Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park
Sandstone cliff formations
Location	Portage County, Ohio, USA
Nearest city	Garrettsville, Ohio
Coordinates	41°19′43″N 81°02′21″W / 41.328512°N 81.03923°W / 41.328512; -81.03923Coordinates: 41°19′43″N 81°02′21″W / 41.328512°N 81.03923°W / 41.328512; -81.03923
Area	167 acres (0.68 km²)
Established	1949
Governing body	Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park is located in Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is accessible from U.S. Route 422 and State Route 305 via State Route 282.

The Nelson-Kennedy region has always been a popular vacation spot and eventually came under state protection. In 1940, the state purchased land at Nelson Ledges, and in 1948, it bought 101 acres (0.41 km²) of the area known as Kennedy Ledges. The state of Ohio created Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park in 1949 to preserve the area.

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges is popular for picnicking and hiking. The rock formations at the 167-acre (0.68 km²)^[1] Nelson-Kennedy Ledges have become trademarks of the park. The sandstone cliff formations resulted from the forces of erosion—wind, water freezing and thawing—that wore away at the softer rock layers. As these soft layers eroded, large blocks of rock called slump blocks fell away leaving more resistant layers to form ledges above. Within the park are angled rock formations 50 to 60 feet (18 m) high with ground fissures as deep as 60 feet (18 m).^[2]

There are approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of main hiking trails, as well as many unmarked and more dangerous paths. To mark off the trails, a color-coding system is used on the rocks and trees. White is moderately easy, yellow and blue are medium difficulty, and red is extremely difficult, with some climbing of rocks involved.

The beech-maple forest harbors a few tree species that are more common in cooler climates: yellow birch, Canadian Hemlock and Canada yew are common there. Some of these trees cling to the rock faces, their roots pushing into every available crevice. In the shelter of the roots and shaded by the leafy canopy above, ferns such as the Christmas fern and maidenhair fern grow in abundance. Others such as the marginal shield fern, grape fern, wood fern, and common polypody are more unusual for this part of the state.

The leafy canopy is home to a variety of songbirds, while small mammals such as skunk, raccoon, and fox squirrels inhabit other areas of the park.

The park is open from dawn until dusk. Because of the cliffs and hazards along the trails, night hiking is not recommended due to the decreased visibility.

Notes and references

↑ Flesher, Joshua S. "Going out on the Ledges: Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park and quarry offer hiking, swimming, concerts", Tribune Chronicle (Warren, Ohio), 5 August 2009.
↑ Thomas, Lillian. "Hitting the Trails: Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 June 2005.

"MonnieR" (2007-01-22). "Ohio Tourism: Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park". iExplore. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
Thomas, Lillian (2005-06-10). "Hitting The Trails: Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2007-02-09.

External links

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park.

Protected areas of Ohio

Federal

National parks	Cuyahoga Valley

National historical parks and sites	Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP First Ladies NHS Hopewell Culture NHP James A. Garfield NHS William Howard Taft NHS

National Monuments	Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers

National memorials	David Berger Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

National trails	North Country Trail

National forests	Wayne

National wildlife refuges	Cedar Point Ottawa West Sister Island

National estuarine research reserve	Old Woman Creek

National Natural Landmarks	Brown's Lake Bog Cedar Bog Dysart Woods Fort Hill State Memorial Glen Helen Nature Preserve Tinkers Creek Gorge

State

State parks	Adams Lake Alum Creek A. W. Marion Barkcamp Beaver Creek Blue Rock Buck Creek Buckeye Lake Burr Oak Caesar Creek Catawba Island Cleveland Lakefront Cowan Lake Deer Creek Delaware Dillon East Fork East Harbor Findley Forked Run Geneva Grand Lake St. Marys Great Seal Guilford Lake Harrison Lake Headlands Beach Hocking Hills Hueston Woods Independence Dam Indian Lake Jackson Lake Jefferson Lake John Bryan Kelleys Island Kiser Lake Lake Alma Lake Hope Lake Logan Lake Loramie Lake Milton Lake White Little Miami Madison Lake Malabar Farm Marblehead Lighthouse Mary Jane Thurston Middle Bass Island Maumee Bay Mohican Mosquito Lake Mt. Gilead Muskingum River Nelson Kennedy Ledges Paint Creek Pike Lake Portage Lakes Punderson Pymatuning Quail Hollow Rocky Fork Salt Fork Scioto Trail Shawnee South Bass Island Stonelick Strouds Run Sycamore Tar Hollow Tinkers Creek Van Buren West Branch Wingfoot Lake Wolf Run

