Cedar Bogs Boardwalk in Ohio

As we’ve been spending so much time in Springfield, Ohio, we wanted to get to know the surrounding area a little more. Ohio is home to an astonishing 136 designated State Nature Preserves, and one of the nearest to Springfield is Cedar Bog, just south of Urbana. On a sunny day, we drove up to check it out.

How many years have we been visiting Springfield? At least eighteen, and yet we discover new attractions every time we're back. Cedar Bog was an exciting find, because we knew absolutely nothing about it; we simply looked up nearby nature areas on the map. This preserve is not large, and a visit isn't going to consume your whole day (unless you're a birdwatcher, and plan on sitting quietly for hours with binoculars). Normies like us will finish touring Cedar Bog in less than an hour, which makes it an easy excursion from Springfield.

So, the first thing to know about Cedar Bog, is that it's not a "bog" at all, but a "fen". They're both wetlands, but bogs are fed from rainwater only, while a fen takes its water from the ground. Running below the surface of Cedar Bog is a remnant of the once mighty Teays River. Before the Ice Ages, this was a major American river, stretching from Illinois all the way to Virginia. It was disrupted by retreating glaciers, but parts of its ancient valley remain underground, still influencing groundwater flow in places like Cedar Bog.

Of course, before visiting Cedar Bog, I couldn't have told you what a "fen" even was. And I'm still not sure I care all that much. But regardless of what type of wetland this is, the experience of visiting Cedar Bog is a lot of fun ... and that, I definitely do care about.

This being a protected wetland, you don’t actually get to walk on the ground. Instead, there’s a boardwalk which goes about 1.5 kilometers into the reserve and leads you on a nice loop by some of the most beautiful parts. Along the way, there are signs providing information about the environment, foliage, and animals who call the park home, such as the endangered spotted turtle.

We didn’t see any turtles, but we still had a wonderful time touring the reserve. It was a warm autumn day, and the scenes were just spectacular. The woman working the desk had suggested we come back in early summer, when the flowers of the fen are in full bloom… and I think we’ll take her up on that! If this place gets even more beautiful, it’s something we really need to see.