Ohio's Once-Thriving Quarry Near Dayton Is Now A Lovely Nature Park With Trails, Fossils, And Wildlife

There are layers of history to discover in Ohio's Miami Valley, and few sites exemplify this better than Oakes Quarry Park in the Greene County town of Fairborn. It was first developed as a limestone mine by the Southwestern Portland Cement Company in 1929, but the land's history stretches back much further than that. About 440 million years ago, during the Silurian Age, it was on the floor of an ancient sea and the location of a coral reef where sponges, trilobites, and colorful sea lilies thrived. Fossils of these prehistoric lifeforms were exposed when the quarry was mined. These fossils are known as the Brassfield Formation, and can be seen and even collected by visitors to Oakes Quarry Park today. Stones elsewhere in the park have marks dating back to the glacial activity of the last ice age.

Plenty of history happened here between these two points, too. The Ohio Woodland People first arrived in southwest Ohio thousands of years ago, building mounds and earthworks that still dot the landscape. The land was Shawnee territory by the time European settlers arrived in 1799 and built the first home in what would become Fairfield. In the early 20th century, the Wright brothers tested their new flying machine on Fairfield's Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Today, the field is part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the town is called Fairborn, a name change brought about by its merger with the neighboring community of Osborn in 1950.

This fascinating history gives travelers lots of reasons to visit Fairborn, and Oakes Quarry Park earns a big spot on that itinerary. As Fairborn's second-largest park, its 190 acres encompass grasslands, woods, and wetlands that provide a home to abundant wildlife, while its trails give visitors a glimpse into the region's ancient past.

Oakes Quarry is the northernmost portion of the larger Beaver Creek Wetlands area. The 30-foot stone wall around the park functions as a scenic overlook. Within it, a 2-mile hiking trail runs around the park's perimeter. Native grasses grow in the 30-acre grassland, along with flowers like St. John's wort and blue vervain that attract butterflies. The wooded areas are planted with more than 8,000 trees and inhabited by wildlife like deer, coyotes, foxes, and amphibians. For birders, this mix of habitats offers the chance to spot rare species like the lark sparrow and prairie warbler. The four ponds across the park are also popular with shorebirds like killdeer and sandpipers.

Hiking and birding aren't the only outdoor activities in Oakes Quarry. Along with the mulched hiking trail around the perimeter, there's a 1-mile bridle trail in the western area of the park. The pond closest to the parking lot is stocked with fish like catfish, bass, bluegills, and crappie. Visitors from anywhere can cast a line for catch-and-release fishing since you don't need a permit to fish here.

What makes Oakes Quarry unique from converted quarries like northeast Ohio's Nelson Ledges Quarry Park is its abundance of fossils. There are actually two preserved coral reefs here, which have produced fossils of 29 species of crinoids, including some of the largest in the world. While geologists are still conducting active research, guests are free to pick through the designated spoil piles and keep any fossils they find. You can do this on your own any day of the year, and signs posted near the fossil areas provide more insight into the site's history. For more active guidance, check the schedule of free geologist-led hikes offered by the Department of Natural Resources.

Oakes Quarry Park is on the outskirts of Fairborn, a quirky college town known for its Main Street oddities and community festivals. The park is easy to find, located right off State Route 235 just east of I-675. This makes it accessible from other Ohio cities, too — about a 20-minute drive from Dayton and less than 90 minutes from Columbus or Cincinnati. You'll likely get the best weather for enjoying the outdoors from April through October, but the park is open from dusk to dawn year-round.

For those planning a multi-day trip to the area, there are plenty of hotels in Fairborn, including several budget-friendly options within minutes of the park. You won't need more than a day to explore Oakes Quarry, but there are other sites worth seeing nearby if you have the time. Nature lovers can explore other areas of the Beaver Creek Wetlands. Pearl's Fen, about a mile east, is a peat wetland known for its plant and animal diversity, and can be accessed from Oakes Quarry on foot using the connecting trail. A couple of miles south, Fairborn's Community Park has 40 acres of forest and two restored wetlands, along with a 5-acre pond and over 2 miles of trails, including a wildflower trail.

Visitors interested in ancient history will find more attractions close at hand, too. For more fossil hunting, head about an hour south to admire the Ordovician fossils of Hueston Woods State Park, which is another spot that lets you keep any fossils you find. The UNESCO-designated Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are in the area, as well. The closest of these sites, Fort Ancient Earthworks, is in Oregonia, less than an hour south of Oakes Quarry.