Sharon Woods Trails

This wide trail travels the park boundary. It starts at the harbor parking lot and the end loops back on itself.

This trail has several exercise stations along the way such as leg stretches, chin ups and parallel bars

Trail Length: 1.00 mile
Trail Type: Fitness
Trail Level: Moderate

Originally the Gorge Trail was a loop covering both sides of the gorge with a footbridge over Sharon Creek. One side of the trail closed in the late 1980s due to erosion. The bridge is now gone, but the supports remain and are visible on the lower portion of the trail.

The Gorge Trail is a perfect place to bird watch. There are a variety of woodpeckers that can be seen and heard as they hunt for insects in dead trees. Other common birds include the belted kingfisher, barred owl, white-breasted nuthatch, tufted titmouse and Carolina chickadee.

In 1977, Sharon Woods Gorge was designated as a State Nature Preserve because it contains valuable examples of Ohio’s native plant and animal communities, geological features and the habitats of rare and endangered species. It is under the protection of the Ohio Natural Areas Act of 1970.

While walking through the gorge, you can easily see the alternating layers of shale and limestone rock. This is the same bedrock that is found throughout our area. These fossil filled rocks from the Ordovician period, about 450 million years ago, are quite unstable and are very prone to landslides.

Trail Length: 0.70 miles
Trail Type: Nature
Trail Level: Moderate

A short loop through the woods, the School Trail is the newest trail at Sharon Woods. Along this gravel path, guests can hear and spot a variety of native birds like blue jays, pileated woodpeckers and wood thrushes. If you look closely and are quiet, you may even see deer, foxes or wild turkeys along the trail.

Further enjoy your trek in the woods by watching wildlife at the bird blind. At this secluded spot, you can watch what creatures may be stirring in the vernal pond. It’s a great place to look for toad eggs in early spring.

Another spring find along the School Trail is native wildflowers. Hikers can spot Virginia bluebells, Dutchman’s breeches, phlox and more. In summer, wildflowers like jewelweed and wild hyacinth are in bloom. In fall, guests are treated to blooms such as white snake root and aster.

This shaded path is also home to many native trees including cherry, redbud, pawpaw, maple, oak and hickory, among others.

Guests can enter the School Trail from either Sharon Woods Drive or across the way from Cardinal Crest Shelter. The entrance by Cardinal Crest is flat and fairly smooth. Guests can take a shorter loop from the Sharon Woods Drive entrance or take a longer hike by continuing on one of the multiple trail routes and see more of the park.

Trail Length: 0.6 miles
Trail Type: Nature
Trail Level: Moderate

On this trail you may see a snake sunning himself on the ground or hunting for some food in a tree. The park is home to many species of snakes, including ring necked, black rat and the northern water snake that is often misidentified as a cottonmouth.

Sharon Woods has a 30-acre lake with a 3.5-mile shore line. The average depth of the lake is around six feet. Some of the more common species of fish in Sharon Lake are bluegill, channel catfish and small mouth and largemouth bass.

Look for wood ducks in quiet coves at the lake’s edge. This colorful and unique species is one of the few Ohio ducks that lay their eggs in tree cavities, which are sometimes 50 feet above the ground!

Eliminated from Ohio in 1830, beaver are slowly returning to Sharon Woods. It’s the largest rodent in North America, weighing up to 60 pounds. Flat, paddle-like tail and webbed feet enable it to navigate its aquatic environment with ease, sometimes staying underwater for up to 15 minutes.

Trail Length: 2.60 miles
Trail Type: Shared-Use
Trail Level: Easy