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Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve, Springfield, OH

Photo: Tim Kiser, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve

A 91-acre Clark County preserve with a hiking trail, river access, dolomite cliffs, and stream-side forest.

Springfield, OH

About Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve

This preserve covers about 91 acres and combines a main hiking trail that follows a former rail line, access to the Mad River, and natural dolomite cliffs that rise as high as 50 feet, popular with rock climbers. Its stream-side forest supports many native wildflowers and is well suited to birdwatching. The Clark County Park District owns and runs the site, and the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association gave the district a first-place award in 2017 in the Natural Resources & Conservation category for its development work there.

  • #hiking
  • #rock climbing
  • #birdwatching
  • #wildflowers
  • #river access

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

    No admission fee

    Visit Youngsholm, the Ohio home of Charles Young, the Buffalo Soldier who became the US Army's first Black colonel, and read the markers on its grounds.

    14 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Iconic

    National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

    No admission fee

    Walk through four huge hangars holding more than 360 aircraft and missiles, from Wright brothers artifacts to Air Force One.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums

    Champaign Aviation Museum

    No admission fee

    A nonprofit WWII aviation museum in Urbana, Ohio, known for restoring a B-17 bomber.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Brukner Nature Center

    Under $25

    A nonprofit nature center near Troy, Ohio, with live wildlife exhibits, about six miles of trails, and a bird viewing room.

    25 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Battelle Riverfront Park

    No admission fee

    A downtown Columbus, Ohio riverfront park near City Hall, named for Gordon Battelle.

    45 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Delaware State Park

    Check prices

    Boat, fish or swim at a 1,300-acre reservoir north of Columbus, then play the free 27-hole disc golf course or camp under big trees.

    52 mi awayMore like this