The Geauga Park District, among the Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 Metroparks, manages a system of nature preserves scattered throughout Geauga County, Ohio

Geauga County, Ohio

Geauga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 93,389. It is named for a Native American word meaning "raccoon". The county seat is Chardon...

. The network of 18 open parks, other preserves and future parks encompass nearly 9500 acres (38.4 km²) and includes hundreds of miles of walking, bicycle and horse trails, picnic areas, two nature centers and abundant fishing holes.

The park district is operated by a three-member Board of Park Commissioners, each appointed to three-year terms by the Geauga County Probate Judge. According to Chapter 1545 of the O.R.C., the Board is empowered by state law to hire professionals to manage park property, acquire land, designate law enforcement officers, and levy taxes to fund its operations. To sell or lease land, the Board must gain approval of the Probate Judge. The Board must maintain accurate and permanent records of its proceedings and is subject to open records laws in Ohio.

History

In 1959, the Geauga County's League of Women Voters and several local garden clubs began to explore the creation of a park district modeled after neighboring Cleveland Metroparks

Cleveland Metroparks

Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. The various reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, tend to follow the rivers and creeks that flow through the region...

 in order to preserve natural areas and protect animal habitats in Geauga County. The Geauga Park District was established in August 1961 under authority of Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Revised Code

The Ohio Revised Code contains all acts passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by the governor. The Ohio Revised Code replaced the Ohio General Code in 1953. However the current organization and form of the Ohio Revised Code Title 29 was completely re-written and issued into law by the...

 Chapter 1545 http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/1545 by Geauga County Probate Judge Robert B. Ford. The first park operated was a 4-acre park on Woodin Road in Chardon Township

Chardon Township, Geauga County, Ohio

Chardon Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,763 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:...

.

The first employee of the district was Donald W. Meyer, who served as the agencies director from 1965 to his death in 1987. The districts administrative and nature center at Big Creek Park in Chardon Township bears Mr. Meyer's name.

