Urbana, Ohio's Cedar Bog is a Natural Treasure

Cedar Bog is an Ohio Nature Preserve located just off US68 between Springfield and Urbana. The Bog, which is actually a glacial fen, is worth a visit just for its unique ecosystem -- unique for Ohio anyway.

Volunteers from the Ohio Historical Society normally staff the welcome tent in front of the Bog entrance. Unfortunately they can only staff it at odd hours since the Historical Society is perpetually underfunded. Nobody was present the day of our visit. Cedar Bog has an entrance fee of a few dollars per adult; we made an extra cash donation into the honor box before walking down the path to the Bog itself.

The highly recommended book, The Ohio Nature Almanac, edited with personality by Steven Ostrander, gives a clear explanation of the history of Cedar Bog. It was formed in a valley created by two moraines (a gravel ridge formed by a retreating glacier). Groundwater seeping down from the Mad River valley is filtered through the gravel, picking up the characteristics of salinated water.

This "salt water" reaches the Bog area through various springs and Cedar Run, a small creek that wanders through the preserve. The nature of the salinated water allows for the unique "Ice Age" era wildlife at Cedar Bog. These include types of plants, fish, birds and reptiles not normally found in Ohio.

The first thing we noticed when entering Cedar Bog, walking down to the wooden boardwalk which traces a circular route around the preserve, was the cool air. It was a warm Indian Summer day, but inside the Bog it felt about 10 degrees cooler. This is because the water flowing through the Bog stays at around 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the summer, mosquitoes are obviously a problem considering the water-logged surroundings. In fact the Bog's website rates the daily menace on a scale of one to five mosquitoes -- "one" was the rating the day of our visit. Thankfully, that was an accurate forecast as there were none that we could tell.

The path traced by the boardwalk follows a tree-lined trail made up of Cedars, dwarf birches and their swampland-native brethren. Interesting toadstools and other colorful examples of fungal growth lurk on rotting logs and tree roots. It's definitely an alien environment in the middle of the flat farmland of west central Ohio.

Our trip to Cedar Bog capped off an excellent half-day fall trip in West Central Ohio. We stopped by at Crabills Burger shop in Urbana for an early lunch. The Bog provided an excellent opportunity to burn off the burger grease.

If one is driving through Ohio and has an interest in geological bits of irony, be sure to stop by the Cedar Bog. Consider it a swampy oasis in the middle of the western Ohio prairie. It's an easy and worthwhile trip north from I-70, just west of Springfield.