Acadia Cliffs State Nature Preserve is a state nature preserve in Washington County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, with a small neck extending into

Athens County, Ohio Athens County is a county in southeastern Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,431. Its county seat is Athens. The county was formed in 1805 from Washington County. Because the original state university (Ohio University) was fo ...

. Covering an area of , it was founded in 1994. It is known for its

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

cliffs. For a time, it was administered by the Ohio State Division of Wildlife, but is now administered by the Ohio Division of Nature Preserves. The nature preserve is close to the Washington-Athens County border. The preserve centers on Beebe Road, which may be reached from

Ohio State Route 144 State Route 144 (SR 144) is a north–south state highway in the southern portion of Ohio, a U.S. state. The southern terminus of State Route 144 is at is a T-interchange with State Route 124 in Hockingport. Its northern terminus is at a ...

east of Stewart, Ohio. The name derives from the fact that the land was formerly owned by the Acadia Coal Company. The property includes an old millstone quarry, and many old millstones can still be seen on the site, now back in the forest. This nature preserve was established in part to protect the Bradley's spleenwort, '' Asplenium bradleyi'', which grows there. The spleenwort is a state-listed plant species.

External links

Ohio Department of Natural Resources — Park informationOhio Department of Natural Resources — Map
Ohio state forests Protected areas established in 1994 Protected areas of Athens County, Ohio Protected areas of Washington County, Ohio Ohio State Nature Preserves Protected areas of the Appalachians 1994 establishments in Ohio {{WashingtonCountyOH-geo-stub