The Rookery 10110 Cedar Road Munson Township

The Rookery is a 562-acre tract located in southwest Munson Township. The Chagrin River, the old Interurban Railroad Junction, and one of Geauga County's largest nesting colonies of great blue heron are all special features of this park. It is Geauga Park District's intent to protect this natural area in perpetuity.

History
Habitats
Facilities
Trails
Download the trail map
Directions to The Rookery

History
From 1899 until 1925, the Cleveland & Eastern Traction Company operated an electric-powered Interurban Railroad that traveled from Cleveland to various points in Geauga County. Located at The Rookery is the "Junction," a wye in the tracks where passengers from the city could either continue northeast to Chardon or wait for a connecting trolley to Burton or Middlefield. This very remote area had a powered substation and a passenger/freight station.

Much of the non-wetland property here has been reforested from pasture and crop land. The silo near the Great Blue Heron Lodge stands as a monument to this era.

In the late 1960s, much of the Chagrin River was channelized to  alleviate flooding and drain standing water. In 1968, Cleveland-based TRW, Inc. bought more than 1,000 acres with the intent to build a 54-hole golf course for its employees. By the late 1980s however, the company's focus had changed, and many of its employees had moved from the area. With no need to complete the entire course and maintain the property, the 27-hole course and surrounding acres were sold.

In April of 1991, Geauga Park District purchased some of the surrounding land and named the property for after the large heron rookery. Trails and facilities were later constructed, and the park opened in October 1997. Additional acres were added in 2003.

Habitats
Located in an old glacial lakebed, much of the land within The Rookery is considered wetland. Open marshes and swamp forests - enhanced by the work of beavers - are found throughout the park, as are several abandoned oxbows of the original channel of the Chagrin River.

The property surrounding the Silo Picnic Area is brush land - a transition from agriculture to woodland. A beech-maple forest and several red-maple stands provide habitat for a variety of animals, including songbirds such as wood thrush and veery.

A large forested preserve protects cold water habitat for a threatened species of native brook trout, introduced by the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Wildlife.

One of the largest great blue heron rookeries in the county is located within the park's preserve. Herons rest in tree-top colonies of a few to several hundred nests. The isolated colony at The Rookery has been in existence for more than 60 years and has more than 150 active nests. Since herons are apt to abandon eggs or young if disturbed, the heron rookery itself is accessible only during naturalist-led programs.

Facilities
Visitors may enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the tables in the Silo Picnic Area. Water and restrooms are available nearby.

For larger groups, the enclosed Great Blue Heron Lodge is available by reservation or on a first-come, first-served basis.  There is no running water inside the lodge. Read more about reserving shelters

Great Blue Heron Lodge

Inside the Great Blue Heron Lodge

Trails
The Rookery has nearly 1.5 miles of trails.  Download the trail map

Hikers, bicycle riders and cross-country skiers can follow the Interurban Trail along wetlands and over the Chagrin River.  The Woodcock Trail, a short loop trail, has a deck overlooking an abandoned oxbow of the Chagrin River.

Directions
Click below for a map from Mapquest®.

From the North: Travel I-90 to exit 200 (Painesville/Chardon). Turn south onto Route 44, turning right at the first intersection (.3 mile) onto Auburn Road. Travel south on Auburn Road for approximately 9.7 miles, cross Route 322 (Mayfield Road) and continue 2 miles to Cedar Road. Turn west onto Cedar Road, and travel approximately 1.9 miles to park entrance.

From the South: Travel Auburn Road for approximately 2.6 miles, north of Route 87 (Kinsman Road). Turn west onto Cedar Road, and travel approximately 1.9 miles to park entrance.