Slate Run Metro Park

Slate Run Metro Park is a nature reserve and park in Pickaway County spanning approximately 1,705 acres with diverse habitats including grasslands, wetlands, meadows, and forests filled with beech, oak, hickory, and sugar maple trees. The park features multiple hiking trails and also contains a preserved historical farm with 19th-century buildings.

The Fridley-Oman Farm within the park originates from the 1880s with a farmhouse built in 1856 and a barn constructed in 1881, reflecting Ohio's agricultural heritage. These structures demonstrate the farming methods and way of life that characterized the region during the 19th century.

The Living Historical Farm demonstrates 19th-century farming practices through staff in period clothing who perform daily tasks like cooking over wood fires and tending crops. You can observe how people actually lived and worked on farms long ago.

The park opens at 6:30 AM and closes at dusk, offering trails through varied landscapes for different fitness levels. The 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Bobolink Grassland Trail leads to wetland observation decks where you can watch birds and other wildlife in their natural settings.

The 156-acre wetland area serves as a crucial nesting and resting site for Sandhill cranes, and the park has successfully reintroduced northern bobwhite quail populations to the region. These birds have declined dramatically across much of their former range, making their recovery here a noteworthy conservation effort.

Location: Pickaway County

GPS coordinates: 39.76056,-82.85222

Latest update: December 14, 2025 16:44