McCracken Fen State Nature Preserve — Attraction in Liberty Township

This preserve was formerly a peat mine operation, but was purchased by Ohio DNR as a preserve due to the unique post-glacial flora that was unearthed during the mining operations. For years, the place was off-limits to the general public and a permit was required to visit. Now it is open to visitation during daylight hours. It is not developed at all, so there are no bathrooms or other facilities. The trails are pretty minimal, but you can get down and see the fen. There is a small parking area off of CR 32 S, just a mowed grassy area for five cars or so. No interpretive signage or anything, so do your research before visiting. This is an interesting spot if you are into wetland ecology, rare plant species, and Ohio's...

Good sized fen but very little access to it. No maps in site. Trails are not marked but intuitive. Just wish there was a trail that went all the way around. The current trail only gets you to about the north edge of the wetlands, then it is blocked. Trails are all mowed well. Birds and mammals were scarce but it was the middle of the afternoon. A pair of swans and cygnets presented themselves. There is a beaver lodge out in the middle so I assume you could see those occasionally, but viewing areas of the fen are limited. Parking is a small grass lot off a small road but is sufficient for the expected visitors...

This is a beautiful fen. The trails are not marked. They are very well mowed. There is a little trail that splits off that gets close to the water which was simply beautiful. Part of the trail around the far part of the fen was closed, so we did have to turn around. Overall, we saw lots of foliage, butterflies, and some birds. The parking lot is a mowed grassy spot that can fit a...