The Grand Valley Preserve, a former gravel excavation site, was acquired by the Village of Indian Hill in 2002. Located in Camp Dennison, the 379 acre site has been the focus of a reclamation project to restore wildlife and the Preserve’s natural beauty. Due to the restoration, a few miles of beautiful walking trails have been created, and the previous separate lakes have been combined to form one large lake, great for canoeing and fishing. Bring your binoculars and camera, there are many species of birds, waterfowl, and wildlife for you to observe. Come and enjoy the beauty of nature, and the serenity that Grand Valley has to offer. Click the button below to learn more!

Announcements 

NOTICE: There will not be a Bass Fishing Tournament Spring 2023 due to low water level of the lake at Grand Valley. 

While visiting parks, please respect social distancing:

• Keep a six foot distance between each other
• Walk in one direction on walking paths
• Keep walking groups small

GRAND VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES:

1. Develop a master plan for the property that will insure the highest level of benefits to a broad range of users while restoring Grand Valley to a pristine natural area.
2. Protect unique and important wildlife species through meaningful use restrictions and responsible site design criteria.
3. Provide for the construction of necessary recreation facilities and other low impact uses which comply with the mission statement.
4. Employ very strict standards for effluent discharge to insure the maintenance of a high quality water system.
5. Retain ownership of the property and provide for the continued operation of the facilities and uses to insure that the property remains a beneficial asset to the Indian Hill residential water customers.

Note: Only certain activities are permitted at Grand Valley Preserve. Any activity, at the discretion of the Village of Indian Hill, may be suspended at any time, for a specified length of time and/or in a certain area, due to construction activities. For additional information call (513) 979-6221 or email [email protected].

GRAND VALLEY ACCESS CARDS

  Entrance to Grand Valley is restricted to residents of Indian Hill or residential customers of the Indian Hill Water Works.  An access card is required to operate the gate at Grand Valley and each Indian Hill household or residential water customer can receive one access card at no charge. An additional card may be purchased for $10.00. There is a limit of 2 cards per household. Access cards are available only at the Indian Hill Administration Building, 6525 Drake Road, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. A Photo ID will be required.

  Access cards are only to be possessed by members of the household that the card was issued to.  The access cards are not to be loaned to anyone.   Card holders may bring no more than two guests into the Preserve at a time and are required to accompany them at all times while at Grand Valley.

DOG LEASH REGULATION

Dogs may be unleashed on the North Trail and the West Overlook Trail only. Dogs MUST BE KEPT UNDER CONTROL. It is mandatory that dogs are kept on their leash on all other trails. NO EXCEPTIONS

FISHING REGULATIONS

All fish are catch and release except the following limits per person per day (daily bag limits):

Largemouth Bass:  11 to 13 inches       Limit 6

Crappie:  10 inch minimum                   Limit 4

Yellow Perch: 10 inch minimum            Limit 4

Catfish: 12 to 24 inches                        Limit 4

Bluegill: 6 inch minimum                      Limit 10

Common Carp: Any size and no Limit

The above are daily bag limits.

NOTE:  A group of more than two person brought into the Preserve by a pass holder to fish may take no more than twice the daily bag limit of any of the above species of fish.  This is regardless of the number of passes the pass holder or others in his household may possess.

There are two small lakes located on the northeastern portion of the Preserve property where fishing is prohibited and they are posted with “NO FISHING” signs.  For the other lakes, fishing from a boat is permitted and bank fishing is permitted on all of these lakes except for the North Lake where fishing from the bank is prohibited.  If you do not have your own boat there are canoes on the property that you may use. Remember, boats equipped with gasoline motors are not permitted to be on the lake, even if the motor is not in use. The use of electric trolling motors is permitted.  A fishing license is not required.

KEEP GRAND VALLEY CLEAN

Some visitors are discarding their cigarette butts and water bottles on the shoreline of the lakes and on the walking trails. Please do your part to keep Grand Valley beautiful. Use the trash cans that are available, or take home what you bring in. Report anyone you observe littering to the Preserve Manager or a Grand Valley employee that is on-duty. The Indian Hill Rangers are also available at (513) 561-7000. Littering is a crime and anyone caught littering at Grand Valley will be cited. Grand Valley is your Preserve, please keep it clean.

Spring Nesting Season

Many of the birds, ducks, and geese will construct nests and will lay their eggs in the spring. Should you encounter any of the above nesting activities please enjoy them from a distance and do not disturb them. When the nests of some of the ground nesting birds are located they are marked with small orange flags or orange cones. Should you observe them please keep in mind that they may be marking the nesting site of one of these birds and avoid them.

Warning System

In the event of severe weather or other emergency at Grand Valley, the on duty staff member will cause to be activated three (3) consecutive and quick soundings from an air horn at various locations around the Preserve. Upon the activation of this warning all visitors in the Preserve will be required to leave the Preserve. This will hopefully insure your safety while visiting Grand Valley.

Coyotes Attack Dog at Grand Valley

In previous years there have been several reports of dogs having been attacked by coyotes at Grand Valley.  February is the time of year when coyotes breed and is a period when they may become more aggressive.  It would be prudent to keep your dogs close to you particularly in the portion of the Preserve where dogs are permitted to be off leash . Please report any aggressive coyote activity to the staff at Grand Valley in person or by calling (513) 616-4723 or (513) 615-3329. In case of an emergency contact the Indian Hill Rangers at (513) 561-7000.