Shoemaker State Nature Preserve
Adams County, Ohio · 1.5 trail miles in ODNR's guide
Our take written by Nature Awed
Shoemaker is a 22-acre preserve in Adams County, given by Joyce Shoemaker in memory of her husband, that protects seven state-listed plants, among them the state-endangered heart-leaved plantain.
ODNR also describes two natural arches, dolomite cliffs and slump blocks with ferns of calcareous cliff communities. There are 1.5 miles of hiking trails and no restrooms.
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
Shoemaker State Nature Preserve was a gift to the state in 2007 by Joyce Shoemaker in memory of her husband, Alvie Shoemaker. A portion of the land had been in Mrs. Shoemaker's family for more than 100 years. The 22-acre site protects several significant natural features including seven state-listed plants.
The rarities found at this Adams County preserve include heart-leaved plantain (Plantago cordata), a state endangered species only known from three other sites in Ohio. Not only botanically significant, the site is geologically significant as well. It features two natural arches, dolomite cliffs and slump blocks harboring several species of ferns and other plants found in calcareous cliff communities.
Visiting
Open 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset
Stay on designated trails
Pets are not permitted
No restrooms
Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page before relying on these hours.
Trails
1.5 miles of hiking trails
In ODNR's preserve guide
| Address | 165 Pine Gap Rd, Peebles, 45660 |
|---|---|
| Trails (miles) | 1.5 |
| Visitor information | none printed |
Shoemaker Adams 165 Pine Gap Rd Peebles, 45660 1.5
Access permit
Shoemaker 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoemaker State Nature Preserve | ADAMS | Dedicated Nature Preserve | 22.34 | Division of Natural Areas and Preserves |
| Mapped acres | 22.34 (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 | 38.9506, -83.3500 (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: Shoemaker 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.
- Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 1.1 miles
- Plum Run Prairie State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 1.3 miles
- Ka Ma Ma Prairie State Nature Preserve · Adams County · about 5.7 miles
- Strait Creek Prairie Bluffs State Nature Preserve · Pike and Adams counties · about 7.6 miles · permit
- Gladys Riley Golden-star State Nature Preserve · Scioto County · about 11 miles