Sierra Club Outings - Cincinnati, OH

Sat, Nov 1 · 9:00 AM EDT

Intermediate Backpacking at Cumberland Gap - Pinnacle to White Rocks

Cumberland Gap Wilderness Road Campground, 854 National Park Rd, Ewing, VA, US

Please read the description and the RSVP question carefully. If you're moved to the waitlist, that means I need more information from you for the permits.

Friday and Saturday nights, I have reserved the Wilderness Road Campground group camp G-2. You’re welcome to hang out with us Friday night and use G-2 as a base camp for day hikes over the weekend if you’re not interested in doing the backpacking. You should be able to reserve it or another site for Sunday night, too, if needed.

Those participating in the backpacking trip will depart from the Colson Trail trailhead parking at 36.60303, -83.63559, just past the Wilderness Road Campground entrance, on the right, at 9 am Saturday morning. This is the location indicated for the Meetup event.

DETAILS

This trip is

• ~9 mi / 14 km, +2700 ft / 820 m elevation on Saturday
• ~12 mi / 19 km over rough terrain on Sunday
• ~5 mi / 8 km, -2200' / 670 m on Monday

…and as such is intended for those with some backpacking experience.

The fixed details of the trip are as follows:

• No dogs on this trip please. You're welcome to contact me with questions about this.
• You will need to take Monday, November 3rd off of work
• Friday, 31 October: get in whenever you can, hang out with the group at campsite G-2, by the bathhouse in the farthest loop from the campground entrance
• We'll need to shuttle some cars to the Walker Civic Park either Friday night or early Saturday
• Trail time is 9:00 am local time (EDT) on Saturday, 1 Nov at the Colson Trail trailhead parking lot (36.60303, -83.63559) just past the Wilderness Road Campground entrance, on the right
• Expect one long day of ~12 mi / 19.3 km (with a break at the Hensley Settlement, about the half-way point)
• Expect one early day of ~5:30 am (sunrise at White Rocks, weather permitting)
• We’ll finish at Walker Civic Park in Ewing, VA by around 2 – 3 pm Monday
• Post-hike recovery meal at Gap Creek Coffee House in Cumberland Gap, TN (weather permitting); Pelancho's or King's Buffet in Middlesboro, KY as a backup

Some fine-grained details may be tweaked in the weeks between now and then, but I'll make a note of what changed in the comments below.

PLANNING

This trip will happen rain or shine, and will only be canceled for an extreme weather event, bear activity at one of our campsites, or if the park closes the areas where we’re staying. Black bears are active in this area, and cables are provided at both campsites for hanging food. For everyone’s safety, do not keep food, toiletries, or cosmetics in your tent at night.

Because this is a one-way ridge hike, we'll need to stage some vehicles at Walker Civic Park in Ewing, VA for the return; the rest will be parked at the Colson Trail trailhead parking. We'll leave from there at 9 am on Saturday morning. Via the Boone Trail, we’ll head west to the Wilderness Road Trail, through town of Cumberland Gap and the actual Cumberland Gap, up to the Pinnacle, and stay at Gibson Gap on the first night (~9 mi / 14 km, +2700 ft / 820 m elevation). We'll hike for part of the day, break for lunch at the Hensley Settlement, then continue to the White Rocks campsite where we’ll stay Sunday night, for a total of ~12 mi / 19 km. We’ll visit White Rocks and Sand Cave on Monday morning; White Rocks is where the cover photo for the event was taken, at sunrise. The hike out is 5 mi / 8 km to Walker Civic Park and mostly downhill.

This is the route: https://caltopo.com/m/54E62

You'll need to be able to make it 3+ days in the backcountry, with your own water filtration system, food, shelter, and outerwear sufficient for wintry weather, with possible rain and snow. The regular backcountry water sources can be quite low at certain times of the year, but we manage somehow. A can-do attitude when it comes to collecting water and firewood for the group makes things easier on the leaders.

I have not had any issues with the water here, properly filtered or treated, but poor "bathroom" hygiene on the trail still presents a risk to others. There are no privies (outhouses) at our campsites, so you'll need to bury your feces 6-8 inches below ground and 200' (70 adult paces) from water. Bring sufficient toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

Here is a suggested pack list and an itinerary, including contact phone numbers, which you should provide to your emergency contact. We also recommend you print and complete this medical form, and keep it in the top pocket of your pack in case of emergency.

