Oberlin Preserve--South Woods

Oberlin Preserve--South Woods

West Hamilton Street Oberlin, Ohio 44074

Oberlin Preserve Official Website
Oberlin College Official Website
Oberlin College map

About this Location

You can access the walking path through the south woods (a gravel railroad right-of-way) by parking at the far western edge of the parking lot for the Hamilton Road athletic fields. There is a nice large parking lot there. You walk just west to access the north-south path. You can also access the middle of the right-of-way by parking at the cul-de-sac at the end of Reserve Avenue, off of OH-58. The right-of-way runs all the way down to US-20 from Hamilton Road but there’s no parking at that end.

The right-of-way runs through a very wet woodlot which has had some nice birds in it. It’s underutilized except by trail runners and the very occasional dog-walker. You could also access this walkway by riding a bike down the Oberlin-Kipton-Elyria bike path and turning south toward Splash Zone. The best bird area is south of Hamilton Road.

Western Reserve Land Conservancy has acquired a 63-acre section of the Oberlin Great South Woods.

The land includes forests, wetlands, and a meadow and is intended to be used for both research and public use. The land conservancy has worked with Lorain County Metro Parks to ready the area for public use. People are able to run, hike and picnic.

Oberlin’s Great South Woods is home to many different rare birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Protecting so many rare species provides research opportunities for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Oberlin College.

About Oberlin Preserve

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The Oberlin Preserve includes restored native prairie and wet woods habitats. Western Reserve Land Conservancy began to restore the native prairie in 2017 with the help of many conservation partners and the work is not done yet! A visit to this property includes walking prairie trails and viewing the wet woods from the right-of-way trail to the east. Visit in late summer or early fall to see spectacular wildflowers.

This property is part of what is considered the Oberlin Great South Woods. The site is on the south side of Hamilton Road, west of the Oberlin Ball Fields and the Lorain County Metro Parks-operated Splash Zone. The site is historically significant, having been a stop on the Underground Railroad and once owned by the family of John A. Copeland, Jr.

About Oberlin College

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The Oberlin College campus is 500 acres in the city of Oberlin.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

Content from Oberlin Preserve Official Website, Oberlin College Official Website, Diana Steele, Oberlin South Woods news article, Diana Steele, Ohio Ornithological Society, and Oberlin Preserve (Black River Audubon Society) webpage