GRANVILLE – Taft Reserve is the Licking Park District’s largest park with 425 acres. It has two entrances at the north and south boundaries of the reserve.
● Taft North: 10250 Flint Ridge Rd, Heath, OH 43056
● Taft South: 10383 Fairview Rd SE, Heath, OH 43056
Horse trailer parking is available at both entrances. There are approximately 14 miles of trails for visitors to hike, bike and horseback ride within this spacious natural area. You will see a great diversity of habitats here, including mature forest, early successional forest, shrublands, wetlands, prairie and a small creek called Hog Run. Since there are so many different habitats, there is also a multitude of different plant and wildlife species that call Taft home. With spring bird migration already underway, Taft Reserve is an especially great place to bring your binoculars if you are a birder.
Licking County has a rich Native American history, and many mounds were built across the county. Taft Reserve is home to two mounds, Tippett and Rutledge. Tippett mound was most likely built during the Adena culture era (800 BCE to 100 AD), which can be determined by its size and shape, as well as excavations that were carried out in the mid-1800s. These excavations revealed burials at the base of the mound underneath layers of ash and charcoal, and a tubular tobacco pipe was also found. Excavations of Rutledge mound in 1930 tell us it was built during the Hopewell culture era (200 BCE to 500 AD), whose people are descended from the Adena. Shell beads and a copper amphibian-shaped effigy were discovered that were probably obtained from long-distance trade. Visit Taft Reserve to explore a piece of Licking County’s unique history and take in the scenery.