State forests	Beaver Creek Blue Rock Brush Creek Dean Fernwood Gifford Harrison Hocking Maumee Mohican-Memorial Perry Pike Richland Furnace Scioto Trail Shade River Shawnee Sunfish Creek Tar Hollow Yellow Creek Zaleski

State nature preserves	Acadia Cliffs Adams Lake Prairie Audubon Islands Augusta-Anne Olsen Aurora Sanctuary Baker Woods Evans Beck Memorial Betsch Fen Bigelow Cemetery Blackhand Gorge Bonnet Pond Boord Brown's Lake Bog Burton Wetlands Caesar Creek Gorge Lou Campbell Carmean Woods Cedar Bog Chaparral Prairie Christmas Rocks Clear Creek Clear Fork Gorge Clifton Gorge Howard Collier Compass Plant Prairie Conkle's Hollow Copperrider-Kent Bog Crabill Fen Cranberry Bog Crane Hollow Crooked Run Culberson Woods Davey Woods Davis Memorial Marie J. Desonier Drew Woods Dupont Marsh Eagle Creek Emerald Hills Erie Sand Barrens Etawah Woods Flatiron Lake Bog Fowler Woods Frame Lake Fen Gahanna Woods Gallagher/Springfield Fen Goll Woods Goode Prairie Gott Fen Greenbelt Greenville Falls Gross Memorial Woods Hatch-Otis Halls Creek Headlands Dunes Hueston Woods Hutchins (Highland) Irwin Prairie Jackson Bog Johnson Ridge Johnson Woods Karlo Fen Kendrick Woods Kessler Swamp Kiser Lake Wetlands Kitty Todd Knox Woods Kyle Woods Ladd Natural Bridge Lake Katharine Lakeside Daisy Lawrence Woods Little Rocky Hollow Mantua Bog Marsh Wetlands McCracken Fen Mentor Marsh Milford Center Railroad Prairie Miller Morris Woods Mud Lake Bog Myersville Newberry North Pond North Shore Alvar Novak Sanctuary Old Woman Creek Owens/Liberty Fen Pallister Pickerington Ponds Portage Lakes Wetland Prairie Road Fen William C. McCoy Raven Rock Rhododendeon Cove Rockbridge Rome Rothenbuhler Woods Saltpetre Cave Sears Woods Seymour Woods Shallenberger Sharon Woods Gorge Sheepskin Hollow Sheick Hollow Sheldon Marsh Shoemaker Siegenthaler-Kaestner Esker Smith Cemetery Spring Beauty Dell Spring Brook Sanctuary Springville Marsh Stage's Pond Strait Creek Prairie Stratford Woods Swamp Cottonwood Edward Thomas Tinker's Creek Travertine Fen Triangle Lake Bog Trillium Trails Walter Tucker Tummonds Warder-Perkins Whipple White Pine Bog Forest Zimmerman Prairie

State scenic rivers	Big Darby Creek Chagrin River Conneaut Creek Cuyahoga River Grand River Greenville Creek Kokosing River Little Beaver Creek Little Darby Creek Little Miami River Maumee River Mohican River Olentangy River Sandusky River Stillwater River

Regional

Metro Parks	Ashtabula County Metroparks Cleveland Metroparks Columbus Metro Parks Erie MetroParks Five Rivers MetroParks Geauga Park District Hamilton County Park District Johnny Appleseed Metro Parks Lake Metroparks Lorain County Metro Parks Metroparks of Butler County Metro Parks, Serving Summit County Metroparks of the Toledo Area Mill Creek MetroParks Trumbull County MetroParks

Ohio Department of Natural Resources (web)

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