Riddle State Nature Preserve
Sells Park – Avon Place
Athens, Ohio 45640
Riddle State Nature Preserve webpage
Riddle State Nature Preserve (Athens Area Outdoor Recreation Guide) webpage
Riddle State Nature Preserve map
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Riddle State Nature Preserve
Coordinates: 39.343633, -82.074483
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About Riddle State Nature Preserve
+ Old-growth forest remnant
+ Unimproved site
Locally known as Hawk Woods, this 106-acre preserve lies outside the city of Athens. The dense canopy of trees includes massive tulip poplar and oaks, some as large as 30 inches in diameter. An oak-hickory forest is present on the upper slopes of the younger, southern section of the preserve.
The preserve was sold for less than the appraised value by Riddle Forest Products. The preserve stands as a memorial to the late founder of the company, Dale Riddle, and his wife Jackie.
Riddle State Nature Preserve runs up a ridge and faces north/northwest. A small intermittent stream is present and the area is home to an explosion of greenery– ferns, fungus and in the spring, a variety of wildflowers including showy orchis, jack-in-the-pulpit, and trilliums.
The wooded preserve provides excellent habitat for birds which depend on mature forests, such as the worm-eating warbler and Louisiana waterthrush. The forest supports good populations of breeding ovenbirds, wood thrushes, red-eyed vireos, Acadian flycatchers and eastern wood pewees.
Located in Athens County, the preserve is adjacent to Strouds Run State Park.
From Riddle State Nature Preserve webpage
No restroom facilities.
