If you enjoy water paddle sports such as kayaking and canoeing, but would rather not deal with the challenges and dangers of whitewater rapids, I have just the place for you. It has a spectacular view of Lake Erie, and belted kingfishers, great egrets, and other waterbirds fly by as you float along the 2.5-mile water trail. If you’re more of a landlubber, there are half a dozen hiking trails available there, too.
Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve is located a mile east of Huron, along State Route 6. It’s owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and it’s also a state nature preserve, dedicated in 1980. Best of all, it’s open to the public year-round — free of charge.
Freshwater estuaries are areas where creeks or rivers meet and mix with chemically distinct larger bodies of water (in this case: Lake Erie). “Old Woman Creek is the best example of a large barrier beach estuary in Ohio,” says Janice Kerns, the reserve’s manager.
A mother and son walk along the Old Woman Creek barrier beach.
Kerns grew up in a suburb of Columbus, and says she had an intense interest in the outdoors, even as a kid. “I took a summer course in marine biology during high school, and that experience really helped guide my future undergrad and postgraduate studies and ultimate career path,” she says.
Kerns oversees a staff of about a dozen other scientists and employees involved in education, research, stewardship, and technical training. The team works from the Mike DeWine Center for Coastal Wetlands Studies, which also houses the reserve’s public visitor center. “We have a tradition at Old Woman Creek of mentoring early career professionals by providing internships and summer jobs for the next generation of coastal researchers and decision-makers,” Kerns says.
Anyone who owns a canoe or kayak is welcome to enjoy the paddling opportunities on Old Woman Creek any time of year — but if you don’t happen to own such a watercraft, Old Woman Creek has you covered with a variety of events and amenities.
“We offer free guided kayak and canoe tours of the estuary,” Kerns says. “We have a fleet of canoes and kayaks, paddles, and life jackets visitors can borrow while on guided trips.” Tours are given every other Wednesday and Saturday during the summer. Dates and registration information are available here.
Another must-do activity while visiting Old Woman Creek is taking a leisurely stroll along the sandy, quarter-mile-long barrier beach that borders Lake Erie. On any particular day or season of the year, you could experience lake conditions ranging from totally calm to waves crashing ashore — or anything in between. You might also catch a glimpse of a bald eagle soaring along the lakeshore searching for fish.
“The best time of year to view eagles here is during their breeding season, from winter to late spring,” Kerns says. “There is only one active eagle nest at OWC this year, but many eagles use the estuary as a gathering area — last December staff members and I counted some 30 eagles perched in the trees surrounding the marsh.” She says that sighting included a mix of mature birds, which have the striking white head and white tail feathers, and younger birds, which are mainly dark brown in color. “Viewing that congregation of bald eagles all at the same time was truly spectacular,” she says.
Of course, you must be wondering just how Old Woman Creek got its odd name, which dates back at least to the late 1700s. But it’s kind of complicated; at least two different legends exist about its origin. One says it was named for an elderly Native American woman who, grieving for her slain daughter and son-in-law, threw herself into the creek and drowned; another claims pioneers simply noted a friendly older woman whose creek-side residence was a point of reference for early settlers.
Unfortunately, neither story has been substantiated — and likely never will be — so my advice is to simply choose whichever you like best.
