Sharon Nature Preserve

Address

6734 State Road
Wadsworth, OH 44281

The park district acquired the property in 2014 with a $500,000+ grant from the Clean Ohio Greenspace Conservation Program. The site officially opened with a ribbon cutting held on October 27, 2022 with park district staff, commissioners, and several members of the community in attendance.

Activities

Accessible trail(s)

Cross-country skiing

Hiking / walking / running

Picnicking

Amenities

Open-air shelter

Picnic tables

Restrooms

Wheelchair accessible

Natural Features

Forest

Meadow

Rules

No biking is permitted at Sharon Nature Preserve.

Hours

Open daily, 6 a.m. to one hour past sunset.

Acres

134

Trails

Gravel Trail

0.6 miles, Easy, Wheelchair Accessible

Nature Trail

0.4 miles, Easy

Download the Trail Map

High-quality wetlands dominate the nature preserve, however, a remnant of huge sugar maples resides on an upland knoll in the center of the property where visitors can hike a 0.4-mile nature trail. Open hayfields cover the remainder of the upland ground. Visitors can also hike a 0.6 mile (ADA accessible) gravel trail that loops through a wildflower meadow. The nature preserve is rich in natural resources, including a large swath of wet sedge meadow habitat that borders the Wolf Creek between Ridge and State roads. A pre-acquisition survey of the property found nearly 40 different varieties of trees and shrubs, a number of insects and amphibians, evidence of mammals—including deer, coyote, eastern cottontail, muskrat, racoon, and groundhog—and several noteworthy species of birds: brown creeper, rusty blackbird, wood thrush, and yellow-bellied sapsucker.

The preservation of this land is important to both Medina and Summit counties. It is located in the Wolf Creek Watershed, which is part of the Tuscarawas River Watershed. The water here flows into Barberton Reservoir, which is the drinking water source for the city of Barberton.

There is a 20-car parking lot at the nature preserve. An open-air picnic shelter (non-reservable) was installed in late fall 2024. Biking is not permitted at this site. Leashed pets are permitted. Future phases of development at Sharon Nature Preserve include an additional gravel loop trail as well as stream and wetland restoration. There is a porta-potty available. There are future plans for a permanent restroom.

Shelters