About Hellbender Preserve

This 15 acre site contains the Buckeye Grove Loop Trail. The site was named after the state endangered and largest of Ohio’s amphibians, the “Hellbender.” Hellbender amphibians live in the clean waters of Jelloway Creek and the nearby Kokosing River. The site, which consists of Jelloway Creek, wildflower and floodplain tree species, is accessed through the Kokosing Gap Trail. View a location map.

The nature trail begins at the bike trail bridge north of the bike trail parking lot in Howard, and offers streamside access to beaches along Jelloway Creek. Buckeye trees are numerous throughout the site. In late May, a sign and steps leading from the bike trail to the Buckeye Grove Loop Trail were installed, beckoning the user to explore.

Autumn at Hellbender Preserve

Spring flowers abound on the site, including Virginia bluebells, toad trillium, buttercups and phlox. Excellent birding opportunities abound on the trail, with Baltimore orioles, kingfishers and northern cardinals filling the air with song.

Hellbender Salamander