In honor of Athens Conservancy’s 20th anniversary, we asked our board members and other friends to talk about their favorite places in the preserves around Athens County. Take a look at what Tiffany Harvey had to say about the Mary Beth Preserve:
My favorite preserve or hiking trail is:
Mary Beth Zak Lohse Preserve
What is special about it?
It has rock features, a vernal pool, and large trees. The hill going up the trail provides nice cardio.
What are some things (views, rocks, plants, flowers, wildlife) that people might encounter in this place?
Beautiful red tree leaves in the fall.
Special memory from this spot?
I went there with my friend after it had snowed. There was a glittery coating of ice on everything, and you could take huge sheets of ice off the logs. It was stunning, so I tried to capture that with my phone camera, but I couldn’t capture the beauty I was seeing with my eyes. After failing to capture a good photo, my friend and I took some sheets of ice off the logs, pretended they were shields, and sword fought with sticks.
Any particular time of year or time of day you would recommend visiting it?
I enjoy going there after it has snowed. It’s really magical.