This is Glen Helen

The Glen Helen Nature Preserve is the legacy of Hugh Taylor Birch, who, in 1929, donated the wooded glen to Antioch College in memory of his daughter Helen.  With this gift, the College accepted the responsibility of preserving the land in perpetuity. Today, that mission is carried forward by the Glen Helen Ecology Institute, which manages the land and coordinates the educational programs of “The Glen.”

Additional gifts expanded the preserve, which now encompasses 1000 acres, all accessible from a 25-mile network of footpaths.  On even a short walk, visitors can view spectacular wildflowers, 400 year-old trees, limestone cliffs with waterfalls and overhangs, and the beautiful yellow spring for which the town is named.

Located at the Corry Street entrance, the Trailside Science Museum is the hub for regularly scheduled programs and hikes in the preserve.  Visitors can stop here for a map or other information before venturing onto the trails.  The adjacent Glen Helen building houses a gift shop and administrative offices.

Visitors are also welcome at the Raptor Center off SR 343.  This nationally recognized facility rehabilitates injured hawks, owls, and related birds of prey, each year providing 200 birds a second chance at life in the wild.   Resident birds, used for educational programs, can be viewed on site.

Glen Helen is also home to one of the Midwest’s first residential environmental education facilities. Established in 1956, the Outdoor Education Center has served as a model for many such facilities that now shape the ecological literacy of students around the country. Still thriving after 50 years, the Center welcomes over 3,000 schoolchildren each year, who stay for a week they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Trained naturalists are also available for school-based extension programs and day visitors to Glen Helen.  In the summer, the Outdoor Education Center becomes home to Glen Helen EcoCamps. 

In addition to these programs, the Outdoor Education Center is home to one of the nation's most established environmental internship programs. For over fifty years, college students and graduates from around the world have traveled to Glen Helen to gain valuable experience as educators, interpreters, and leaders. Naturalist interns are able to become part of our environmental education legacy while earning academic credit through Antioch College.

To maintain the preserve and its programs, the Glen depends on support from visitors and other friends.  By becoming a member of the Glen Helen Association, you too would help protect a unique scenic gem of Ohio.