Nature Awed

Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve

Franklin County, Ohio · 1 trail miles in ODNR's guide

Our take written by Nature Awed

Edward S. Thomas, named for the Ohio naturalist, lies within Sharon Woods Metropark in Franklin County, where a paved multi-use path gives views of the preserve.

ODNR describes a ravine of sycamore, butternut, buckeye and pawpaw, a spring-fed swamp with skunk cabbage and marsh marigold, and mesic woods with eight species of oaks, some over 250 years old. The guide lists 1 mile 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

This nature preserve, named in honor of Edward S. Thomas, the renowned Ohio naturalist, lies within the boundaries of Sharon Woods Metropark in northern Franklin County. The paved path in the metropark is a multi-use trail for bicyclists and pedestrians and provides excellent opportunities to view the preserve.
ODNR: Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14
The northern segment of this preserve lies essentially within the Spring Hollow Outdoor Education Center lands. The ravine bottom supports sycamore, butternut, black walnut, Ohio buckeye, pawpaw and red elm. The ravine and upland have excellent populations of forest herbaceous plants. A small spring-fed swamp in the bottomland supports skunk cabbage, marsh marigold and turtlehead.
ODNR: Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14
In the remainder of the preserve, the mesic areas support an oak-hickory association with scattered beech, while wetter areas support excellent recovering elm-ash swamp forest associations - red elm, white, green and blue ash with silver maple. The mesic woods contains eight species of oaks, some more than 250 years old.
ODNR: Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14

In ODNR's preserve guide

Our table of the guide's row for Thomas, Edward S. (Franklin County). The row as printed is quoted below.
Address6911 Cleveland Ave, Westerville, 43081
Trails (miles)1
Visitor informationOwned and managed by Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks • metroparks.net
The guide's row
Thomas, Edward S. Franklin 6911 Cleveland Ave Westerville, 43081 1 Owned and managed by Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks • metroparks.net
ODNR: Ohio State Nature Preserves & Natural Areas Guide (PDF) · our check found this text on October 14

Access permit

Edward S. Thomas 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

Field values as ODNR's GIS lands layer returns them (one row per mapped feature; our checker found them on October 14).
LANDS_NAMECOUNTYPROP_TYPESUM_CALC_ACRESMANAGING_AGENCY
Edward S. Thomas State Nature PreserveFRANKLINDedicated Nature Preserve318.31Metro Parks
Our calculations from those features, re-computed at each check.
Mapped acres318.31 (our sum of the parcels ODNR's GIS layer maps under this name)
Access permitNo whole-preserve permit requirement identified in the sources we check; named-area or activity permits may still apply
Centre of mapped land40.1180, -82.9681 (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.
ODNR: Ohio State Nature Preserves & Natural Areas Guide page · our check found this text on October 14

Check before you go. Verify current hours, access and trail information on ODNR: Edward S. Thomas 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.