Fall hiking at Fort Hill along the Buckeye Trail

“Fort Hill State Memorial is a nature preserve containing one of the best preserved Indian hilltop enclosures in North America. The Hopewell Indians (100 B.C.-A.D. 500) constructed the 1-1/2 mile long earthwork hilltop enclosure, as well as at least two ceremonial buildings and probably a village in the Brush Creek Valley. Lying at the western edge of the Allegheny Plateau, immediately south of the glacial boundary, this hilly area contains an impressive diversity of bedrock, soils, flora, and fauna. There are 11 miles of hiking trails at the 1,200-acre preserve, as well as a picnic area.” — stateparks.com

One of my favorite Fall Hikes along the Buckeye Trail is through Fort Hill. This area has a wide variety of elevation and history attached to it, as well as, at least, six natural arches within the preserve. Fort Hill has the highest concentration of arches within the State of Ohio, but only a few can be seen from the trail system. Spring Creek Arch, Keystone Arch, and Y-Arch are all visible from along the Buckeye Trail. Keystone Arch is more of a tunnel than an arch, as it is far deeper than it is wide. Y-Arch is an arch that has one front opening and two rear ones. This arch is much better seen in the late fall through early spring, when leaves are absent and do not block your view. Along with the Hopewell Peoples’ history (including the earthworks they built), you will also find along the trail a cabin of a formerly enslaved person—a poignant bit from history, and a nice place to take a lunch break and reflect.

A colorful array

Yellows and oranges are the predominant colors of Fort Hill during fall. The higher slopes of this area are dominated by chestnut oaks, mixed with a few white oaks, and both pignut & shagbark hickory. There are also some black gum, red oak, and red maples near the earthworks. The lower slopes and stream bottoms are dominated by towering 140’-150’ tulip trees, with a smattering of red oaks, beeches, white ashes, and sugar maples sandwiched in between on the midslopes. An understory of pawpaw and spice bush is quite common. In the Gorge area, you will find sycamore, shumard and white oak, tulip tree, american beech, white ash, basswood, and red oak. There is truly a remarkable collection of tree varieties in this old growth forest.

The science behind the beauty

Plant leaves can contain all or some of the four pigments inside of them: chlorophyll, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and betalains. Leaves are green because of the chlorophyll that they use to convert solar energy into food to nourish the whole plant. When the days become colder, the chlorophyll breaks down, revealing the other plant pigments! Carotenoids are largley responsible for oranges, red and yellows seen during fall.

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