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.
Try:
The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
›
Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
›
Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
›
Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
›
Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
›
Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
›
Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
›
Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
›

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

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

117 parks in 7 regions

Wellington Wildlife Area

Wellington · Lorain County · Northeast Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
203acres
—trail miles
1918established

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Wellington Wildlife Area, Wellington (representative point)
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Popular for rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, deer and pheasant, in season under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules. A valid Ohio hunting license is required, and hunters should wear hunter orange.

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

Wellington Wildlife Area is a small state wildlife area of about 203 acres, three miles south of the village of Wellington in Lorain County. The state began acquiring it in 1918, using several state funds, which makes it one of Ohio's older wildlife areas. Cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant and fox squirrel are the main game, with groundhog, white-tailed deer and the usual furbearers, and many songbirds nest here or pass through in the spring.

It is popular with hunters of rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, deer and pheasant, and with birders during spring migration. The ODNR trail overview map lists the area along the Buckeye Trail's route through this part of the state.

Things to do in the park

  • Watch songbird migration in spring
  • Hunt small game and deer in season
  • Fish the two ponds
  • Walk the accessible trail off Griggs Road

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Wellington Wildlife Area.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Findley State Park, a few miles away, with camping
  • Wellington's village center
  • The Buckeye Trail across Medina and Lorain counties

Hiking trails

A short wheelchair-accessible trail off Griggs Road; the Buckeye Trail passes through the region.

Wildlife you might see

  • Cottontail rabbit, ring-necked pheasant and fox squirrel
  • White-tailed deer, groundhog and furbearers
  • Spring songbird migration

Fishing

  • Two small ponds hold largemouth bass, bluegills and bullheads. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Popular for rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, deer and pheasant, in season under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules. A valid Ohio hunting license is required, and hunters should wear hunter orange.

A Hundred Acres of Old Farm, Kept for the Birds

When Ohio started buying land for wildlife in the years after World War I, it did not buy wilderness. It bought worn-out farm ground, and Wellington was one of the first such purchases, begun in 1918. Today those fields and ponds are a place for pheasants and rabbits, and every spring the songbirds stop here on the way north.

Hikers on the Buckeye Trail pass through country like this, where the woods and fields near Wellington and Findley are all farmland that returned to wildlife.

Behind the legend

The 1918 start of acquisition, the acreage, the ponds and the game species are on ODNR's own pages and its area map. The story of the fields is the usual history of Ohio's wildlife areas rather than something the sources say about this one.

If you go

Come in late April or May for the songbird migration, and pair the visit with a night at Findley State Park.

The Buckeye Trail at Wellington Wildlife Area

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

23 Norwalk Section

52 miles · Huron, Erie, Lorain
Small state wildlife area listed on the route
1 parkTrail towns

There is no camping in the wildlife area. Findley State Park nearby has a campground. Wildlife District Three, 912 Portage Lakes Drive in Akron, manages the area.

Restaurants nearby

The Fox Den
Diner and bar under one roof, opens 7 a.m. Closed Mondays
Directions
Dimitri's Corner Restaurant
Open 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, big portions, cheap. Across from the 1885 town hall
Directions
Donny's
Creative burgers and funnel cake fries; service can be slow
Directions

Gas stations nearby

bp
24 hours, south side of Wellington toward the park. Has a Dunkin inside
Directions
Amoco
24 hours on the north end, though reviews flag pump problems
Directions

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