Lorain County Metro Parks

6195 Otten Road
North Ridgeville, OH 44039
(440) 327-3626

Things To Do | Trail Map | Directions | Current Conditions | Birding Blog

Welcome to the Sandy Ridge Reservation home page. Sandy Ridge is a 310 acre wetland and wildlife preserve, divided almost equally between forest, meadow and marsh. A favorite of naturalists and bird watchers, Sandy Ridge has over 100 bird species on its breeding list and is rich in other wildlife as well. The reservation also offers a small day-use area with outdoor playground, picnic tables and visitor's center with two lush ponds spanned by a footbridge. So bring your binoculars or just come as you are to one of North Ridgeville’s best-kept secrets!

Sandy Ridge’s 310 acres are divided almost equally between forest, meadow and marsh, and there are trails to take you almost anywhere you want to go. The main trail entrance at the Johnson Wetland Center leads you through a wooded section, after which you’ll emerge onto the large, open marsh area (the trail is two miles long overall.) This is the most prominent feature of the park, full of wildlife, and includes an interpretive area near its center.

At the other parking lot and picnic area (right next to the main area) you can take a one -mile unimproved trail that runs through the large meadow at the north end of the reservation. Click here for trail photos.

Near the entrance to Sandy Ridge you’ll find the day-use area, easily recognized by the Johnson Wetland Center, playground, picnic tables and ponds with footbridge. A favorite of kids and adults alike, this area invites you to walk along the pond’s perimeter and over the footbridge, pause to study the colorful vegetation and aquatic life. The wetland center's meeting room makes a great classroom for school outings and includes a variety of wildlife taxidermy. The staff offers an “Introduction to the Wetlands” presentation, and other programs and exhibits run seasonally.

Sandy Ridge’s most notable feature are its wetlands. Wetlands are valuable not only because they provide a habitat for wildlife, but they also help filter pollution from water and act as flood control by taking excess water from overflowing rivers. There’s the obvious recreational value as well.

The marsh area of Sandy Ridge Reservation is a favorite of bird watchers. New species continue to appear and add to the breeding list of over 100 birds. Sand Hill Cranes, Egrets and American Bittern are regularly spotted in the summer months. A pair of Bald Eagles has resided here since the summer of 2002.

Wildlife is not confined to birds. Muskrats are well populated in the wetland as evident by the haystack-like homes they make. Other wildlife includes deer, racoon, coyote, and mink.

Construction took two years and required a great deal of architectural planning, earth moving (to create the raised trail system, for example), seeding areas, creating paths and putting up signage. After construction on the wetland area was completed, it was left untouched for a year while construction proceeded on the front or “public” end of the park. During this time, wildlife species began to repopulate the marsh on their own. In fact, new arrivals are still appearing every year, even those that are endangered such as bald eagles.

The area began to revert back to
a wetland on its own

The trail through the marsh
had to be designed and built

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