Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve 15681 Old Rider Road Burton Township

Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve in Burton Township is a 287-acre parcel that includes the Charles Dambach Preserve. Located within the upper Cuyahoga River watershed, Burton Wetlands was officially dedicated in 1999 as an Ohio State Nature Preserve. It is Geauga Park District’s intent to protect this natural area in perpetuity.

History
Habitats
Trails
Download the trail map
Directions to Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve

History
Burton Wetlands was purchased through a series of acquisitions in the 1980s. The property surrounding Lake Kelso, purchased from Eric Westgren, once housed a private fishing club from the 1950s to the 1970s. The Dambach Preserve, named for renowned conservationist and onetime Burton resident Charles A. Dambach, was previously owned by The Nature Conservancy.

Habitats
Today, Burton Wetlands remains part of a 1,000-acre system of kettle bogs, lower slope seeps, and wet flats known as the Cuyahoga Wetlands, an area that has remained relatively undisturbed since the last Ice Age. In addition to Burton Wetlands, Ohio’s finest remaining wetlands also include the neighboring White Pine Bog Forest, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and Fern Lake, owned and managed by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Together, Geauga Park District, The Nature Conservancy, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the City of Akron, which also owns land in the region, are instrumental in the cooperative management and preservation of the ecologically significant Cuyahoga Wetlands and its threatened and endangered species.

Burton Wetlands Nature Preserve supports many rare and unusual bog plants, including green woodland orchid, cranberry, leather-leaf, tamarack trees, bunchberry, and the carnivorous pitcher plant. When viewing Lake Kelso, visitors must stay on the boardwalk and observation deck to avoid the lush poison sumac along the lake’s edge.

Some of the uncommon animal species found here include northern waterthrush, veery, spotted turtle, and four-toed salamander. Bird watchers will not be disappointed, as at various times throughout the year, bald eagles, ospreys, tundra swans, common loons, and a wide variety of migrating ducks and geese are spotted on Lake Kelso.

Due to the vulnerability of park's aquatic habitats, public boating and fishing is not permitted on Lake Kelso.

Trails
More than 1.5 mile of trails travel through Burton Wetlands.  Download the trail map

The parking area off Old Rider Road marks the head of two trails, one heading to the east towards Lake Kelso, the other to the west into Dambach Preserve. The pergola provides a convenient and comfortable assembly area for small groups at the head of the .22-mile Glacier Trail, which leads from the parking lot to the boardwalk and observation deck overlooking Lake Kelso. These allow closer observation of wildlife and the bog habitat, and also maintain safe and easy access over sensitive wetlands.

The 1.12-mile Kettle Trail, located on the west side of Old Rider Road, enables hikers and cross-country skiers to get a closer look at the rolling glacial topography of a large meadow, as well as a forest with oak, beech, and maple trees. Visit a beaver pond, observe native white pines and see lush ferns on the eastern edge of the Wild Calla Kettle.

Directions
Click below for a map from Mapquest®.

From I-422: Travel I-422 to Route 44 exit. Turn north toward Chardon, and travel 4.2 miles to Pond Road. Turn east on Pond Road, continuing 1.4 miles, staying to the right as the road forks. Turn north onto Old Rider Road. Park entrance is .2 mile on the east side of the road.

From the North: Travel south on Route 44 approximately 1 mile south of Route 87. Turn east onto Burton Heights Blvd. Follow Burton Heights Blvd. approximately 1 mile, around the bend to Old Rider Road. Cross Hotchkiss Road. Travel 1 mile to the park entrance on the east side of the road.