Goll Woods State Nature Preserve
Fulton County, Ohio · 5 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Goll Woods in Fulton County is a remnant of the Black Swamp forest that once covered the lake plains southwest of Lake Erie, with giant bur oaks and big white oaks, chinquapin oaks and cottonwoods.
ODNR says many of the trees are 200 to 400 years old and measure 4 feet in diameter, and it points visitors to spring, before mosquitoes emerge. There are 5 miles of trails, and the guide notes seasonal restrooms and water.
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
Goll Woods is the least disturbed woodland known to remain in extreme northwestern Ohio. This preserve features some of the largest trees remaining in the state.
Goll Woods exemplifies the "Black Swamp" forest which once covered a vast area of the flat post-glacial lake plains southwest of Lake Erie. An outstanding feature of this woods is the abundance of giant bur oaks and exceptionally large white oaks, chinquapin oaks and cottonwoods. Many of these magnificent trees are 200-400 years old and measure 4 feet in diameter. A rich variety of native shrubs and wildflowers occur in the woods including spotted coral-root and three-birds-orchid. The preserve is best visited in the spring before mosquitoes emerge.
Visiting
Open 1/2 hour before sunrise; 1/2 hour after sunset
Stay on designated trails at all times.
Pets are prohibited
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.
Trails
5 miles of trails
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 5800 County Rd 26, Archbold, 43502 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 5 |
| Visitor information | Seasonal restrooms and water |
Goll Woods Fulton 5800 County Rd 26 Archbold, 43502 5 Seasonal restrooms and water
Access permit
Goll 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goll Woods State Nature Preserve | FULTON | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 339.92 | null |
| Mapped acres | 339.92 (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 | 41.5542, -84.3609 (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: Goll 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.
- Mud Lake Bog State Nature Preserve · Williams County · about 22 miles · permit
- Girdham Road Dunes State Nature Preserve · Lucas County · about 26 miles
- Forrest Woods State Nature Preserve · Paulding County · about 27 miles · permit
- Kitty Todd State Nature Preserve · Lucas County · about 29 miles
- Campbell State Nature Preserve · Lucas County · about 31 miles