Guides ·Day trips

Driving west

From Upper Arlington, the run is straightforward: I-670 or I-70 west past London and Springfield, then US-68 south for about 10 minutes into the village. Call it 70 miles and 75 to 85 minutes. The alternative back-road route on US-40, the old National Road, adds 25 minutes but passes through a string of 19th-century roadside towns and a couple of surviving S-bridges if you like that sort of thing. Fill up before Springfield, and expect the last stretch on US-68 to run through open farmland that gives no hint of what is coming.

Yellow Springs has about 3,700 residents and is unlike anywhere else in the state: a college village with Antioch College at its center, a strong counterculture history, and a main street of independent shops that has resisted chains entirely. Park free in the municipal lots off Xenia Avenue or on the side streets. On a summer Saturday the village fills, and during the twice-yearly Street Fair it is effectively closed to cars, so arrive before 10 am or plan to walk in from the edges.

Glen Helen and the yellow spring

Glen Helen Nature Preserve is the reason to come. It covers roughly 1,000 acres of gorge, forest and prairie immediately east of the village, with about 25 miles of trail, and it is owned by a local nonprofit rather than the state. Parking at the main Corry Street entrance carries a modest fee, generally around $5 to $10 per vehicle, which supports the preserve. The signature walk is down to the Yellow Spring itself, an iron-rich mineral spring that stains the rock orange and gave the village its name, then along the Little Miami's tributary through the gorge.

Add the Cascades, the Pine Forest and the Raptor Center, which houses non-releasable birds of prey and is worth 20 minutes. Trails are dirt, rooty and often muddy, with real elevation change by Ohio standards, so wear proper shoes. Two hours covers the highlights and four gets you a serious walk. Dogs are restricted in parts of the preserve, so check signage. Restrooms are at the trailhead building rather than in the glen, which matters if you are walking with children.

John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge

Just southeast of the village, John Bryan State Park protects the limestone gorge of the Little Miami River, and it is free with free parking. The rim and gorge trails run several miles, there is rock climbing on the dolomite faces with a permit, and the picnic areas are good. Immediately upstream, Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve is the more dramatic section, a narrow chasm where the river drops through a slot in the rock. The Narrows Trail is one of the finest short hikes in Ohio and takes about an hour round trip.

Continue two miles further to the village of Clifton and the Clifton Mill, a large water-powered grist mill dating to 1802 that still turns, with a restaurant serving breakfast and a small paid tour of the mill works. Admission to the mill is modest, generally under $10, and the restaurant is popular for pancakes with mill-ground flour. In December the mill runs a famously excessive Christmas light display with a separate ticket, typically around $10 to $15 per person, and it draws visitors from the whole region.

The village: shops, cafes and the Street Fair

Xenia Avenue is the spine. It holds independent bookshops, record stores, craft galleries, an outfitter, a toy shop and a run of cafes, all in two walkable blocks. Ye Olde Trail Tavern occupies an 1827 building and does burgers and beer in low-ceilinged rooms. Yellow Springs Brewery, in the Millworks complex near the bike trail, pours in a taproom where pints run $6 to $8. Coffee and breakfast are easy, with village cafes doing plates in the $10 to $16 range and lines out the door by 10 am on weekends.

The Yellow Springs Street Fair, held on the second Saturday of June and again in October, brings hundreds of vendors and tens of thousands of visitors to a village of 3,700. It is genuinely fun and genuinely overwhelming: park on the outskirts, walk in, and do not expect to drive anywhere until evening. If crowds are not your thing, deliberately avoid those two dates and come on a weekday, when the same shops are open and you can actually get a table.

Young's Jersey Dairy and the bike trail

Two miles north of the village on US-68, Young's Jersey Dairy is a working dairy farm turned family destination, with an ice cream counter where scoops run about $5, a full restaurant in the Golden Jersey Inn, a batting cage, mini golf, a driving range and goats you can feed. It is unashamedly commercial and completely charming, and it is the single most reliable way to keep children happy on this trip. Weekend afternoons are busy; go before noon or after 4 pm and the queues shrink noticeably.

For cyclists, Yellow Springs sits on the Little Miami Scenic Trail, a paved rail-trail that runs for more than 70 miles from near Springfield down toward Cincinnati. The village stretch is flat and shaded, and rentals are available in town for roughly $20 to $30 for a half day. An easy out-and-back to Clifton or south toward Xenia takes an hour or two and gives you the gorge scenery without the hiking. The trail is free and open dawn to dusk year round.

Costs, timing and how to structure it

Budget realistically: $22 to $30 in gas for the 140-mile round trip, $5 to $10 for Glen Helen parking, nothing for John Bryan or Clifton Gorge, $12 to $18 for lunch, and $5 for ice cream. Two people can do the whole day for $90 to $130. The structure that works is Glen Helen first thing while it is cool, village lunch and shopping in the middle of the day, then Clifton Gorge or the bike trail in the afternoon and Young's on the way out.

Best seasons are late April to early June, when the wildflowers in the glen are extraordinary, and the second half of October for color in the gorge. Summer is hot and humid, and the trails get muddy after rain. Winter visits work if you pair a short gorge walk with the Clifton Mill lights in December. Leave Upper Arlington by 8:30 am and you will be back well before 7 pm even with a full afternoon of walking.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before they set off on this one.

Rooms worth pairing with this guide.

Short North Hotel LeVeque Autograph Collection

4.6/5 $483/ night

Dublin Home2 Suites by Hilton Columbus Dublin

4.3/5 $150/ night

Short North Hilton Columbus Downtown

4.5/5 $342/ night

24 with a full page

More guides to Upper Arlington

All guides

Itineraries · 9 min read 48 hours in Upper Arlington

Two nights, one small city of about 36,000 people, and roughly 12 square miles of parks, 1920s architecture and shopping centers you can cover almost entirely on foot and by short drives.

Itineraries · 10 min read One week in Upper Arlington

Seven days built around a single base, with 5 days inside Upper Arlington's parks and shopping centers and 2 days reaching out to Dublin, downtown Columbus and the countryside.

Itineraries · 9 min read Upper Arlington in 3 days on a budget

Three days for roughly $340 per person including a $120-a-night room, built on free parks, $2.00 bus fares and lunches under $10.

Find a hotel