Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
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The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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117 parks in 7 regions

Glen Helen Nature Preserve

Yellow Springs · Greene County · Southwest Ohio
Managed by Glen Helen Ecology Institute (Antioch College)
1,000acres
25trail miles
—established

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Glen Helen Ecology Institute (Antioch College) (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Glen Helen Nature Center, 405 Corry St, Yellow Springs
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Hunting is not permitted in the preserve.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The story of this land

Glen Helen Nature Preserve is a woodland at the edge of Yellow Springs, run by Antioch College's Glen Helen Ecology Institute. It has stone steps, boardwalks through wetlands, waterfalls and the Yellow Spring, the iron-stained spring that gave the village its name. Trail lengths are given from 15 to 25 miles depending on the source. The preserve adjoins John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, so the three together make a corridor of about 2,000 acres.

The Buckeye Trail's Caesar Creek Section runs through Yellow Springs and the preserve, along the Inman Trail, past Orators Mound.

Things to do in the park

  • Walk the Inman Trail to Orators Mound
  • See the Yellow Spring
  • Follow boardwalks through wetlands and see waterfalls
  • Continue into John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Glen Helen Nature Preserve.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Downtown Yellow Springs and its restaurants
  • John Bryan State Park and the Blue Hole legend
  • The Little Miami Scenic Trail

Hiking trails

15 to 25 miles of trails (sources differ), including the Inman Trail and the Buckeye Trail.

Wildlife you might see

  • Wetland, woodland and stream birds
  • Spring wildflowers under mature trees
  • Salamanders and other stream life

Fishing

  • Fishing is not a feature of the preserve.

Hunting

Hunting is not permitted in the preserve.

The Spring That Named a Town

The village of Yellow Springs took its name from a spring at the foot of the glen, where iron-rich water stains the rocks a rusty yellow. People came for the water long before there was a village, and the glen still holds the spring.

Up the hill from it stands a small burial mound that once served as a speaker's platform in the 1840 election, and the Buckeye Trail now threads between the two.

Behind the legend

The spring's role in naming the town and the position of Orators Mound just uphill from it are described in the mound's own entry in this app. The trail length varies by source, from about 15 to 25 miles, and the preserve's size is given as about 1,000 acres.

If you go

Walk from the Yellow Spring up the Inman Trail to Orators Mound, then continue into John Bryan State Park.

Waterfalls near Glen Helen Nature Preserve

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

The Cascades at Glen Helen

Yellow Springs · Greene County
A small limestone cascade in the roughly 1,000 acre Glen Helen Nature Preserve, near the iron rich Yellow Spring that gave the village its name.
10 ftModerate hike
Inside this park

Clifton Gorge (Amphitheater Falls and the Blue Hole)

Clifton · Greene County
A dolomite gorge on the Little Miami River carved by glacial floodwaters, with a seasonal plunge waterfall, rapids, and the deep, legend haunted Blue Hole pool.
25 ftModerate hikeLegend
About 3 miles from this park

Cedar Cliff Falls

Cedarville · Greene County
A 25 foot cascade over limestone cliffs on Massies Creek, framed by an early 1800s log cabin and an ancient Adena burial mound nearby.
25 ftEasy walk
About 6 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Glen Helen Nature Preserve

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

17 Caesar Creek Section

55 miles · Greene, Warren, Clinton
The trail passes through the preserve and Orators Mound
4 parksMoundsTrail towns

Camping is not allowed in the preserve. John Bryan State Park next door has a campground.

Restaurants nearby

Ye Olde Trail Tavern
Said to be Ohio's oldest tavern
Directions
Sunrise Cafe
Local, organic breakfast and lunch spot
Directions
Peach's Grill
Casual bar and grill, live music
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Yellow Springs BP
Center of town, closest to the park
Directions
Speedway
A short drive from the park entrance
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.