2025 Walk with Nature Fall Festival

Walk with Nature Fall Festival - October 19, 2025


Update as of 10/17/2025 Walk with Nature Fall Festival

We’re still looking forward to a fantastic Walk with Nature Fall Festival and hope you are too!

While the weather may bring some rain, the spirit of the autumn season is alive and well for the Walk with Nature Fall Festival activities in Memorial Park, the Car Cruise-In, and Girty’s Town Rendezvous encampment.

Due to the predicted rainy weather and ongoing trail maintenance, shuttle buses will not be running. But the adventure continues!

We invite guests to enjoy the scenic walk from Memorial Park to the Rendezvous encampment and back.

Looking to explore more? You can also hike north along the gravel trail—go as far as SR 33 and turn around. That is a two-mile trip from Memorial Park — a perfect fall hike!

Trail Alerts affect the Buckeye Trail (BT) from Pts. 26-27 in the St Marys Section: https://www.buckeyetrail.org/sections/sections.php...

We encourage everyone to make the best decision for themselves based on the day’s conditions.

Please remember: There is no rain date. A festival of this size takes months of planning and coordination, and unfortunately, it can’t be rescheduled.

 Stay tuned to our Facebook page for any official updates or announcements.

https://www.facebook.com/WalkWithNatureFallFestival

Thank you for your flexibility and continued support — we can't wait to see you, rain or shine.




56th Annual Walk With Nature Fall Festival
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Located in Memorial Park along the Miami and Erie Canal Towpath Trail in St. Marys, Ohio...Fall family fun & something for everyone!

Bring friends & family to experience a relaxing autumn stroll along the beautiful Miami and Erie Canal. Hike at your own pace starting at Memorial Park or 40 Acre Pond, then ride the shuttle bus provided back to your starting location.

Just north of Memorial Park, you will see 'Girty's Town Rendezvous,' a pioneer encampment set up along the Towpath Trail. This camp is named after the Girty Brothers who had a trading post & small settlement along the St. Marys River in the mid-1700's. The camp will demonstrate how folks survived along Ohio's riverbanks during pioneer times. Observe their tools, trades, and camping gear. Ask questions and learn about pioneer survival.

Return to Memorial Park after your hike to enjoy live music, crafts, reenactors, car cruise-in and a wide variety of vendor booths and farmers’ market for browsing, as well as food trucks for snacking!

The Walk with Nature Fall Festival is also part of the Road to Fitness program (Grand Lake Health System’s Fitness Challenge). Your hike will help you earn participation points for their fitness program that runs from January to November 2025.

Craft Booth Vendors are needed! The deadline for booth space applications is Oct. 6th, 2025, so reserve your space now! Go to:
https://kiwanisstmarysohio.org/walk-with-nature-fall...

For more information contact: kiwanisstmarysohio@gmail.com

Boardwalk Ribbon Cutting at Kuffner Preserve

By Terry McDonald • October 17, 2025
The ribbon has officially been cut for the new boardwalk trail at Dr. Elizabeth Yahl Kuffner Nature Preserve! We are grateful to the Yahl Kuffner & Hartung families for their generous donations to help make these wonderful trail improvements happen. Heritage Trails Park District invites everyone to explore this amazin

Walk with Nature Fall Festival UPDATE

By Terry McDonald • October 17, 2025
UPDATE due to weather forecast

Autumn Interpretive Hikes

By Terry McDonald • October 1, 2025
Join Heritage Trails Park District for an Autumn Interpretive Hike at the Dr. Elizabeth Yahl Kuffner Nature Preserve! Take a guided hike through this 15.8 acre woodlot and learn about tree identification tips and techniques as you stroll along our new boardwalk trail surface. Guided hikes will be slow paced, under 1
Heritage Trails Park District invites you to explore the Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve

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By Terry McDonald • September 24, 2025
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Kuffner Nature Preserve is OPEN!

By Terry McDonald • September 18, 2025
The Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve has re-opened to the public! Thanks to generous donors, a brand new boardwalk has been installed to enhance accessibility to all hikers. In the coming weeks, new benches, trail signage, and informational kiosk will also be added to further improve this amazing Auglaize

2025 Autumn Newsletter

By Terry McDonald • September 15, 2025
To sign-up to receive our quarterly newsletter, please email info@htparks.org

Heritage Trails Park District - 2025 Stahr Award Winner!

By Terry McDonald • May 28, 2025
Earlier this month, Heritage Trails Park District was presented with the ⭐️STAHR AWARD⭐️ from Ohio's Grand Lake Region Visitors Center! We are so grateful to receive such an honor! Thank you! Each year, the Stahr Award is given to one group, organization or business for its outstanding contributions to the development and promotion of tourism in the Auglaize & Mercer County area. The granting of this award began in 1998, named for former Visitors Center Trustee, the late Bill Stahr. 💫 Pictured here:🏆 Heritage Trails Park District Executive Director PJ Fought along with Ambassador Award winner Matt Tuttle and Past President Award winner Jared Ebbing.

Progress Report for Heritage Trails Park District

By Terry McDonald • March 17, 2025
Progress Report for Heritage Trails Park District (By: Administrative Assistant Terry McDonald) Heritage Trails Park District has been moving forward in leaps & bounds during the past year, fueling our mission to create and preserve park lands in Auglaize County for conservation, leisure and educational purposes for everyone to enjoy. Our park district is currently comprised of six areas of park lands in Auglaize County, Ohio, including Lock 14 Park, Deep Cut Historical Park, Bloody Bridge Trail Head, Dr. Elizabeth Yahl-Kuffner Nature Preserve, eight miles of Towpath Trail along the Miami Erie Canal, and the future site of the E.J. Mackenbach Preserve. In 2024, Heritage Trails Park District acquired the E.J. Mackenbach Preserve, approximately 70 acres of historic property just north of St. Marys, Ohio. This preserve features 34 acres of woodland, 36 acres of fields and amazing views of the Miami Erie Canal. Plans are in place to restore the agricultural fields to wetland and meadow habitats, with plantings

THE STORY OF THE BLOODY BRIDGE

By HTPARKS • February 23, 2021
A tale of a lovers quarrel, and murder. Visitors say they can see the ghostly images of a headless man walking along the bridge at sundown, and drowned woman in the canal below. Making the Bloody Bridge a notorious attraction for those who seek the paranormal.