Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve
Adams County, Ohio · 2 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Davis Memorial in Adams County is a geology preserve of Silurian dolomite cliffs, Greenfield and Peebles dolomite, with Ohio black shale on the knobs and a fault that drops the rock 30 feet.
Arbor vitae and sullivantia grow on the cliffs, and American aloe and purple coneflower in the prairie openings. There are 2 miles of hiking trails, and the Buckeye Trail crosses the preserve.
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
Geologic features include excellent Silurian dolomite cliffs. Both Greenfield dolomite and Peebles dolomite are exposed. Ohio black shale occurs on the tops of the knobs. An impressive fault, causing vertical displacement of 30 feet, exposes adjacent cliffs of Greenfield and Peebles dolomite.
The preserve's dolomite cliffs provide habitat for arbor vitae and sullivantia. American aloe, dwarf hawthorn, hairy wing-stem, side-oats gramma grass and purple coneflower are found in the prairie openings. Other significant species include tall larkspur, limestone adder's-tongue fern, narrow-leaved bluecurls and Walter's violet.
Visiting
Open 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset
Stay on designated trails
Pets are not permitted
No restrooms
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.
Trails
2 miles of hiking trails
Buckeye Trail crosses the preserve.
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | Davis Memorial Rd, Peebles, 45660 (marked *: No physical address, see website for details.) |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 2 |
| Visitor information | none printed |
Davis Memorial Adams *Davis Memorial Rd Peebles, 45660 2
Access permit
Davis Memorial 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve | ADAMS | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 79.38 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve | ADAMS | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 87.31 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Mapped acres | 166.69 (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 | 38.9351, -83.3578 (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: Davis Memorial 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.
- Plum Run Prairie State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 1.1 miles
- Shoemaker State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 1.1 miles
- Ka Ma Ma Prairie State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 4.6 miles
- Strait Creek Prairie Bluffs State Nature Preserve · Pike and Adams counties · about 8.6 miles · permit
- Gladys Riley Golden-star State Nature Preserve · Scioto County · about 10 miles