Noble+County+Birding+Drive

=Ohio Birding Drives= Ohio Birding Drives are routes for birding trips which can be accomplished in one day, stopping to walk and bird at various eBird hotspots. For each birding drive, a Google map is provided with the route and suggested stops at eBird hotspots. You may save the link to the Google map on your smartphone or tablet, or print a copy on paper to take with you. Links are provided with information about each eBird hotspot. Follow those links for more information about birding each location.
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Noble County
=Noble County Birding Drive= Click on the hotspot names below to view the page about that hotspot in a new tab or window. You can click on the thumbnail maps below to view a larger version in a new window or tab.

Noble County is one of Ohio's "under-birded" counties (fewer than 1000 eBird checklists). This Birding Drive explores eBird hotspots in the county. When you submit checklists here you help to add to the data about birds in this region of Ohio.

@Chapel Drive
Cumberland, Ohio 43732

Chapel Drive is located 3 miles south of Cumberland. Take OH-83 south from Cumberland and turn left on Chapel Drive.

Chapel Drive traverses private property. Please, view birds from the roadside only. Nearly 175 bird species have been reported on this road which has been birded in all seasons of the year.

@Wolf Run State Park
16170 Wolf Run Road Caldwell, Ohio 43724

From Chapel Drive, take Brookton Heights to OH-340 east. Continue on OH-340 to Belle Valley. Take Wolf Run Road to Wolf Run State Park.

There are 3 trails at Wolf Run State Park which are available to birders. A 3.5-mile section of the Buckeye Trail passes along the west side of the lake. A .5 mile loop trail begins at the nature center providing opportunities for nature study and wildlife observation. A 1.5-mile Lakeview Trail skirts the lake, providing a pleasant walk from the campground to the beach.

Wolf Run State Park is nestled in the heart of the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau of southeastern Ohio. The hills in the park region remained untouched by the glacial advances that passed over much of the state more than 12,000 years ago. Nevertheless, meltwaters from the vast sheets of ice helped to permanently alter the topography of the area. Stream flow was greatly increased, hastening the cutting of valleys and creating the rugged terrain so prevalent today. The predominant bedrock in the Wolf Run region is sandstone deposited during the Pennsylvanian period, with alternating layers of coal. From Wolf Run State Park website

@Caldwell Lake
Caldwell, Ohio 43724

Caldwell Lake is about 3 miles from Wolf Run State Park. From the park take Wolf Run Road to OH-215. Turn right (west) on OH-215. Turn left onto Reservoir Road. Turn left onto Caldwell Lake Road.

Main access to view the water and adjacent areas is accessed from the quiet dirt road, Caldwell Lake Road, just past the dam. Small numbers of migrating waterfowl can be found here along with typical woodland nesters. Just past the marina entrance is a nice, large sandstone and water feature we dubbed "Little Old Man's Cave" which has hosted nesting Louisiana Waterthrush. From Kent Miller

@Ales Run Wildlife Area
Lower Salem, Ohio 45745

To reach Ales run Wildlife Area from Caldwell Lake, take Reservoir Road to Marietta Road (OH-821 south). Continue on Marietta Rd. Take OH-564 E/Frostyville Rd to Ogles Ridge Road in Jefferson Township. 12.7 miles. Drive to Heddleson Ridge (Town Highway 271).

This 2,905-acre wildlife area is 3 miles east of Dexter City, traveling up County Road 2 to County Road 42 to gain access to the interior township roads. This area can be easily reached from I-77 or from OH-564 from Middleburg. Nearly 60 percent of Ales Run was strip-mined prior to modern reclamation laws (pre-1972). The resulting terrain is rugged and includes miles of high walls and many acres of spoil banks that have reverted to brushlands and small trees. The remaining 40 percent is undisturbed and is a mixture of woodland and brushland habitat. Within 5 miles of Ales Run is an additional 6,144 acres of the B&N Coal Inc. lands. A free permit is required to hunt B&N Coal, Inc. land. From Ales Run Wildlife Area webpage

@Lexington Ridge
Summerfield, Ohio 43788

To reach Lexington Ridge Road from Ales Run Wildlife Area, head south on Heddleson Ridge (Township Highway 271) toward Graveyard Road (Township Highway 275). Turn left onto Graveyard Road (Township Highway 275). Turn right onto OH-564 east. Turn left onto OH-145. Turn left onto OH-260 north. Turn right onto Lexington Ridge Road.

Lexington Ridge Road traverses private property. Please, view birds from the roadside only.

Seneca Lake--Edgewater Road
Senecaville, Ohio

To reach Seneca Lake--Edgewater Road, head east on Lexington Ridge Road toward Woodsfield Road. Continue onto South Main Street. Continue onto OH-513 north (Batesville Road). Turn left onto Grant Moore Road. Turn right onto OH-147 east. Turn right onto Edgewater Road.

Seneca Lake is in eastern Ohio, mostly in Noble County, with a small northern portion in Guernsey County. The dam is located 2 miles east of Senecaville on OH-313 and 12 miles southeast of Cambridge via I-77 and OH-313.

Seneca Lake dam was built across the valley of Seneca Fork of Wills Creek by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1938 for flood control and recreation. It was opened to fishing in 1940, but due to highway relocation the lake did not reach conservation pool until March 1942. From Seneca Lake webpage

Seneca Lake--South (Noble County)
Senecaville, Ohio

To reach Seneca Lake--South, head north on Edgewater Road toward OH-147. Turn left onto OH-147 west. Go 2.2 miles and turn right for views of the lake.

The lake is in the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District's (MWCD) chain of lakes and all boating, swimming, camping, and picnicking is under MWCD control. Seneca Lake Park is operated by the MWCD. The Division of Wildlife annually leases public fishing and hunting rights on MWCD lakes and lands. Seneca Lake, the largest of the MWCD lakes, has 3,509 surface acres of water and 45 miles of shoreline. From Seneca Lake webpage

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