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Self-guided Spring Wildflower Hike

Self-guided Spring Wildflower Hike - April 20th - May 4th

Heritage Trails Park District invites you to explore the Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve for a spring wildflower hike!
Enjoy a self-guided hike along the wooded trails of this unique nature preserve, where numerous species of Ohio’s native wildflowers can be found, including the official State Wildflower of Ohio, the Large-flowered Trillium. Signage will be located along the trail to help you identify wildflowers first-hand and learn fun facts about each species.

Pick a day & time that works for you, dawn to dusk, April 20th through May 4th (event may be extended if flowers are still blooming). Bring the whole family, hike at your own pace, learn as you go along, and spend some quality time outdoors!

The Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve is located at: 14840 County Road 66A, just north of St. Marys. Interpretive signage will be up from April 20 – May 4, but we invite you to experience the wildflowers at the preserve any week this spring, as they are ever-changing through the season. The hiking paths at Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve are a flat, level terrain, but be sure to wear proper footwear as the trails do get muddy in the spring!

We also ask that you please:
-Stay on the trail. Doing so protects this precious wildflower habitat
-Please do not pick the wildflowers. Take nothing, leave nothing. Please carry in & carry out all trash
-Share your photos and wildflower hike experience with us on Facebook @HeritageTrailsParkDistrict or email us at info@htparks.org
Invite friends & family on a wildflower hike & enjoy some springtime with Heritage Trails Park District

Progress Report for Heritage Trails Park District

By Terry McDonald • March 17, 2025
Progress Report for Heritage Trails Park District (By: Administrative Assistant Terry McDonald) Heritage Trails Park District has been moving forward in leaps & bounds during the past year, fueling our mission to create and preserve park lands in Auglaize County for conservation, leisure and educational purposes for everyone to enjoy. Our park district is currently comprised of six areas of park lands in Auglaize County, Ohio, including Lock 14 Park, Deep Cut Historical Park, Bloody Bridge Trail Head, Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve, eight miles of Towpath Trail along the Miami Erie Canal, and the future site of the E.J. Mackenbach Preserve. In 2024, Heritage Trails Park District acquired the E.J. Mackenbach Preserve, approximately 70 acres of historic property just north of St. Marys, Ohio. This preserve features 34 acres of woodland, 36 acres of fields and amazing views of the Miami Erie Canal. Plans are in place to restore the agricultural fields to wetland and meadow habitats, with plantings

Gardeners Swap & Share

By Terry McDonald • March 17, 2025
Heritage Trails Park District & the St. Marys Community Public Library invite you to a Gardener’s Swap and Share on Wednesday, May 14th. Beginning at 6:00 p.m., meet at the St. Marys Library parking lot area with your plant divisions and miscellaneous garden plants to swap and share with others. Then join us for a presentation at 7:00 p.m. given by Alicia Lensch of Forage Gardens, who will talk about “Landrace Seeds and Gardening.” Learn about selectively saving seeds, sharing seeds, purchasing from multiple cold climate sources, and not babying plants. Representatives from the St. Marys Garden Club will be available to answer your gardening questions and you can share your own gardening tips and tricks. Learn about local farmer’s markets. Enter a drawing for a chance to win a prize. The Gardener’s Swap and Share continues all week, from May 12th to May 17th. During St. Marys Library hours, a plant swap cart will be stationed near the entrance of the library to swap or share your potted seedlings, plants

2025 Cabin Fever Hike Series

By Terry McDonald • October 11, 2024
Save these dates for our 2025 Cabin Fever Hike Series!

THE STORY OF THE BLOODY BRIDGE

By HTPARKS • February 23, 2021
A tale of a lovers quarrel, and murder. Visitors say they can see the ghostly images of a headless man walking along the bridge at sundown, and drowned woman in the canal below. Making the Bloody Bridge a notorious attraction for those who seek the paranormal.
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