11 November 2017 Richfield Heritage Preserve

Richfield Heritage Preserve is a newer park located on former Girl Scout Camps Hilaka and Julia Crowell. The land was once mostly held as part of the Hoover Estate in 1919 and still shows many of the former features and homes of that part of its past. The Hoover phase was short lived as the land was sold to GSA in 1936 and began to function as a camp in 1937. By 2011, both camps were finally closed as Girl Scout participation and donation revenue plummeted. A conservation effort succeeded in preserving the land as a park now known as Richfield Heritage Preserve.

Although the camp is closed, the grounds still bear remains of its scout cap past.

Old orienteering course post

The park has some huge leaves from tulip trees.

I'm not sure how the Buckeye Trail was resolved as it passed through the park in the old scout camp days, but the trail played a small roll in the preservation effort.

We had two dnf's for the day. Both of them were at caches near waterfalls. The first was at this small waterfall.

Lizzie and Phineas enjoyed the outing.

I'm guessing this woods course was the last new work put in the camp.

The larger waterfall is rally attractive. It looked super in its fall colors. The volume of water dropping was not large on this day, but there are deep pool ares at the base that tell of the flow these falls can see.

We started at the bottom and eventually made a long look at the top. It's hard to devote time to a tough hide in a location like this while making certain Liz and Phin stay safe. We will return alone for this find.

We enjoyed our visit immensely. It's too bad outdoor activities are no longer a priority for youth unless it is an organized sports activity. They are missing an opportunity. We're glad the area did not become a housing development.