Wilderness+Trail

Also, see Edge of Appalachia Preserve and Edge of Appalachia Important Bird Area
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Adams County
=Edge of Appalachia Preserve= =Wilderness Trail= Shivener Road West Union, Ohio 45693 Wilderness Trail webpage Wilderness Trail map

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Edge of Appalachia Preserve (TNC)--Wilderness Trail
Coordinates: 38.77978, -83.41757 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About the Wilderness Trail
Hikers seeking seclusion will find just what they’re looking for on The Wilderness trail – nobody. The newest trail at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve offers visitors a chance to escape into the woods for some peace and quiet, except for the sounds of local wildlife.

The scene here changes with seasons. In spring, the slump rocks that have rolled down the hill are decorated with columbine, rue anemone, large-flowered trillium, goldenrod, and miterwort. Above, migrant warblers flit through the trees, while the distance holds the rattling call of the wild turkey gobbler and the ruffed grouse drumming from his favorite log.

Late fall flowers in these woods are few, but hikers should watch for the delicate blue flowers of the stiff gentian, which blooms into November and, at times, even into January.

The Wilderness trail guides visitors uphill and down into deep woods and past cool glens and gray cliffs of limestone. Along this trail are several stands of white cedar or arbor vitae in what botanists call “Appalachian Bluff White Cedar Woodland.” Today, this type of plant community is globally rare.

Part of the path winds for a half mile along the rim of a dolomite cliff that drops precipitously for 60 feet into the shaded gorge to Cliff Run. The bedrock here is Bisher Dolomite, sometimes called yellow dolomite because the iron in it turns yellow with oxidations. In autumn, when the leaves fall, you can see from there the distant valley of Ohio Brush Creek off to the west.

Allow 2-3 hours for this trail, so there will be time to stop and observe the flowers and butterflies, listen to the birds, and study the plant communities. From Edge of Appalachia Preserve--Wilderness Trail webpage

Yellow-breasted Chat Photo by Takayuki Uchida



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|| L741605 US US-OH US-OH-001 38.77978 -83.41757 Edge of Appalachia Preserve (TNC)--Wilderness Trail