Culberson Woods State Nature Preserve
Clinton County, Ohio · 3 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Culberson Woods in Clinton County is a wet beech and swamp forest on poorly drained white clay soil, dominated by red maple and pin oak with hickories, swamp white oak, elm and sweet gum.
ODNR notes two plants at the edges of their ranges here: winterberry, a northern shrub near its southern limit, and sweet gum, a southern tree near its northern limit. There are 3 miles of hiking trails and no restrooms.
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
This 280-acre preserve is one of the largest remnants of the distinctive "Wet Beech Forest" which once covered the flatlands of southwestern Ohio. The first 40-acre parcel of the preserve was a gift from Mrs. Myra Culberson in 1978 in honor of her late husband, Dean A. Culberson. The forest grows on poorly drained, white clay soil which formed on the glacial materials deposited during the Illinoian glacial period.
The swamp forest is dominated by red maple and pin oak with substantial stands of shagbark hickory, shellbark hickory, swamp white oak, American elm and sweet gum. The northern shrub, winterberry, grows here near its southern limit, while the sweet gum, a southern species, is near its northern limit.
Visiting
Open 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset
Stay on designated trails
Pets are not permitted
No restrooms
3 miles of hiking trails
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 8865 State Rte 730, Clarksville, 45113 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 3 |
| Visitor information | Near Cowan Lake State Park |
Culberson Woods Clinton 8865 State Rte 730 Clarksville, 45113 3 Near Cowan Lake State Park
Access permit
Culberson Woods 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culberson Woods State Nature Preserve | CLINTON | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 240.5 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Mapped acres | 240.50 (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 | 39.3686, -83.9266 (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: Culberson Woods 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.
- Halls Creek Woods State Nature Preserve · Warren County · about 12 miles
- Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve · Warren County · about 12 miles
- Travertine Fen State Nature Preserve · Greene County · about 18 miles
- Sharon Woods Gorge State Nature Preserve · Hamilton County · about 26 miles
- Zimmerman Prairie State Natural Area · Greene County · about 26 miles