Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park, Ohio, USA
Location:	Portage County, Ohio, USA
Nearest city:	Nelson Township, Ohio
Area:	167 acres
Established:	1949
Governing body:	Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park is located in Northeastern Ohio in Portage County in Nelson Township. The easiest way to get there is to follow State Route 305 and then turn off onto State Route 282, which is a very short State Route (approximately two miles). It is also possible to take US Route 422 to Route 282. The State Park is virtually the only point of interest along Route 282. There are other points of interest in relation to rock formations similar to those found in the park, however they are privately owned attractions and one must pay for entry whereas the State Park is free of charge.

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges is popular for picnicking and hiking. The spectacular rock formations at the 167-acre[1] Nelson-Kennedy Ledges have become trademarks of the park. The remarkable 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. To give you a better idea of these mammoth formations, the following is a quote from a newspaper article, "huge fists of stone surge out of the ground and slant at jagged angles 50 to 60 feet overhead, while fissures split the ground underfoot and reach down as much as 60 feet."[2]

There are a total of approximately three miles 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 said to be of a 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 here. 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 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 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 of the area known as Kennedy Ledges. The state of Ohio created Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park in 1949 to preserve the area for future generations of Ohioans to enjoy.

Although technically only open during daylight hours, many young people will venture to the park during the evening for illegal activities such as drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. A popular term for this is called "going to the Ledges." During the night time hours it is very difficult to see anything without the aid of an artificial light source such as a flashlight. Because of the cliffs and hazards along the trails, many people have been severely hurt or even killed because it's hard to see where you're walking due to the decreased visibility, not to mention the fact that they are generally inebriated.

[edit] References

• "MonnieR". "Ohio Tourism: Nelson Kennedy Ledges State Park", iExplore, 2007-01-22. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
• Thomas, Lillian. "Hitting The Trails: Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2005-06-10. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.

	Protected Areas of Ohio Department of Natural Resources
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 | Crane Creek | 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 | Tinker's Creek | Van Buren | West Branch | 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 | Tar Hollow | Yellow Creek | Zaleski
Natural Areas and 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 Kathatine | 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 | 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 | Zimmermand Prairie
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 Creek
National Parks and Forests	Cuyahoga Valley | Dayton Aviation Heritage | First Ladies | Hopewell Culture | James A. Garfield | Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial | William Howard Taft | Wayne