Morris Woods State Nature Preserve
Licking County, Ohio · 1.5 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Morris Woods in Licking County is former farmland managed into wildlife habitat, mostly mature beech-maple forest with young woods, scrub and open fields.
A small lake draws waterfowl across the seasons. James W. Abbott gave the land; the woods are named in honor of his father, Morris Abbott, and the Licking County Park District leases it. There are 1.5 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
This nature preserve was made possible by a generous gift to the people of Ohio in 1979 from James W. Abbott who had developed this land as a wildlife sanctuary. The woods is named in honor of Abbott's father, Morris Abbott.
Morris Woods is an excellent example of farmland that has been effectively managed to create prime habitat for a large variety of birds and mammals. The area is primarily a mature beech-maple forest, but young forest, scrub and open field areas also exist on the site. A small lake on the preserve attracts various species of waterfowl throughout the seasons. The preserve is leased to the Licking County Park District.
Trails
1.5 miles of hiking trails
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 7495 Dutch Ln NW, Johnstown, 43031 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 1.5 |
| Visitor information | Managed by the Licking Park District • lickingparkdistrict.com |
Morris Woods Licking 7495 Dutch Ln NW Johnstown, 43031 1.5 Managed by the Licking Park District • lickingparkdistrict.com
Access permit
Morris 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Woods State Nature Preserve | LICKING | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 107.21 | Licking Park District |
| Mapped acres | 107.21 (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 | 40.1692, -82.6343 (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: Morris 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.
- Gahanna Woods State Nature Preserve · Franklin County · about 15 miles
- Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve · Franklin County · about 18 miles
- Walter A Tucker (Blacklick Woods) State Nature Preserve · Fairfield County · about 18 miles
- Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve · Licking County · about 19 miles · permit
- Knox Woods State Nature Preserve · Knox County · about 19 miles