Date: 12/18/2021 – Distance: 4.8 mi – Elapsed Time: 2.25 hr – Ascent: 177 ft – Descent: 69 ft – Difficulty: Medium
What a foggy morning, but such a great place to be. This is my sixth hike of the Columbus and Franklin Park Metro Parks Winter Hike Challenge. I have to do 6 assigned parks for 3 months, and a total of 18 to complete the challenge. This one completes December for me.
Blacklick Woods Metro Park is located in Reynoldsburg, Ohio and is 643 acres of woods, prairies, picnic areas, trails, and wetlands. There is also a Nature Center, Native American Mound, and Golf Course on the property. This is CBUS Metro Parks oldest park.
It was a foggy day as I entered the park.
Map of the park.
I parked at the Nature Center lot.
Some winter programs.
I wanted to head to the Nature Center first to visit it and get my card stamped.
They have a butterfly garden at the nature center.
And a program area outside.
It’s a small Nature Center.
A tank with some local fish and turtles.
Pond Slider.
They have an observation window overlooking some bird feeders and a pond.
Some skulls.
Red Tailed Hawk.
A Coyote and a Bald Faced Hornet nest.
Some amphibians.
Gray Tree Frog.
These Screech Owls are one of Ohio’s smallest raptors.
Great Horned Owl.
The Barred Owls are my favorite. This is a small one.
Beaver.
Time to hit some trails.
There is a boardwalk over the wetland areas.
Some inhabitants of the wetland.
It’s a wetland prairie.
I took another trail.
These trees are common in Ohio.
This one has the rings that the kiosk was talking about, which are caused by a bird.
White Squirrel.
You can see the golf course over there.
American Beech trees keep these leaves all winter, especially the more protected younger ones.
Info about Sugar Maples.
There were four deer bedding down right along the trail. They didn’t move.
Info about the Ash Borer.
The Ash Borer has killed nearly all Ash trees across Ohio.
Some Mallard Ducks.
This pond is kind of hidden.
A lodge, which can be reserved.
Entering the picnic areas.
An interesting piece of history in this old park.
Old Trading Post.
This is the largest picnic area.
Heading back into the trails.
I couldn’t find the tree it was talking about.
Do not carve into Beech trees or any others for that matter.
Not only is it vandalism, you can kill the tree.
The woods are tranquil.
Getting back toward the Nature Center where the lights are.
Reading the Natural Landscape.
I wanted to take one more trail, and I had to jump on the multipurpose trail for a bit.
Huge prairie.
I was looking for this Native American mound.
Very recently discovered.
About those who built it.
It’s clearly visible here.
It’s very hard to see it though. There is a small rise in the middle and a circle around it.
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