Highbanks Nature Center

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Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Highbanks Nature Center is a 1,200-acre park in Delaware County, Ohio.


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Summary

It offers visitors a wide variety of activities, including hiking, birdwatching, and fishing. The park is home to several unique habitats, including an oak-hickory forest, a floodplain forest, and a prairie restoration area.

One of the main attractions at Highbanks is the 100-foot-high shale bluff overlooking the Olentangy River. Visitors can take a hike along the Dripping Rock Trail to get a closer look at the bluff and the river below. Other popular trails in the park include the Overlook Trail, the Ancient Trail, and the Coyote Run Trail.

In addition to hiking, visitors can also enjoy fishing in the Olentangy River, as well as picnicking and playing on the park's playgrounds and sports fields. The park also offers nature programs and educational opportunities for children and adults.

Interesting facts about Highbanks Nature Center include the presence of an active bald eagle nest in the park and the fact that the park's prairie restoration area is one of the largest in the state of Ohio. The park is also home to a variety of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and beavers.

The best time of year to visit Highbanks Nature Center is in the spring and fall, when the weather is mild and the foliage is at its most colorful. However, the park is open year-round and offers different activities and events throughout the seasons.

       

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Park & Land Designation Reference

National Park
Large protected natural areas managed by the federal government to preserve significant landscapes, ecosystems, and cultural resources; recreation is allowed but conservation is the priority.
State Park
Public natural or recreational areas managed by a state government, typically smaller than national parks and focused on regional natural features, recreation, and education.
Local Park
Community-level parks managed by cities or counties, emphasizing recreation, playgrounds, sports, and green space close to populated areas.
Wilderness Area
The highest level of land protection in the U.S.; designated areas where nature is left essentially untouched, with no roads, structures, or motorized access permitted.
National Recreation Area
Areas set aside primarily for outdoor recreation (boating, hiking, fishing), often around reservoirs, rivers, or scenic landscapes; may allow more development.
National Conservation Area (BLM)
BLM-managed areas with special ecological, cultural, or scientific value; more protection than typical BLM land but less strict than Wilderness Areas.
State Forest
State-managed forests focused on habitat, watershed, recreation, and sustainable timber harvest.
National Forest
Federally managed lands focused on multiple use—recreation, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and resource extraction (like timber)—unlike the stricter protections of national parks.
Wilderness
A protected area set aside to conserve specific resources—such as wildlife, habitats, or scientific features—with regulations varying widely depending on the managing agency and purpose.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land
Vast federal lands managed for mixed use—recreation, grazing, mining, conservation—with fewer restrictions than national parks or forests.
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