Located Northwest of Archbold, Ohio, the Goll Woods State Nature Preserve is one of the last old growth forest remnants remaining in the state. The preserve is 321 acres in size, with around 100 acres of virgin forest. The land was purchased as a farmstead by Peter and Catherine Goll when they moved from Grand-Charmont, France to America in 1836. Generations of the Goll family protected the woods from timber operators until their descendent Florence Louys sold it to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) in 1969. At that time the farm fields were reforested, giving the entire preserve its current woodlands characteristics.
The preserve features four trails, with two each in the East and West sections of the park, which is bisected by County Road 26. The Bur Oak and Cottonwood trails on the East section are shorter, have a few benches, and tend to be better maintained, with updated paths surfaced with loose limestone screenings. The Toadshade and Tuliptree trails on the West side of the preserve are longer and more rugged in nature, and in rainy weather can be quite muddy. An observation deck overlooking the Tiffin River is located on the Toadshade Trail. There are two parking lots at the preserve: the paved lot centrally located on County Road 26, and a smaller lot in the West section near the Goll Family Cemetery on County Road EF. All four trails may be accessed directly or indirectly from the central lot, while the West lot is located on the Toadshade Trail.
Goll Woods has several very large white and bur oak trees which are over 300 years old, with the oldest trees being over 400 years of age. The preserve also sports two Ohio Champion trees, the largest examples of their species known to exist in the state: a 116 ft tall shagbark hickory located on the Tuliptree Trail, and an 88 ft tall rock elm deeper in the preserve.
Two important notes for visitors:
- Typically there are no restroom at the preserve. Sometimes ODNR puts a port-a-pot at the central parking lot during the summer months. However that is not always the case, so go before you go!
- Goll Woods is reminiscent of the Great Black Swamp which used to cover Northwest Ohio. As such, the mosquitoes are legendary in their numbers, size, and persistence. Bring copious amounts of repellant if visiting outside of the late fall to early spring timeframe! read more
