Crooked Run State Nature Preserve
Clermont County, Ohio · 2 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Crooked Run in Clermont County is a backwater of the Meldahl Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, an artificial freshwater estuary that ODNR says supports migrating, breeding and wintering birds.
ODNR lists bald eagle, osprey, herons and ducks and geese among the birds, with silver maple and black willow for cover. The 78-acre preserve is leased to Clermont County Parks and lies within Chilo Lock 34 Park, with 2 miles of hiking trails.
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
A backwater tributary of the Meldahl Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, this artificial freshwater estuary ecosystem is well suited to support migrating, breeding and wintering bird populations.
The area attracts a variety of rare and unusual birds including bald eagle, osprey, great blue heron, green heron and a diversity of ducks and geese. Forest cover includes silver maple and black willow. This preserve honors Robert J. Paul whose wife, Mimi Paul, made a partial gift of this property to the division in 1978.
The 78-acre nature preserve is leased to Clermont County Parks.
Visiting
Located within Clermont County Parks' Chilo Lock 34 Park on County Park Road approximately 1 mile east of Chilo on U.S. Rt. 52.
Trails
2 miles of hiking trails
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 521 County Park Rd, Chilo, 45112 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 2 |
| Visitor information | Adjacent to Chilo Lock 34 Park • Managed by Clermont County Park District • clermontparks.org |
Crooked Run Sanctuary Clermont 521 County Park Rd Chilo, 45112 2 Adjacent to Chilo Lock 34 Park • Managed by Clermont County Park District • clermontparks.org
Access permit
Crooked Run 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crooked Run State Nature Preserve | CLERMONT | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 76.55 | Clermont County Parks |
| Mapped acres | 76.55 (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 | 38.7888, -84.1252 (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: Crooked Run 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.
- Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 30 miles
- Adams Lake Prairie State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 32 miles
- Johnson Ridge State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 32 miles
- Whipple State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 34 miles
- Sharon Woods Gorge State Nature Preserve · Hamilton County · about 37 miles