Parks, Reservations and Preserves

Reservation	Acreage (Hectares)	Notes	Park Amenities	Map or Directions
Bass Lake Preserve	606 acres (245.2 ha)	Located in Munson Township Munson Township, Geauga County, Ohio Munson Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,450 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the north central part of the county, it borders the following townships and city:... , the park is along the Chagrin River Chagrin River The Chagrin River is located in Northeast Ohio. The river has two branches, the Aurora Branch and East Branch. Its name is believed to stem from what the local Erie Indians used to call it, the "Sha-ga-rin", or "Clear Water". Given the clear flowing nature of especially the East Branch of the...  and includes a natural lake formed by glacial activity. The area is surrounded by wetlands and a forest of red maple, silver maple, swamp white oak, pin oak and American elm with natural diverse wildlife, including migrating waterfowl, neotropical songbirds, and native brook trout,	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, indoor lodge, boating, and fishing.	Directions
Beartown Lakes Reservation	149 acres (60.3 ha)	Located in Bainbridge Township Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, Ohio Bainbridge Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 10,916 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:...  and Auburn Township Auburn Township, Geauga County, Ohio Auburn Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,158 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships and city:... . Features include three interconnected lakes and pond forming 22-acre open waters, migrating waterfowl, bass, northern pike and bluegill, diverse wildlife, and 70-acre mature beech-maple forest.	Picnic areas with open-air shelters, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, horse trails, fishing, and winter sledding.	Map
Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Park	65 acres (26.3 ha)	Located in Chester Township Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio Chester Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 10,968 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:... . Natural habitat of diverse wildlife in a mature beech-maple forest and natural creek with wetlands.	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, playground, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and geocaching.	Map
Big Creek Park	642 acres (259.8 ha)	Located in Chardon Township Chardon Township, Geauga County, Ohio Chardon Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,763 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:... , the Donald W. Meyers administrative building and nature center is located here. The area is surrounded by a mature beech-maple forested land with streams. Home to a certified Monarch Waystation butterfly garden.	Picnic areas with open-air shelters, playground, four primitive campsites, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, horse trails, and fishing.	Map
Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve	287 acres (116.1 ha)	Located in Burton Township Burton Township, Geauga County, Ohio Burton Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,358 people in the township, 2,908 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...  and Newbury Townships Newbury Township, Geauga County, Ohio Newbury Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census found 5,537 people in the township.As of the 2000 census, the center of population in Geauga County was located in northeastern Newbury Township, near Oak Tree Trail.-Geography:Located in the... , the preserve is a portion of the 1,000-acre Cuyahoga Wetlands. The area includes glacial kettle bogs, lower slope seeps, and wet flats formed in the last glacial ice age. The parks neighbors include the White Pine Bog Forest, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and Fern Lake, owned and managed by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.	Hiking and cross-country skiing trails.	Map
Chickagami Park	139 acres (56.3 ha)	Located in Parkman Township Parkman Township, Geauga County, Ohio Parkman Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,546 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:... , the park is a former Boy Scouts of America Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...  campground. Chickagami is a Native American Indigenous peoples of the Americas The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...  word meaning “camp by the lake.” Located at the headwaters of the Grand River Grand River (Ohio) The Grand River is a tributary of Lake Erie, 102.7 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, it is part of the watershed of the St. Lawrence River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean... , the area includes wetlands, streams, uplands, and beech-maple forests with diverse wildlife.	Picnic areas with open-air shelters, hiking trails, and group camp sites.	Directions
Eldon Russell Park	132 acres (53.4 ha)	Located in Troy Township Troy Township, Geauga County, Ohio Troy Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,567 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Burton Township - north...  along the Upper Cuyahoga River Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s... , a designated Ohio Scenic Rivers. The park's landscape is characterized by kames Kame A kame is a geological feature, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the glacier...  ( knolls of sand and gravel) and kettles (depressions) formed by melting glacial ice. Currently, the area includes wetlands and a swamp forest of elm, ash, silver maple and swamp white oak with diverse wildlife.	Picnic areas with open-air shelters, playground, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, boating, and fishing.	Map
Frohring Meadows	298 acres (120.6 ha)	Located in Bainbridge Township Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, Ohio Bainbridge Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 10,916 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:... , the park features a 100-acre prairie and trails through red and sugar maples, beech, black cherry, tulip, red oak, ash, and hickory woodlands. The prairie includes warm season grass species such as Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switch Grass.	Picnic areas with open-air shelters, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and bicycling.	Map
Headwaters Park	926 acres (374.7 ha)	Located in Huntsburg Township Huntsburg Township, Geauga County, Ohio Huntsburg Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,297 people in the township. The township is the home of the Indian Hill Observatory, owned by the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society....  and Claridon Townships Claridon Township, Geauga County, Ohio Claridon Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,173 people in the township, 2,801 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-History:... , the park is the site of a 420-acre reservoir formed from a glacial lake along the east branch of the Cuyahoga River Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s... . The area is surrounded by a beech-maple forest, meadows, and evergreen plantations. The park is home to diverse wildlife and is a stop-over for migratory waterfowl, including loons, tundra swans and ducks.	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, primitive camping, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, horse trails, bicycle trail, boating, fishing, and geocaching.	Map
