Yellow Springs, Ohio

Southwestern Ohio’s liberal enclave best sums up Yellow Springs, Ohio. Located in Greene County north of Xenia and east of Dayton along the Little Miami River, the village of 3,000 was designed to be a utopia community and evolved into one known for its early racial intolerance, its role in the Underground Railroad, and its environmental stewardship. Yellow Springs, since its founding in 1825, remains an eccentric town, boasting a vibrant downtown with over 60 independent stores, restaurants, performing art venues, community-owned art galleries and Antioch College. Bordering Yellow Springs to the east is Clifton Gorge, home to the Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, John Bryan State Park and Glen Halen, which boasts canyons, soaring cliffs, waterfalls, old dams and mill sites, and natural springs.

 

I visited Yellow Springs on the eve of Halloween, and was there to capture what they call Yelloween!

 

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Glen Halen

 

It had been about two years since I last trekked to Yellow Springs, Ohio to visit Clifton Gorge, but in my time in the hippie-filled and liberal-infested region home to Antioch College that I have grown to love and appreciate, I have only been through the narrow river gorge three times, one for spring, fall and winter photography. I remarked then that it was one of my favorite scenic and recreational destinations, partially because of its ruggedness and also because of its unique flora and topography amidst rolling farmland and small towns.

 

Clifton Gorge is a loose definition that includes three parks lining the Little Miami River: Glen Halen to the south, John Bryan State Park in the center and Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve to the north. Glen Halen is comprised of a wider valley with the Little Miami River snaking through, featuring the remains of a dam that once held back water used for skating and boating for a resort, the Yellow Spring that the town is named for, and 400 year-old trees. John Bryan includes more rugged topography, with a narrowing valley and a diverse collection of spring wildflowers that is not found in any other part of southwest Ohio due to the towering trees, overhanging limestone cliffs and different soil conditions. And Clifton Gorge is in stark contrast to both Glen Halen and John Bryan, with a canyon that is both deep in height and narrow, featuring numerous small waterfalls, pools and sheer limestone cliffs, in addition to the remains of two mills. It is the diverse nature of these parks that helped mark the Little Miami River as a State and National Scenic River.

 

But this trip focused on photographing Yellow Springs and Glen Halen in the late fall. Most of the leaves by this point had dropped but it was still scenic none the less. A festival celebrating Halloween was ongoing in Yellow Springs – called Yelloween, and mild weather made for a perfect trip north.

 

7 A waterfall crashes down between steep limestone cliffs at Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve.

 

8 The travertine mound and grotto at Glen Helen.

 

9 A view of the old dam at Yellow Springs, which was used when Glen Helen was a resort. The lake was used for boating and skating in the early 1900s.

 

10 The Yellow Spring at Glen Helen flows year round and has a strong iron consistency.

 

Enjoy!

 

Blog entries:

a. Glen Halen: http://www.americanbyways.com/2011/11/08/glen-halen/

b. Yellow Springs: http://urbanup.net/2011/11/10/photographs/yellow-springs-ohio/

 

Pages:

c. Clifton Gorge: http://www.americanbyways.com/recreation/clifton-gorge/

d. Yellow Springs, Ohio: http://urbanup.net/cities/ohio/yellow-springs/

One of the Dayton Metro's many treasures.

"known for its early racial intolerance"???

I need to clarify that. It was known for its early racial tolerance and was an important stop along the Underground Railroad.

Nice photos as usual Sherman. 

 

A couple of things that I didn't see you mention were the Raptor Center at Glen Helen and the Little Miami Bike Trail.

I still have yet to post my bike trail photos - I've biked practically every trail south of I-70 and west of US 23 and need to get on that :) I was going to visit the Raptor Center as well - it looked really interesting but it was closed by the time we walked to it. There is always next time!

Interesting fact: The woman who runs the Tibetan shop is a member of the exiled Tibetan royal family. Also, the village east of Yellow Springs is just called Clifton.

Any Dave Chappelle sightings? Great shots!

We went to haha pizza, only to be disappointed with the food and the lack of Dave Chappelle, which is apparently shows up at a lot.

My brother and I went to Ha Ha Pizza in June and both the service and the food were absolutely awful. I can't even remember worse service.  "Ha Ha" is right - to the customers.