Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park is a 167-acre day-use park in Nelson Township, Ohio, managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes it as offering rugged cliffs and diverse plant life, popular for picnicking and hiking. The park has no water acreage, so its footprint is entirely land.

It suits visitors looking for a short, self-contained hike among rock formations rather than a long backcountry trek. Because the park is carry-in/carry-out, with no trash receptacles at picnic sites, visitors are expected to pack out what they bring. Park rules also prohibit off-trail hiking and disposable or glass beverage containers on hiking trails.

Plan your visit

Trails

4 named routes 1.74 mi of walkable ways mapped within 2 km

0.80 Blue Trail
0.35 White Trail
0.24 Yellow Trail
0.20 Red Trail

Know before you go

Address: State Route 282, Nelson Township, OH, 44231
Phone: (330) 235-0030
Official site: ohiodnr.gov
Managed by: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Hours: One half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. If you have questions, call the park office.

On the ground

The park's rock formations are among the few outcrops in northern Ohio still exposed to view, since most others were buried under soil and rock left by receding glaciers. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources attributes the sandstone cliffs to erosion by wind and by freezing and thawing water, which wore away softer rock layers and left large slump blocks to fall away, leaving more resistant layers standing as ledges.

Four named trails thread the ledges: the White Trail, Yellow Trail, Blue Trail, and Red Trail. The Blue Trail runs 0.8 miles, the White Trail 0.35 miles, the Yellow Trail 0.24 miles, and the Red Trail 0.2 miles. These paths wind past formations including Gold Hunter's Cave and Old Maid's Kitchen, and Cascade Falls is the park's named waterfall. The area holds significance to Native American tribes, with the Delaware, Shawnee, Miami, Seneca, Mohawk, and Cajuga among those said to have lived at Nelson Ledges. The park lies near one of the highest points in Ohio, close to the watershed divide between the Ohio River and Lake Erie, and several major foot trails and canoe routes once passed through the vicinity. The surrounding area later developed into an agricultural and dairy center, with cheesemaking prominent almost as soon as the first Europeans arrived, and by 1834 northeast Ohio cheese controlled southern markets.

Practical notes

Park hours run from one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. The park office can be reached at (330) 235-0030. The park is located on State Route 282 in Nelson Township, Ohio 44231.