Follow the Blue Blazes by Connie Pond

Author:Connie Pond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nature, Ohio and Regional
Publisher: Ohio University Press
Published: 2014-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

Featured Hike 2

Oak Openings Metropark

distance 3-mile loop

time 2 hours

difficulty Easy. The relatively flat land and well-maintained trails combine to offer a relaxing walk in the woods.

To drive to Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, take SR 295 north from U.S. 24 northeast of Grand Rapids. Take the first left into the Metropark after passing SR 64. This road, Oak Openings Parkway, will take you past a lodge to a left turn into the parking lot at pristine Mallard Lake (see the map of Featured Hike 2). Obtain a map at the kiosk in front of the Buehner Center. There are restrooms available here. Begin the hike on the west side of the parking lot in front of the Buehner Center. This is the trailhead for numerous trails in the park. This hike begins on the red-blazed Sand Dunes Trail (WP 1).

Almost immediately, there is a divergence of trails. Stay with the red trail going through a quiet evergreen forest. Notice how the trail is sandy. If you have hiked in the state of Florida, this will bring back memories. The soil of Oak Openings Preserve Metropark is largely composed of sand laid down thousands of years ago by ancient lakes that covered the state of Michigan and northern Ohio. The sands of at least 12 ancient lakeshores are found throughout the Black Swamp area, which formed as the glacial ice retreated and before present-day Lake Erie was finally established.

As part of the Great Lakes Ecoregion, which covers portions of eight states and one Canadian province, the ecosystems of Oak Openings vary from prairie openings and sand dunes to thick overhead canopies of the oak savanna. The diverse habitats host such rare species as the brilliant-orange wood lily and the largish lark sparrow. The fox snake and Blanding’s turtle, commonly found here, are not found anywhere else in Ohio. The larvae of the frosted elfin and the endangered Karner blue butterflies depend on the wild lupine for their survival. From April through July, this plant has a columnar group of flowers ranging from blue to pink to white. The widely spaced mature oak trees protect the wild lupine as well as an understory of tall prairie grasses. Today’s remaining oak savannas are imperiled, and the rare plants and animals that depend on this habitat are being lost. This makes Oak Openings one of the most important preserves in the state.

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