Woodman Fen — Attraction in Dayton

After seeing something online about this place, I felt like I had to check it out. While the trail itself was decent enough, it's nothing like you see in older articles and reviews, and any pictures you see with boardwalks are a lie.

It looks like they applied several techniques to provide a durable path. I like how they used culverts throughout to keep parts of the trail from getting too muddy. I still wouldn't want to walk it after a hard rain.

It might be nice if you live within a few blocks and have kids, but I really don't think I'll go back. It didn't really feel like a nature walk. It just felt like I was walking through someone's...

This park is one of the more primitive areas of the MetroParks in Montgomery County, Ohio. It is a restored fen, the acidic counterpart to the more familiar (and alkaline) swamp. A raised wooden deck takes you into a portion of the interior. A dirt trail takes you around the exterior boundry of the fen. There are no toilets or water fountains on the grounds. Parking is on a gravel area that could accommodate 6 cars. For me, its relative unpopularity is its biggest draw. For a quiet, contemplative walk in solitude it is the...

Woodman Fen is one of the best places to feel like you get away from the urban landscape. The east side of the fen can let some city noise through, but that is often the only place. I have enjoyed hiking this 3/4 mile loop through all seasons. It is a fen so there are times it can get quite muddy, but those times really bring out the nature that lives there. One of the best birding spots in the area during...