Burton Wetlands State Nature Preserve
Geauga County, Ohio · 1.5 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Burton Wetlands in Geauga County is a National Natural Landmark of forest, glacial relict ponds and wetlands, including 22-acre Lake Kelso and the Charles Dambach Preserve.
ODNR names green woodland orchid, bunchberry and tamarack among its plants and warns of the lush poison sumac along Lake Kelso. Geauga Park District owns and manages it, and the guide gives 1.5 miles of trail.
Our plain-language reading of the ODNR text quoted on this page. It adds no facts of its own.
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page for this preserve and ODNR's permit page before relying on this summary.
What ODNR says about it
Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve is a system of forest, glacial relict ponds and wetlands located in Geauga County. The preserve is made up of several sub-units including 22-acre Lake Kelso and the Charles Dambach Preserve. A designated National Natural Landmark, Burton Wetlands is widely considered to be one of the most ecologically significant areas in Geauga County.
This 287-acre parcel is part of a larger 700-acre complex of kettle holes, lower slope seeps and wet flats referred to by The Nature Conservancy as the Cuyahoga Wetlands. Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve supports several rare and endangered plants including green woodland orchid, bunchberry and tamarack trees. Visitors should be wary of the lush growth of poison sumac along Lake Kelso. Some of the rare animal species found here include northern water thrush, veery and four-toed salamander. The lake and adjacent wetlands attract a variety of migratory waterfowl. Other species of interest observed on a seasonal basis include bald eagle, osprey, tundra swan and common loon.
Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve is owned and managed by Geauga Park District.
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 15681 Old Rider Rd, Burton, 44021 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 1.5 |
| Visitor information | Owned and managed by the Geauga Park District • geaugaparkdistrict.org • Near Punderson State Park |
Burton Wetlands Geauga 15681 Old Rider Rd Burton, 44021 1.5 Owned and managed by the Geauga Park District • geaugaparkdistrict.org • Near Punderson State Park
Access permit
Burton Wetlands State Nature Preserve is not on ODNR's list of preserves that require an access permit, and its ODNR page as quoted here doesn't call for one. ODNR also says: An access permit is required to leave trails within a state nature preserve.
(ODNR: State Nature Preserves Access Permit).
The land on ODNR's map
| LANDS_NAME | COUNTY | PROP_TYPE | SUM_CALC_ACRES | MANAGING_AGENCY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Wetlands State Nature Preserve | GEAUGA | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 307.38 | Geauga Park District |
| Mapped acres | 307.38 (our sum of the parcels ODNR's GIS layer maps under this name) |
|---|---|
| Access permit | No whole-preserve permit requirement identified in the sources we check; named-area or activity permits may still apply |
| Centre of mapped land | 41.4444, -81.1821 (our calculation; not an entrance or parking lot) |
Statewide rules
Ohio Administrative Code chapter 1501:17 sets rules for nature preserves and natural areas under ODNR's supervision or its designated custodian, on pets, drones, picnics, collecting and more. Can I…? quotes them rule by rule, with their exceptions.
Pets are prohibited at all state nature preserves, except Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve where leashed pets are only allowed on the multipurpose paved trail.
Check before you go. Verify current hours, access and trail information on ODNR: Burton Wetlands State Nature Preserve and ODNR: State Nature Preserves Access Permit; our checker last found the quoted words there on October 14.
Nearest other preserves
Straight-line miles between the centres of mapped land (our calculation), not driving distance.
- White Pine Bog Forest State Nature Preserve · Geauga County · about 0.8 miles · permit
- Spring Brook Sanctuary State Nature Preserve · Geauga County · about 8.0 miles · permit
- Novak Sanctuary State Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 10 miles
- Centerville Mills Falls Dedicated Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 11 miles · permit
- Mantua Bog State Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 11 miles · permit