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FeedMystery Terrain
Explore some of Ohio’s most impressive natural wonders at Oak Openings
The long, flat, beautiful loop trail at Oak Openings Preserve Metropark winds through hardwood forest, wetlands, prairies and then, in something of a cosmic hiccup, to a strand of sand dunes.
You read that right: bona fide sand dunes complete with prickly pear cactus. I didn’t believe it until I pricked my finger on one.
Lying in the overlooked quarters of Northwest Ohio—the opposite direction of the state’s most popular nature—the Oak Openings region is a mysterious, untapped resource even for many seasoned Buckeye adventurers.
Yet this 130-square-mile finger pointing from southern Michigan into Lucas, Fulton and Henry counties contains a greater number of rare plant and animal species than anywhere else in Ohio. It’s considered by The Nature Conservancy to be “One of America’s Last Great Places,” a designation that puts it on par with areas like the Everglades.
“Even if they can’t articulate it, the people who live here know that the place is special,” says Steve Woods, Oak Openings project manager for the conservancy. “When we go out and explain the scientific reasons that make it special, it makes sense to them.”
To understand this awesomeness, scientists look way back to the Wisconsin glacier, which made the area as flat as Kansas and dumped on it large amounts of clay till. When the mountain of ice melted, it left behind a giant predecessor to Lake Erie. Sand bars that emerged beneath it were blown into deep, sporadic dunes when waters receded.
From sand, clay and water arose an odd combination of adjacent ecosystems that today includes sand barrens, wet prairies and oak openings, the region’s trademark natural area. These wide savannas support grasses, flowers and forbs beneath a sparse canopy of oaks.
“If you are in a conservation field, the greatest bang for your buck is in the Oak Openings,” Woods explains.
Depending on season and section, hikers can see: badgers, flying squirrels and blue racers; butterflies like the federally endangered Karner blue; and flowers like wild blue lupine, hoary puccoon and yellow lady’s slipper orchid. The list of birds that nest in the region is astounding: lark sparrow, scarlet tanager, summer tanager, yellow-breasted chat, hooded warbler, yellow warbler and chestnut-sided warbler, among many others.
In July, highlights explode in the grasslands—blazing star, coneflowers, western sunflower and big bluestem. Ferns and the brilliant cardinal flower bloom in the woods, and evenings bring bats, swifts and nighthawks.
To explore the area, start at Oak Openings Preserve. A short walk north from Mallard Lake will introduce you to oak savannas and the exquisite sand dunes at Girdham Road. From there hikers can access an impressive range of trails, habitats and terrains in the park’s 3,765 acres.
Also take time to visit smaller, quieter Kitty Todd Nature Preserve. The Nature Conservancy’s land holds some of the best examples of the region’s indigenous habitats. Relaxing trails among dunes, wet prairies and oak savannas are equally good for birding, discovery and peaceful thoughts. The preserve is open weekdays and during the first weekend of the month from May through October.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t aware of how unique the area is from a natural point of view,” says Bob Jacksy, a naturalist with the Toledo Metroparks. “People are learning, and they are taking a lot of pride.”
