Posted in Birds, Central Ohio, Park review

Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk

Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk is part of the Hoover Nature Preserve operated by the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department. It is one of the best birding sites in central Ohio. In the fall the city lowers the water level in Hoover Reservoir, so it’s more hospitable to migrating shore birds. The area around the boardwalk is also used for fishing and launching kayaks, and I’ve seen crew teams training here. Beyond that, the site is just lovely.

Sunset


This is how it looks after the water level has been lowered for the migrating shore birds.
Bird watching during fall migration
A migrating shore bird (a Greater or Lesser Yellow Legs)
Migrating egret
Migrating cormorants
Winter
Spring
Fishing in the rain
A storm approaching
Dramatic Clouds
Wispy clouds
Blue heron fish here all summer
Red-breasted Merganser migrating through in the spring
Migrating coot
Spider web between railings of boardwalk
Ring-billed gulls

One of the big, birding attractions of the summer is a mated pair of osprey who nest on a platform near the boardwalk. If you stop by to watch the osprey family, it helps to bring binoculars. Sadly the nesting platform is a bit too far away for me to be able to capture crisp photos of the family here, but here are a couple to just give you an idea of what you can see.

Osprey taking off
Osprey perching in tree




Canoe / kayak launching has been prohibited from this location.
Location

The Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk is in Galena, Ohio. Nearby there are two dining establishments on Old 3C Hwy: the Galena Diner, and the Mudflats Bar and Grill. The diner is a nice place to stop by for breakfast. In the evening, the bar and grill periodically features live music.

Cyclists can ride most of the distance between Galena and Westerville on a dedicated bike path. From Galena, take Old 3C Hwy west to Wiese Road. Weise Road terminates at the northernmost end of the bike path. The bike path will take you to northern Westerville.


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© Deborah Platt, Robert Platt and TrekOhio.com 2012 to 2021


13 thoughts on “Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk

    1. Gail, your welcome! I wish I could tell you when the boardwalk is going to be open to the public, but I don’t have a clue. It’s really nice when it’s open.

    1. The city of Columbus owns and manages this preserve. The park’s management has said that they will repair the boardwalk this spring, but they haven’t specified any dates for beginning or completing these repairs.

  1. Great post …. lots of super pictures. The Yellowlegs looks like a Lesser to me. The bill on a Greater usually has a dip towards the end aand this guys is pretty straight! Thanks for sharing!! Tom

    1. Thanks, Tom! I didn’t realize that the bills on the two species of Yellow Legs were somewhat different. I’ll keep that in mind. I only get to see them during migration, but that makes them seem even more special.

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