Boyer Nature Preserve is wonderful, mini-wetland that sits in the middle of suburban Westerville, Ohio. The site's main feature is its stream-fed pond. Although it may look like an ordinary pond, it's actually very special due to the way that it was formed. During the last ice age, Westerville was beneath approximately one thousand feet of ice (305 m). As the climate warmed, a large fracture formed near the edge of the melting glacier. Once that fracture became large enough, a huge slab of ice separated Read more ➜ Boyer Nature Preserve
Boyer Nature Preserve is wonderful, mini-wetland that sits in the middle of suburban Westerville, Ohio. The site's main feature is its stream-fed pond. Although it may look like an ordinary pond, it's actually very special due to the way that it was formed. During the last ice age, Westerville was beneath approximately one thousand feet of ice (305 m). As the climate warmed, a large fracture formed near the edge of the melting glacier. Once that fracture became large enough, a huge slab of ice separated Read more ➜ 
Knox woods State Nature Preserve is a small, 30 acre woodland with two loop trails. However there are several connector trails to the adjoining Knox County park, Wolf Run Regional Park. Wolf Run is a 288 acre park with diverse habitats (woods, meadows, wetlands) and many facilities for guests. Besides having an enclosed dog park, guests are also allowed to take their leashed dogs on the trails at Wolf Run. Because the park and preserve are next to each other, you can go on a great hike that takes 
Wahkeena Nature Preserve is a hidden gem located in the SE corner of Fairfield County. The preserve lies just beyond the farthest point of glacial advance at the peak of the ice age. The word, "Wahkeena" is an Indian word meaning, "most beautiful." Given the variety of flowering shrubs and plants (including eight varieties of native orchids), this seems a very fitting name. You will see a brown sign for Wahkeena on US 33 as you head into the Hocking Hills. Wahkeena is well worth a detour.
As 
Overview
The Newark Earthworks were constructed about 2000 years ago by the prehistoric, Hopewell people. These are the largest, geometric earthworks in the world. To give you a better sense of the size and shape of these structures, it's best to look at an aerial view. Since I can't take aerial photos myself, I photographed some of the interpretive signs near the earthworks.
The plaque below shows the layout of the Newark Earthworks which occupy four square miles (10.6 square kilometers).
I 
There are three different trail groupings at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve, but for the longest time we only knew of the main parking lot and the trail head that leads off from there. So at the end of this post there's a map and directions showing the location of them all. The icon used to locate the feature on the map is described in parentheses after each heading.
Blackhand Trail, Quarry Rim Trail & Chestnut Trail(Cabin Icon)
There is an old log cabin at the main parking lot across 
Gallant Woods Preserve is part of Delaware County's Preservation Parks system. In contrast to many of the parks that we have discussed which are tourist attractions in their own right, Gallant Woods is more of a local community resource. It consists of 231 acres of mixed habitat including old growth woods, a wetlands woods, a meadow that's being converted into prairie, and glacial moraine. There's now 1.8 miles of developed trail with more trails planned for the future. The existing trails are all 
Hayden Falls Park is part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, but it's in Dublin, Ohio. You could drive past it without ever realizing it's there, but it's well worth a stop. The waterfall is about 35 ft high (10.7 meters) and fed by Hayden Run Creek which empties into the Scioto river.
Location
Address: 4335 Hayden Run Road, Dublin, OH
GPS coordinates: 40.068023, -83.108424
Directions: Here's how to find it. From Frantz Road (in Dublin, Ohio) turn 
My husband and I began our afternoon here by parking off Hazel Dell Road near the waterfall. It is a relatively small, but charming falls, about 25 feet in height. The surrounding region has many sandstone cliffs and bouldering (climbing) is allowed.
Here are some additional sights near the falls.
Trails Across the Road from the Falls
Across the road from the falls is additional parking and a trail head. There are about 4 miles of trail. The trail quickly branches into 
Seymour Woods State Nature Preserve is a 115-acre preserve in Delaware County. It is named after James O. Seymour who donated the property to the state in 1972. His family's cabin, though boarded up, remains within the preserve. The preserve also contains the foundation of a settler's home that was built in 1830; it's known as the Avery Powers Homestead. While hiking the loop trail that winds around the property, I also noticed the remains of a concrete silo off in the distance.
When