Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve — Attraction in Walnut Township

This park is much bigger than ot looks at first glance, while still being a very simple and not so exhausting hike. Most of the excitement is right at the open of the paths such as the first blind on the shortest trail has an amazing view of the pond and nature as well as information boards on the different ducks you might see. As you get deeper into the hike you may reach Boundry trail, which is simply a straight line cut from the parking lot all the way to the back of the park. Running along a fence line, this trail makes for some great sunrise shots. From that point it's easy to get back on track through the woods and before long the woods will cut back to reveal a huge open field of wildflowers and birds across most of the land. Finaly in the far NW corner of the park, you'll come to a second blind, and after the walk so far, it's a bit of a let down. You get a small cover with an okay view of the rear pond. Not as much "wow" as the rest...

This was a pleasant park that takes about 45 minutes to an hour to walk all the paths. You get to experience some grasslands, a calming pond, and the dense woods. Some paths are paved, some are grass, and one through the woods is a wooden bridge style.

It was not crowded on a beautiful Sunday in October, so if you're looking for a nice quiet hike, this is the place to go (unless this review of mine gets so much attention that everyone is drawn to the park, thereby reversing the truth of my former statement).

There were a lot of bugs in the woods, so be prepared for that based on the time of year. The one thing I recommend is that the state of Ohio add porta potty by the parking lot. Call Mike Dewine. There is some facility but it was not open when we were there. Overall, worth a visit if you're in the area— a good place to hold a long conversation with a close friend or loved one— but not anything so spectacular nature-wise to go across...

It was a nice walk with a meadow side and a wooded side (we didn't do the small top loop). Wasn't very small kid friendly, at least at 9 am / 10 am. Grass was a bit long in the trails so kids pants got soaked, and all of our shoes. Poison ivy EVERYWHERE, even in the middle of the trails. We had to trailblaze through a lot of active spider webs in the woods too. The closest lookout point was neat but the one at the north west corner was a tiny little access point and the slats in the wooden lookout were only adult height with no other way to see around to the water. My kiddos were disappointed they couldn't even see the pond without being held up (it's hardly visible from the trail). Saw lots of wildlife though, and that was neat. A nice place but not a good choice for our family in...