At Caesar Creek, outside Waynesville, the morning path drops into the gorge, creek on one side and rock on the other, while the lake you slept beside is still behind the dam. The preserve trail stays with the creek between those walls, and when you climb out the marina and ramps put you on the water for the rest of the day. Fossil hunting below the spillway is the other morning, with a permit the Army Corps of Engineers issues at its visitor center.
The campground on the lake is the first night. Ohio DNR lists electric sites and some full hookups as of September 2026, which is what you want in humid summer. If you need more sleeping space than a van, look at RVs for rent in Dayton; those loops take them. Yellow Springs is next when you want a gorge walk with a town attached.
John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge
At Yellow Springs the Little Miami has cut through limestone and shale. Park trails reach a swinging bridge and waterfalls, then the river tightens into Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, a National Natural Landmark on the Little Miami State and National Scenic River. Yellow Springs is the town next to the park, so the gorge walk and town are the same stop.
The John Bryan campground has electric and non-electric sites and stays open from November through early April, with group camps closed. Pets are not allowed in the preserve, though they are fine in John Bryan proper. Sleep here to walk the gorge at first light, or stay at Caesar Creek and come over for the day. Hocking Hills is the gorge overnight on a Columbus campervan trip.
The Little Miami Scenic Trail from Xenia
Xenia Station is a restored 1880s depot where four trails meet. From there the Little Miami Scenic Trail is 78 miles of paved riding through farmland and river bottom, connecting toward both Caesar Creek and John Bryan. There is no camping on the trail, so you ride it as a day from whichever park you slept in.
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
Inside the hangars you walk past full-size aircraft under one roof, hangar to hangar. Admission and parking are free as of September 2026. There is no overnight on the grounds, so you park for the day and sleep at Caesar Creek or John Bryan.
Indian Lake and Buck Creek
Indian Lake State Park is open reservoir water, with marinas, seasonal docks, and launch ramps. The campground has electric and full-hookup sites, some of them on the water, and it is the overflow first night when Caesar Creek is booked.
Buck Creek State Park at Springfield is on C.J. Brown Reservoir with electric and non-electric campsites, and cabins if someone wants a roof. Hueston Woods State Park is the lake overnight if you are headed toward Cincinnati.