Girdled Road Reservation--North Entrance

Girdled Road Reservation--North Entrance

12840 Girdled Road Painesville, Ohio 44077

Girdled Road Reservation Official Website
Girdled Road Reservation map

Also, see all the hotspots at:
Grand River-Lower Watershed Important Bird Area

About this Location

The North Entrance at 12840 Girdled Road provides access to 3 trails:
Surveyors Woods Loop Trail – 1.22 miles
Chickadee Trail – 0.68 miles
Valley View Overlook Trail – 0.7 miles

About Girdled Road Reservation

See all hotspots at Girdled Road Reservation

Girdled Road Reservation was purchased by Lake Metroparks in 1965. It is named for the first road that the early European settlers built from the Pennsylvania line to the new city of Cleveland in the early 1800s. A small path was cut first. Settlers knew that a larger road was needed, so they “girdled” the trees along the path. (Girdling a tree means cutting through the bark around the entire tree. This cuts off the flow of nutrients so the tree dies. Once a tree dies, it is much easier to remove it and thus widen the road.) Today the remaining section of Girdled Road is the northern boundary of this park.

Historically accessed from Radcliffe Road in the south and Girdled Road in the north, and now via Concord Hambden Road (OH-608) at Skok Meadow, is one of the park district’s most biologically diverse properties. Covered by a mosaic of woodland, meadow, and wetland, the park is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. In 2010, 64 resident bird species, 38 butterflies, 18 mammals, 39 dragonflies and damselflies, 19 reptiles and amphibians, and countless plant species were documented in the park. Among these are a number of rare or endangered species including yellow-bellied sapsuckers, cerulean warblers, bobolinks, and a shrub called hobblebush.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

Content from Girdled Road Reservation Official Website and Ohio Ornithological Society