Nature Awed

North Pond State Nature Preserve

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

Our take written by Nature Awed

North Pond on Kelleys Island is a wetland with a channel to Lake Erie at North Bay, which ODNR describes as a natural wetland directly connected to the lake.

Plants such as the endangered wapato and swamp rose mallow can be seen from the boardwalk, and ODNR describes ducks and other water birds during spring and fall migration. It sits inside Kelleys Island State Park.

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

North Pond is a nearly pristine wetland with a channel leading to Lake Erie at the North Bay on Kelleys Island. The pond was formed as the lake receded from its ancient shoreline. North Pond represents one of the very few natural wetlands directly connected to Ohio's "great lake," which remains in a natural system. Virtually all of the wetlands in Lake Erie's western basin have been impounded by dikes and are artificially controlled.
ODNR: North Pond State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14
This aquatic ecosystem harbors a fascinating assemblage of plant and animal life, as many of these species may be viewed from the boardwalk. A variety of plants including the endangered wapato, swamp rose mallow, bulrushes, pond-lilies and many other wetland species occur in the marsh. Lake Erie is famous for the tremendous numbers of waterfowl migrating through in the spring and fall. A birder visiting North Pond during these seasons will be rewarded by sightings of numerous species of ducks and other water birds.
ODNR: North Pond State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14

Visiting

ODNR's visitor notes
  • Stay on designated trails
  • No public restrooms
  • Open 1/2 hour before sunrise, 1/2 after dusk
  • No pets permitted
ODNR: North Pond State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14

Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.

In ODNR's preserve guide

Our table of the guide's row for North Pond (Erie County). The row as printed is quoted below.
AddressWard Rd, Kelleys Island, 43438 (marked *: No physical address, see website for details.)
Trails (miles)1
Visitor informationLocated within Kelleys Island State Park
The guide's row
North Pond Erie *Ward Rd Kelleys Island, 43438 1 Located within Kelleys Island State Park
ODNR: Ohio State Nature Preserves & Natural Areas Guide (PDF) · our check found this text on October 14

Access permit

North Pond 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
North Pond State Nature PreserveERIEDedicated Nature Preserve23.58Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
Our calculations from those features, re-computed at each check.
Mapped acres23.58 (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 land41.6110, -82.7023 (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: North Pond 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.