The weather is usually quite nice for this trip, at this time of year, but be prepared for sub-freezing temperatures at night. Due to elevation, the temperature on the ridge could be 5–10 °F cooler than what's forecast for Cumberland Gap, TN and surrounding areas. If morning temperatures are around freezing for Cumberland Gap, it will be bitter cold up on the ridge, and not a good time to try and stretch your 3-season sleeping bag.

RSVPs

RSVP with integrity, and make sure you periodically check the email associated with your Meetup account and Meetup messages.

If you RSVP’d and you’re on the "Going" list for this trip, please provide me with the following information in advance so I can get backcountry permits from the NPS:

• vehicle make, model, color, plates, if driving yourself
• your emergency contact's name and phone

My copy of this information will be destroyed after this trip.

For the sake of your privacy, a phone call (Cincy area code, 227-1728) would be preferable to Meetup messages for this. If you don’t provide this information to me in a timely manner, which is required by the NPS to issue the permits, you’ll go back on the waitlist until I hear from you.

FINAL NOTES

Familiarize yourself with Leave No Trace practices, and bring a trash bag if you want to help pack out whatever we find along the trail (it's usually not much). That said, we will be at established sites with fire rings, collecting of downed wood is allowed here, and there are currently no burn bans in effect. If there are apples this year, I will try turnovers again on Sunday night.

I can’t say for certain if the “G” loop bathhouse will be operating, but it’s never not been, and we are typically welcomed to use it to clean up after the trip. The showers are hot.

While I maintain Wilderness First Aid certification and will do everything I can to keep my fellow humans safe, and make this an enjoyable trip, you understand there are some risks assumed entirely on your own. Speak up if you have doubts or you're experiencing some new pain or discomfort; better to bail out early than to have to call for a rescue! Hypothermia is a real risk on this trip when the weather is bad.

Participating in this trip signals your agreement to the Sierra Club Outings waiver.

Questions, concerns? Don't hesitate to call Kevin: (Cincy area code) 227–1728.

Sat, Nov 8 · 11:00 AM EST

Olentangy River Trail Litter Clean Up

Tuttle Park Community Center, 240 W Oakland Ave, Columbus, OH, US

Come join the Central Ohio Sierra Club, OSU Student Sierra Club, and Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed to clean up litter on the Olentangy River Trail in Columbus

We're excited to support this kick off for the revitalized Sierra Club Central Ohio Network for Outings and Environmental Activism.

We'll meet at the Tuttle Park Community Center and be working on about 1.5 to 2 miles of trail up to Clinton-Como Park. All supplies will be provided. Bring your water bottles.

Please register for this event here

Attire (this is important!)

• Dress for the weather and working outside. This means bringing a rain jacket or warm fleece if needed, water bottle for hydration, sunscreen, hat/sunglasses, etc.
• Wear sturdy, close-toed shoes (no sandals!) that you don't mind getting dirty and/or wet.
• Wear clothes that can get dirty. We highly recommend long pants and long sleeves, to help protect from brush, bugs, poison ivy, etc. (we will have some poison ivy wash just in case, but hopefully it won't be needed)

Minors are welcome, but must be accompanied by a responsible adult

Mon, Dec 1 · 7:00 PM EST

Educational Forum - Becca Costello on Cincinnati's Sewer System.

Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, 103 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, OH, US

December Education Forum - Becca Costello on Cincinnati's Sewer System

When: Monday evening, December 1, 2025 at 7:00PM, social at 6:30PM
Where: Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church Geier Room, 103 William Howard Taft Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

Come in person or participate via Zoom. Register here!

This evening, we will be joined by Becca Costello, Local Government Reporter for WVXU, the central pillar of Cincinnati Public Radio’s local network. She recently reported, produced, and co-hosted the Backed Up podcast about Cincinnati’s complicated sewer system. She will be discussing the creation of the Backed Up podcast followed by a Q&A session.

Becca Costello is WVXU’s Local Government Reporter, focusing primarily on Cincinnati City Hall. She recently reported, produced, and co-hosted the Backed Up podcast about Cincinnati’s complicated sewer system; The Atlantic named it one of the best 20 podcasts of 2024. Becca has worked at Cincinnati Public Radio for about four years and previously worked in public radio and television in Lincoln, Nebraska and in Bloomington, Indiana. Becca has earned numerous awards for her reporting, including from the Heartland Emmys, local chapters of the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists, and contributed to regional and national Murrow Award winners. She grew up in Clermont County listening to WVXU and considers public radio journalism her dream job.