In an ongoing series, we are traveling throughout the OWR region on short day-trips to find and share its natural beauty. Today’s post comes from Grant Joy:

Boord is a State Nature Preserve located off of State Route 550 on Township Road 69. Boord is named in honor of Elza and Cora B. Boord. Boord is a hidden gem located in western Washington County. While Boord is a smaller nature preserve, roughly only 127 acres, Boord has a variety of natural splendor due in large part to its location along Falls Creek. Falls Creek cuts through the heart of the preserve and creates a waterfall that adds to the natural beauty of Boord. Falls Creek helps to create a natural environment that provides a snippet of the natural environment located in the Hocking Hills. The cool moisture of the gorge creates a great environment for eastern Hemlocks to grow along the creek. In addition to the scenic waterfall and cool gorge, the preserve also offers a good split between deciduous,mixed-native hardwood forest and red pine plantations. Toward the end of the loop trail, the towering red pines accompany you and provide a pine-needle covered path as you make your way out of the Boord. The Boord State Nature Preserve provides a mixture of deciduous forest, moist gorges with eastern Hemlocks, and towering Red Pines.  

IF YOU GO: Boord State Nature Preserve is located off of State Route 550, headed East toward Marietta; turn Right on Burnett Road, and then to Township Road 69 (Falls Creek Road).