Novak Sanctuary State Nature Preserve
Portage County, Ohio · 2.5 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Novak Sanctuary is a former farm in Portage County split by Townline Road, where mowed fields hold bobolink, swallows, warblers, flycatchers and bluebirds.
Loop trails run through second-growth forest, and a west trail follows a farm road through beech-maple forest to the edge of a large wetland complex with beaver and waterfowl. The Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland owns and manages it, and the guide gives 2.5 miles 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
Visitors to the Blanche Katherine Novak Sanctuary can expect diversity. The former farm is bisected by Townline Road. Mowed fields lining the road serve as home to bobolink, swallows, warblers, flycatchers and bluebirds.
Trail heads at the east part of the fields lead to loop trails through a second-growth forest rich with songbirds, fox and deer. The west trail is a farm road winding through mature beech-maple forest and lowlands, ending at the edge of a large wetlands complex. A vast assortment of wildlife inhabits this mix of habitats, including warblers, woodpeckers, thrush, waterfowl, raptors, beaver, small mammals, deer and an occasional coyote.
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 382 Town Line Rd, Aurora, 44202 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 2.5 |
| Visitor information | Owned and managed by the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland • clevelandaudubon.org |
Novak Sanctuary Portage 382 Town Line Rd Aurora, 44202 2.5 Owned and managed by the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland • clevelandaudubon.org
Access permit
Novak Sanctuary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Sanctuary State Nature Preserve | PORTAGE | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 151.25 | Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland |
| Mapped acres | 151.25 (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 | 41.3278, -81.3012 (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: Novak Sanctuary 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.
- Aurora Sanctuary State Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 1.4 miles
- Centerville Mills Falls Dedicated Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 2.3 miles · permit
- Tummonds State Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 5.1 miles
- Tinkers Creek State Nature Preserve · Summit and Portage counties · about 5.5 miles
- Mantua Bog State Nature Preserve · Portage County · about 6.1 miles · permit