Looking for a backcountry backpacking experience that traverses many different natural habitats with rich biodiversity and wildlife? Welcome to the Twin Valley Trail. Set in the rolling hills of the Twin Valley, it provides a backpacking experience reminiscent of backcountry wilderness trails with beautiful hills, babbling brooks, abundant wildlife, history and small-town charm. Total mileage for the trail is about 27 miles, including three areas for overnight camping.

Learn more about the TVT.

The historical Camp Hook area at Twin Creek offers three frontcountry campsites with access to the park’s extensive hiking trail system. Nearly 10 miles of trails in the park’s rugged terrain connect to the 27-mile Twin Valley Trail and take you along the beautiful Twin Creek, by a prehistoric Indian mound and up to a scenic hilltop vista. An amphitheater is one unique feature of this former Boy Scout camp that makes this a great place for groups to camp. Picnic table, pit toilets and firewood are provided. Permit required.

Reserve a campsite.

Secluded camping opportunities are available to backpackers at three locations along the Twin Valley Trail in Germantown and Twin Creek MetroPark. These hike-in primitive campsites are large enough for two small backpacking tents and each location has an outhouse and a common area for cooking and hanging out. All water taken from ponds or streams must be treated. Backcountry camping also requires a permit.

This outstanding natural area contains steep, wooded ravines featuring mature forest with a diverse understory plant life, extensive areas of second-growth forest, floodplain forest, several large managed grasslands, a large scenic pond and the beautiful Twin Creek. In addition, the MetroPark contains a winding prehistoric Indian mound and a hilltop vista. The MetroPark is linked by the wooded Twin Creek Corridor to Germantown MetroPark to the north.

The staff at MetroParks works to preserve the existing forest woodlands through the control of honeysuckle and other invasive species. Areas of the park are designated for natural succession to future forests, and are helped along with the reintroduction and planting of mast species.

Tall grass prairies, meadows, thickets and ponds are also monitored and managed to ensure biodiversity.

MetroParks works with local landowners and partnering conservation agencies to protect the Twin Creek and its watershed, including 1,711 acres of surrounding private land that is in permanent conservation easement. These easements were purchased from the current owners and require that the land be kept in its current conservation or agricultural condition. These easements have been completed in partnership with the Three Valley Conservation Trust (TVCT), a land trust based in Oxford, Ohio.

Fishing is available at the following locations without an Ohio fishing license:

• Dogwood Pond: Just a short hike will take you to beautiful Dogwood Pond, which offers excellent catch and release bass fishing in scenic settings. This pond contains may 1- to 2-lb. bass and the occasional 3-lb. bass.
• Lake George: Fishing is permitted without a license at Lake George, located near the park’s camping facilities on the grounds of the former Camp Hook. This pond is ADA accessible with a fishing pier. Catch and release only here.

An Ohio fishing license is required for the following location, where state limits also apply:

• Twin Creek: The Twin Creek is also an excellent smallmouth bass stream. Fish commonly in the Twin also include crappie and bluegill.

Twin Creek MetroPark hosts 70 species of nesting birds. The wild, beautiful landscape of this park includes more than 7 miles of walking trails, many along Twin Creek and through woodlands and meadows.

Home to a dozen different types of mussels and 62 types of fish, Twin Creek is one of the cleanest waterways in the state. With the return of pioneer-era wildlife — such as wild turkey, bobcat and black bear — the area is a living testament to how conservation practices make a positive impact on the land.

Meadows that are the most beneficial for wildlife contain a mixture of grasses and forbs (wildflowers). Meadow grasses are called “cool season” grasses, because they grow most vigorously during the cooler seasons of spring and fall. Many common meadow plants, such as Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) and tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris), are native to Eurasia. Meadows support a large diversity of insects, including butterflies and moths. Look for the Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia), with its prominent eyespots that resemble the fruit of the buckeye tree. Meadows are also very important habitat for grassland bird species. MetroParks’ meadows are mowed early in the spring or in the late summer to prevent them from reverting to forest. There are beautiful examples of meadow habitat at Twin Creek MetroPark. Park in the lot off of Eby Road for a beautiful scenic view or at Chamberlain Road and follow the orange trail. The meadows are also good places to observe white-tailed deer.

