Prairie Warbler Trail & E.E. Good Prairie Loop
“No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.” ― William Blake
Prairie Warbler Trail and Good Prairie Loop
Clear Creek Metro Park is a beautiful park that has something for everyone. From flat trails, rugged trails to fishing and picnicking. The area is breathtaking and contains prairies as well as thick forests.
Clear Creek Metro Park has several trails. All with varying amounts of elevation change. Two semi-easy ones that you can hit on a short visit are The Prairie Warbler Trail and the Good Prairie Trail.
To reach these trails you will need to park at the Valley View Picnic area. There are two ways that you can enter the Prairie Warbler Trail. We chose to go in the opposite direction of the sign that sits near the parking lot. The beginning of the trail is the Tulip Tree Trail. Shortly up the trail it splits. The Tulip Tree Trail heads to the left and the Prairie Warbler Trail heads to the right.
The signs on the Prairie Warbler Trail are a little misleading, but easy to figure out. For example, the sign above shows the Tulip Tree Trail heading left and right. It is actually heading left and from the way we entered. Which would be the exact opposite direction of the way we were looking.
Prairie Warbler Trail
The Prairie Warbler trail is a .6 mile loop. It is natural and narrow in spots. It is an easy to navigate trail that is surrounded by trees.
The E.E. Good Prairie Loop is off the Prairie Warbler Trail. The signpost shows that the Prairie Warbler Trail heads to the South East. Actually, this is the E.E. Good Prairie Loop. It is easy to figure out since there is a large sign right behind the signpost.
Continuing on the Prairie Warbler Trail, after walking the Prairie Loop, there is a viewing area on the right. It is just a small area that gets you off of the path.
The trail continues and begins to follow closely to the entrance road to the parking lot. Before the lot, the trail heads to the right and makes its way back to the picnic area and passes the restrooms.
E.E. Good Prairie Trail
The E.E. Good Prairie Trail is a .32 mile loop that follows around the outside edge of a small prairie. The trail is grass. The entry point is approx. 60’ higher than the lowest point. The prairie is surrounded by trees. There is one small section that is open to the road.
There are two bluebird houses in the field. A pair of Eastern Bluebirds occupied one. The other by a pair of Tree Swallows. We also spotted a Hooded Warbler that made his way around the tree line.
Wildflowers
Clear Creek Metro Park has more than 2,200 species of plants and animals. It is located in Fairfield and Hocking Counties and is comprised of 5300 acres. 4769 of these acres are the Allen F. Beck State Nature Preserve.
We saw several individuals taking macro shots of the plants and wildflowers. The area is known for its vast variety of plants, wildflowers and fungi. Pictured are a few that we saw blooming along the E.E. Good Prairie Trail.
Birding
We walked the Prairie Warbler Trail and the E.E. Good Prairie Trail the first weekend in May. There were birds everywhere. Clear Creek Metro Park is known for its amazing birding. There have been over 150 species of bird spotted at the park. With 20 of these being breeding warblers.
We Spotted:
Our Thoughts
The Prairie Warbler Trail and E.E. Good Loop are great for a short hike. You can do them on their own or add them to many of the other trails at Clear Creek Metro Park.
From the Valley View Picnic Area, you can get to the:
E.E. Good Prairie Loop aka Good Prairie Trail
Prairie Warbler Trail
Chestnut Trail
Tulip Tree Trail
What You Can Expect at Clear Creek Metro Park
Please note that park rules and regulations can change at any time. The following information was in effect for Clear Creek Metro Park as of May 2020.
The bathrooms are clean and have running water.
Bicycles are prohibited.
Great place for birding in Ohio.
There are no bridges on either trail.
Concealed carry is permitted.
Pets are prohibited on the trails.
Moderate elevation changes.
Blacktop parking areas. Parking lot has 37 spots. There are 2 specified ADA spaces.
There are 6 picnic tables located in the shelter house.
There is NO playground.
No seating along the trails.
There is plenty of shade available.
A large shelter house is located next to the main parking area.
Trails are marked and easy to see.
Trails are natural.
There were 2 trashcans located at the shelter house.
Trails do not cross any water.
2 ADA parking spots are available in the Valley View Parking area. The trails are not wheelchair accessible.
