Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve
Butler and Preble counties, Ohio · 3 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Hueston Woods, in Butler and Preble counties, is a beech-maple forest remnant where ODNR measures beech at nearly 44 percent of the canopy, sugar maple at 28 percent and white ash at 19 percent.
In spring the forest floor fills with dutchman's breeches, squirrel corn, trilliums, may-apple and bloodroot. The preserve sits inside Hueston Woods State Park, where ODNR says restrooms are available, and it has 3 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
Hueston Woods is a tiny remnant of the beech-maple forest that once stretched in a broad band from southwestern Ohio to its northeastern corner. This forest type is dominated by the ghostly gray trunks of beech trees along with varying proportions of sugar maple, red and white oaks, and white ash. The quantity and variety of species vary according to the wetness and slope of the ground and other environmental factors.
In Hueston Woods, beech trees form nearly 44 percent of the canopy, sugar maples make up 28 percent and white ashes 19 percent. During the spring, the forest floor is blanketed with a luxuriant display of wildflowers including dutchman's breeches, squirrel corn, large-flowered and sessile trilliums, may-apple, bloodroot and several species of violets and buttercups.
Visiting
Open 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset
Stay on designated trails
Pets are not permitted
No public restrooms (restrooms are available at Hueston Woods State Park)
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.
Trails
3 miles of hiking trails
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | Main Loop Rd, College Corner, 45003 (marked *: No physical address, see website for details.) |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 3 |
| Visitor information | Located within Hueston Woods State Park |
Hueston Woods *Butler & Preble *Main Loop Rd College Corner, 45003 3 Located within Hueston Woods State Park
Access permit
Hueston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve | BUTLER | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 29.19 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve | PREBLE | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 187.96 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve | BUTLER | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 0.51 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Mapped acres | 217.66 (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 | 39.5703, -84.7566 (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: Hueston 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.
- Doty Highbank State Nature Preserve · Butler County · about 1.9 miles · permit
- Newberry Wildlife Sanctuary State Nature Preserve · Hamilton County · about 24 miles
- Greenbelt State Nature Preserve · Hamilton County · about 25 miles
- Spring Beauty Dell State Nature Preserve · Hamilton County · about 25 miles
- Trillium Trails State Nature Preserve · Hamilton County · about 26 miles