Beautiful spring ephemerals are found in Twin Creek’s bottomland forest on the horse trails at Twin Creek MetroPark along the Twin Creek. Look for trout lily (Erythronium albidum), a white-flowered plant with speckled leaves resembling the speckled skin of trout. 

See our recent bird surveys for bird species that inhabit the park.

Spend the day finding more than 15 geocaches hidden throughout Germantown and Twin Creek MetroParks. Pack a picnic and head out for a fun adventure that will take you through cedar tree stands to historic Carlisle Fort. Visit geocaching.com to get coordinates for all geocaches hidden in Five Rivers MetroParks.

Carlisle Fort features remnants of earthen walls built around 2,000 years ago by the Hopewell Indians. The first published descriptions of Carlisle Fort come from a letter written in 1835 by historian S. H. Binkley. Early historians, like Binkley, believed that these enclosure sites were made to defend the hilltop, and so the term “fort” was commonly used in the name. Later archaeological work shows that hilltop enclosures were used for ceremonial purposes.

On February 26, 1974, the National Park Service listed the Carlisle Fort site in the National Register of Historic Places. Today the site is preserved as part of Twin Creek MetroPark, a facility of Five Rivers MetroParks. When visiting the site, you can clearly see the low, earthen embankments that follow the edge of the ravine. This ridge is about two feet high and is missing some sections due to erosion. Following Twin Creek MetroPark’s green hiking trail to the left will take you through a gateway in the mounds after trail marker #6. From there, the green trail proceeds down to Twin Creek.

The south end of Twin Creek MetroPark includes a former Boy Scout camp, Camp Hook, which was sold to MetroParks in 1996 after serving as a summer camp for 70 years. As a MetroParks facility, the camp continues to offer frontcountry camping experiences for scouts but is open to families and other organizations as well.

View park history.

The park has nearly 10 miles of wooded trails for walking and hiking. The trails have some of the most significant elevation changes in the region and traverse a variety of scenic habitats. There are a number of options with loops of various lengths from a couple miles to more than 30 miles, if you take the Twin Valley Trail connector trail to Germantown MetroPark. Loop trails are color coded and are marked by color-coded posts. All colored trails are loops; follow the same color to arrive back at your starting point. Trail intersections are marked by numbers corresponding to the numbers on the map.

Carefully choose a trail based on your hiking expectations, and come back often to experience seasonal change in this remarkable area.

Twin Creek has nearly 7 miles of relatively flat, scenic bridle trails that include several wide-water crossings with beautiful views upstream and downstream in the Twin Valley. They make great trails for hot summer days, but offer a nature-filled experience throughout the seasons. A horse trailer parking lot is available at 8568 Morningstar Road.

This outstanding natural area contains steep, wooded ravines containing mature forest with a diverse understory plant life, extensive areas of second-growth forest, floodplain forest, several large managed grasslands, a large scenic pond and the beautiful Twin Creek. In addition, this MetroPark contains a winding prehistoric Indian mound and a hilltop vista. The MetroPark is linked by the wooded Twin Creek Corridor to Germantown MetroPark to the north.

The Twin Creek is a popular canoeing and kayaking location, although water conditions vary considerably. All watercraft should be launched from the river access site downstream of the Germantown Dam at Germantown MetroPark using the 7481 Creek Road entrance. An access site to pull out is 7 miles to Carmody Park in Warren County. This scenic section of the one of the cleanest rivers/creeks in Ohio takes you through hills, forests and picturesque Twin Creek MetroPark.

Reserve the High View shelter, Dogwood lot or Hopewell shelter for your exclusive use using our online reservation system. 

Unreserved shelters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Picnic table sites also are available.

Hiking trails are open all winter long in most MetroParks, including Twin Creek.

Birding is a great way to learn about nature and get outside in your parks. From the young to the young at heart, people of all ages can enjoy this activity year-round. Winter in Ohio offers many opportunities to explore the woods for songbirds.