If there’s one thing Darke County is seriously lacking in, it’s trails! It’s been fun discovering places I didn’t know about, but sadly there still aren’t that many outdoor recreation opportunities here. To me, Eidson Woods Preserve is one of the most pleasant little gems in the Darke County Parks system. It has a nice, secluded feeling to it and I rarely encounter other people there.
Sometimes I just need to get off of the pavement so I’ll go to Eidson and run a couple laps on the dirt trails there. There are only two trails, which basically consist of a 1-mile loop with a cutoff path somewhere around the mid point which gives you (I’m guessing here) a little over a half mile loop, maybe 2/3 of a mile. The trail intersections are well marked but the trails themselves are not highly traveled so they have a tendency to be indistinct in several sections. After the leaves drop, have fun trying to find the trail in the southern most part.
Eidson woods is just off of Hwy 502 and Palestine-Union City road to the southeast. You’ll find a couple of Geocaches there if you like that kind of thing, along with a couple of big huge trees and also there’s a section of Kraut Creek running through the woods. I’ve seen a handful of deer, loads of little frogs, raccoons, a couple salamanders and all the neat bugs I could ever want. Depending on the time of year you visit, be sure to check for ticks when you’re done!
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