Conneaut Swamp State Nature Preserve
Ashtabula County, Ohio
Our take written by Nature Awed
Conneaut Swamp protects 55 acres of hemlock hardwood swamp in Ashtabula County, a community ODNR says occurs in Ohio in that county alone.
The swamp mixes hemlock with yellow birch, beech, tulip poplar, sycamore, cucumber magnolia, oaks and maples over sedges, grasses and wildflowers. It lies inside the 86-acre Conneaut State Wildlife Area, and ODNR says there are no facilities.
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
In Ohio, the rare hemlock hardwood swamp community only occurs in Ashtabula County, mostly on the Lake Erie coastal plain or in the Grand River lowlands. Now 55 acres of this unique habitat is protected as Conneaut Swamp State Nature Preserve.
The preserve is part of the 86-acre Conneaut State Wildlife Area. The hemlock swamp contains a diverse mix of trees including hemlock, yellow birch, beech, tulip poplar, sycamore, cucumber magnolia and a variety of oaks and maples. Beneath the canopy lies a mix of sedges, grasses and wildflowers.
Visiting
There are no facilities at this site.
In ODNR's preserve guide
This preserve has no row in ODNR's printed guide. The guide says: Preserves not listed are either unimproved, or require a written permit to visit.
(ODNR: Ohio State Nature Preserves & Natural Areas Guide (PDF)).
Access permit
Conneaut Swamp 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conneaut Swamp State Nature Preserve | ASHTABULA | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 55.14 | Division of Soil and Water |
| Mapped acres | 55.14 (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 | 41.9463, -80.5318 (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: Conneaut Swamp 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.
- William C McCoy State Nature Preserve · Ashtabula County · about 27 miles · permit
- Pallister State Nature Preserve · Ashtabula County · about 29 miles · permit
- Rome State Nature Preserve · Ashtabula County · about 31 miles · permit
- Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve · Lake County · about 41 miles
- Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve · Lake County · about 42 miles