Birding at Crown City Wildlife Area
Crown City, Ohio
General Information
Address
Crown City, OH 45678
County/Counties
Gallia, Lawrence
DeLorme Page Number and Coordinates
(7th Edition and earlier) Page 86, C-3
Nearest Town or City
Gallipolis, Ohio.
Directions from Nearest Town or City
Crown City Wildlife Area can be a confusing place for the first time visitor to find. The Ohio DeLorme Atlas is accurate for the roads outside the area, but comes nowhere close for roads in the wildlife area itself. The roads in the area aren’t sign posted anywhere, and you’ll even find a few roads that aren’t on the ODNR map. Don’t be put off by that, though, since it’s a beautiful and fascinating area that is well worth a visit. To reach CCWA from the Shawnee Sate Forest take Rt. 52 east out of Portsmouth to Ironton. At Ironton take Rt. 141 north to Wilgus. At Wilgus continue straight ahead onto Rt. 775 to Lecta (which is just a few buildings). Refer to page 86 of the De Lorme Ohio Atlas. At Lecta turn east onto Rt. 790 and pull out the CCWA map, which can be downloaded at the address below. Enter the area from the north onto an unmarked road about a mile and a half east of Lecta along Rt. 790. To reach CCWA from the north come down Rt. 35 from Chillicothe. Again refer to page 86 of the De Lorme Ohio Atlas. From Rio Grande take Rt. 325 south until it ends at Rt. 141. On Rt. 141 take a right (west), then a quick left (south) onto Patriot-Gage Road. After zig-zagging through the small community of Patriot, continue south on Hannan Trace Rd. until it reaches Rt. 775 a few miles later. Continue south on Rt. 775 to Lecta and enter CCWA as described above from Rt. 790. From Gallipolis (the nearest city with hotels and restaurants), CCWA can be reached by taking Ohio State Route 7 south to Rt. 218. Continue south on Rt. 218 to Rt. 790, turning west and entering the wildlife area in the same spot mentioned above. – See more at: http://www.ohiobirds.org/site/library/sites/showsite.php?Site_ID=49#sthash.eCrSfxCj.dpuf
About Crown City Wildlife Area
The most southerly of Ohio’s reclamation grasslands, the Crown City Wildlife Area is a beautiful and unique area in the state. Although it is an out-of-the way destination for most visitors, its birdlife still makes it a worthwhile place to visit. The grasslands along Rhappsburg Road and Siloam Road are likely to be of top interest to birders, but other roads radiating out from here hold an interesting assortment of woodland birds in the spring and summer.
Visiting Information
Closed hours/season
Open all year during daylight hours.
Parking Areas
No formal parking areas, but pulling off to the side of the road is permitted anywhere.
Fees/Permits
None,
Restroom Facilities
None.
Harmful Insects, Poisonous Plants, or Animals
Ticks are present in spring and summer.
Restaurants in the Area
Nearest restaurants in Gallipolis.
Birds of Interest by Season
