glaciers 700,000 years ago. This unusual geology has resulted in an unique plant community and the steep hillsides saved the forested valley from development, allowing for an old-growth, mixed deciduous forest. As demonstrated on the map below, the single established trail utilizes the extent of the property and encircles the forested valley.
From the parking area one experiences a pleasant climb through a younger wood.
But soon, the trail turns right and looks up into the wooded valley that is the center of the preserve, as noted in the title photo and below.
After a little switchback we had our first view of some of the exposed stone atop the hill.
The trail then climbs the side of the hill at a comfortable grade.
Alongside the path is some exposed stone. Given that the trail primarily runs along the ridgetops of the preserve, this is as close as a visitor will get to the namesake cliffs. If one looks closely at the stone you can appreciate its gravel conglomerate composition.
They were covered with a thick carpet of Feather Moss.
Soon we were atop the ridge and were able to walk a path on the narrow crest to enjoy the views from an overlook.
After a short stop at the overlook we returned to the loop trail which was passing through a delightful wood dressed in an array of yellows.
The health of the forest is evidenced by the variety of trees it supports. With minimal effort, I was able to identify 19 different tree species on this two mile trek. Many of the specimens were massive, including several Black Cherries that were the largest I have ever seen and towered into the canopy.
I love the character that ancient trees develop, such as the coarse bark of old White Oaks. The roughness of the bark provides shelter where insects and bats overwinter.
The one constant in an old-growth forest is change, because at times one of the matriarchs of the wood will fall and leave a forest opening, where new trees will germinate and begin a race to fill the void in the canopy.
We came upon a fallen American Beech tree near the top of the wooded valley. Given its size it was possibly three hundred years old.
Like many of the beeches of that age, it was hollow.
In this same area we were witnessing the demise of another massive tree, which was taking place in “slow motion”, in a botanical sense. From afar we noted this tilting Black Oak. It was unclear to me whether it had grown at that angle due to competition from another tree, or if a storm had caused it to lean. It was freestanding, not actually in contact with another tree.
But we could see a fracture of the wood of its trunk.
There was no heft to its root ball that is seen when windstorms topple over trees. This past August, Northern Kentucky experienced a tremendous storm that damaged many trees, and I suspect that the force of the wind on the crown of this leaning giant caused the trunk to fracture.
The crown was still healthy, but the exposed heartwood is certainly an ultimately fatal wound for this tree, as insects and fungi will attack and weaken the wood.
At the head of the valley, the furthest point of the loop, we had this view.
The trail heading back was absolute peace and tranquility as we wove through a Sugar Maple and Hickory wood.
A walk in the woods does not get anymore inviting than this section of trail, including this nature planted allée of Sugar Maples.
Odds and Ends – Another thing that makes mature forests so stimulating is the variety of ferns that are frequently found in them. Compared to trees, fern identification is a greater challenge for me and I’m still learning. At Boone Cliffs we identified many species and there were others that I could not confidently label.
Christmas Fern – this evergreen fern is certainly one of the most common in the Oho River Valley. The fronds are surprisingly rigid and have an almost plastic quality to them.
Glade Fern – these are one of the largest ferns in our region with fronds that can be up to 4 feet in height. Their pinules (leaflets) have an obvious striation to them.
The spore containing sori on the underside of the pinules (leaflets) were remarkable.
Sensitive Fern – named such because the plant dies at the first frost exposure, which we had in Boone County about 2 weeks ago. It was now a ghost of its former self.
Bradley’s Spleenwort – I struggled with identifying this one. Was it just a small Christmas Fern? I decided that the lack of scales on it stem suggested Bradley’s Spleenwort. Christmas Fern blades are usually 1 to 2 feet in length. These were 6 inches.
Cutl-leaf Grapefern – although this is described as a succulent it is actually winter hardy. It turns from green to a maroon bronze as the weather turns cold.
Wood Fern – there are 5 species of Wood Fern that occur in this region. Unfortunately this specimen was too far from the trail to allow for a more specific identification.
Another frequent inhabitant of old-growth woods are the woodpeckers, who can be seen hunting for prey hiding in the bark of the large trees. Caroline captured this Red-bellied Woodpecker that was high up in a the canopy. Late fall and winter are a great times to look for woodpeckers in old-growth forests.
This Oyster Mushroom on a decaying log was strikingly beautiful. It was approaching a foot in size.
One of the challenging identifications in the Oak Family is to differentiate between Chinkapin Oak and Chestnut Oak, as their leaves are quite similar, with both resembling the leaf of the American Chestnut somewhat. Interestingly, Chinkapin is a Native American word for “chestnut”. As a rule, the Chinkapin’s leaf will be more narrow and the teeth on the margin more pointed. So of the two leaves on the back of my tree key book below, the one on the left is Chinkapin Oak and the one on the right is Chestnut Oak, both of which were noted throughout this hike.
In this photo I placed a Chestnut Oak, with the more rounded teeth, on the left and a Chinkapin Oak, with the more pointed teeth on the right. The closer the leaves are in size, the more similar they appear. By the way, my tree key book dates to my college Dendrology course, and is now 46 years old.
New Plant of the Day – Plantain-leaf Sedge – this plant adds a touch of color to the winter forest floor as it is evergreen. Over the winter the leaves will look the worse for wear, and new leaves will come forth in the spring. In May, a very interesting flower, which looks like a white and purple bottle brush, will be held 6 to 9 inches above the blades. I will be looking for it next spring.
In summary, our outing to Boone Cliffs was another great hike through an old-growth forest. It had the whole package – trophy trees, ferns, woodpeckers, fungi, and solitude. We have been there innumerable times over the last 46 years, but each outing is different. Boone Cliffs is also an excellent site for spring ephemeral wildflowers. I have included a link to a previous Footpaths article on the wildflowers that we found there. Please read the comment below on gaining access to this outstanding preserve.
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Photo credits to Caroline Burns Grizzle.
Overview:
Access – Boone Cliffs State Nature Preserve is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, but by reservation only. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance and can be made online at the Boone County Parks link below. The restrictions arose following the overuse and ecological vandalism that the preserve experienced during the Covid pandemic and were put in place to allow for the habitat to recover. The hiking experience is worth the inconvenience.
Parking – gated gravel lot with a combination lock. When you make a reservation to visit the combination will be texted to you.
Facilities – None
Trail Conditions – generally bare dirt trail with good footing. On the ascent to the rock outcropping the dirt is sandy and a little loose. There are some trip hazards, especially with leaves covering the trail. The trail is well marked. Note that this is not a full loop trail as you exit the woods onto Middle Creek Road. The parking area is perhaps 200 yards to your left.
Print Map Link – none, take photo at trailhead.
Benches –many but the majority are in disrepair.
Picnic Tables – none.
Kids – The grade could be a challenge for kids under 6.
Dogs – Prohibited.
Suggested Paired Hikes – Dinsmore Woods is about a quarter mile down the road on Route 18 and also offers outstanding spring ephemeral flowers.
Links:
Reservation site – https://www.boonecountyky.org/departments/parks/boone_cliffs.php
Previous Footpaths article about Boone Cliffs in the spring – https://footpathsblog.com/2023/04/16/boone-cliffs-nature-preserve-burlington-ky/
History and Overview – https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/boone-county-cliffs-state-nature-preserve/?en_txn1=bl.ch_ky.eg.x.g