The Maple Highlands Trail	12.4 miles	Located in City of Chardon Chardon, Ohio Chardon is a city in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Geauga County.-History:Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square.... , Hambden Township Hambden Township, Geauga County, Ohio Hambden Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,024 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:... , and Claridon Townships Claridon Township, Geauga County, Ohio Claridon Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,173 people in the township, 2,801 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-History:... , the trail consists of two sections, a 4.2-mile trail on the north side of Chardon from the Lake-Geauga line to Chardon, and an 8.2-mile trail from Chardon to Headwaters Park. A 7-mile trail will extend from Headwaters Park to Parkman when completed.	Hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and bicycling.	Map
Mountain Run Station	32 acres (12.9 ha)	Located in Hambden Township Hambden Township, Geauga County, Ohio Hambden Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,024 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:... , the park provides access and parking for the Maple Highlands Trail.	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, hiking and cross-country skiing trail, and bicycling.	Directions
Observatory Park	1100 acres (445.2 ha)	Located in Montville Township Montville Township, Geauga County, Ohio Montville Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,984 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:... , the park is currently under construction. The park is home to the Warner and Swasey Observatory Warner and Swasey Observatory The Warner and Swasey Observatory is the astronomical observatory of Case Western Reserve University. Named after Worcester R. Warner and Ambrose Swasey, who built it at the beginning of the 20th century, it was initially located on Taylor Road in East Cleveland, Ohio, USA... , formerly the Nassau Station for Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA... . Observatory Park protects the watershed of the Cuyahoga River, and holds a diversity of habitats, such as old growth forest, wetlands, and open fields.	When complete, will include observatories and hiking trails.	Features
Orchard Hills Park	237 acres (95.9 ha)	Located in Chester Township Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio Chester Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 10,968 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:... , the park is the site of a former golf course that currently being reclaimed and reforested to its original beech-maple forest ecosystem. The park includes headwater streams and wetlands for the Chagrin River Chagrin River The Chagrin River is located in Northeast Ohio. The river has two branches, the Aurora Branch and East Branch. Its name is believed to stem from what the local Erie Indians used to call it, the "Sha-ga-rin", or "Clear Water". Given the clear flowing nature of especially the East Branch of the... .	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, indoor shelter, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, bicycling, and winter sledding.	Map
Sunnybrook Preserve	73 acres (29.5 ha)	Located in Chester Township Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio Chester Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 10,968 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:... , the park is dominated by unique wetlands, including a fen, which is fed by alkaline, mineral-rich groundwater that was formed by glacial deposition. This fen is home to several “listed” species, including the American Cranberry Bush, which is an “endangered” species in Ohio. Also includes sedge grass meadow and a conifer forest that is home to diverse wildlife.	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, indoor shelter, hiking, and cross-country skiing trails.	Map
Swine Creek Reservation	412 acres (166.7 ha)	Located in Middlefield Township Middlefield Township, Geauga County, Ohio Middlefield Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,418 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...  and Parkman Townships Parkman Township, Geauga County, Ohio Parkman Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,546 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:... , the park includes mature forests of walnut, sycamore and cottonwood trees, meadows, streams, and diverse wildlife.	Picnic areas with open-air shelter, indoor shelter, playground, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, horse trails, and fishing.	Map
The Rookery	562 acres (227.4 ha)	Located in Munson Township Munson Township, Geauga County, Ohio Munson Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,450 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the north central part of the county, it borders the following townships and city:... , the park is parallels the Chagrin River Chagrin River The Chagrin River is located in Northeast Ohio. The river has two branches, the Aurora Branch and East Branch. Its name is believed to stem from what the local Erie Indians used to call it, the "Sha-ga-rin", or "Clear Water". Given the clear flowing nature of especially the East Branch of the...  at the sight of the abandoned Interurban Railroad Junction. The wetlands are located in an ancient glacial lakebed and are home to a large colony of great blue heron and diverse wildlife. The picnic area is surrounded by brush land, as well as a beech-maple forest.	Picnic areas with indoor shelter, playground, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and bicycling.	Map
The West Woods	902 acres (365 ha)	Located in Russell Township Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio Russell Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,529 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and villages:... , the park protects the historic sandstone ledges of Ansel’s Cave, Silver Creek, wetlands, and mature forests. The park includes many tributaries to the Chagrin River Chagrin River The Chagrin River is located in Northeast Ohio. The river has two branches, the Aurora Branch and East Branch. Its name is believed to stem from what the local Erie Indians used to call it, the "Sha-ga-rin", or "Clear Water". Given the clear flowing nature of especially the East Branch of the...  and is home to diverse wildlife.	Picnic areas with open-air shelters, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and horse trails. The park is the site of West Woods Nature Center.	Map
Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve	101 acres (40.9 ha)	Located in Munson Township Munson Township, Geauga County, Ohio Munson Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,450 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the north central part of the county, it borders the following townships and city:... , the park is the site of a manmade 30-acre lake that is home to diverse wildlife including waterfowl.	Hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and fishing.	Map
Whitlam Woods	141 acres (57.1 ha)	Located in Hambden Township Hambden Township, Geauga County, Ohio Hambden Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,024 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:... , the park is characterized by a deep Hemlock ravine surrounded by a mature beech-maple forest and diverse wildlife.	Hiking and cross-country skiing trails, and geocaching.	Map

Nature centers

• The West Woods Nature Center is located in the West Woods Park.
• The Donald W. Meyer Center is located in the Big Creek Park.