Butler County's newest green space opens its gates to the public on Thursday, October 22, when Davidson Woods MetroPark welcomes visitors to 168 acres of old-growth forest tucked between Hamilton and Oxford in Hanover Township. The preserve sits off Hogue Road and includes three walking trails, one of them ADA-accessible, leading to a bluff overlooking Four Mile Creek.
A Nearly 20-Year Road From Private Land To Public Park
The opening caps a journey that started in 2007, when MetroParks of Butler County acquired the property from the Davidson family for $1,449,800, funded through a $938,437 Clean Ohio grant and a $511,363 local match, according to Oxford Free Press. The district later added $450,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2022 and another $369,848 Clean Ohio grant in 2023 to pave roads, build parking lots and clear the new trail system. As the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, the park contains some of Butler County's remaining old-growth forest, a rarity in a region long dominated by farmland.
That forest survived in large part because of one family's stewardship. The land was originally deeded in 1809 to Matthew Hueston, a pioneer ancestor whose descendants kept the woods intact across generations before last owner Isabel Davidson arranged its sale to the park district, according to WVXU. Ownership of the property passed down primarily through female relatives in the Hueston-Davidson family line, the station notes. Across Four Mile Creek from the public tract, Hueston Farms continues to operate on an adjacent 307-acre portion of the preserve under a lease with MetroParks, per the same report.
Bluff Views And Strict Rules To Protect The Habitat
The park's signature feature is a 10-story bluff offering a 180-degree panoramic view over Four Mile Creek, according to Audubon Miami Valley. Hiking, fishing and creeking are all permitted at Davidson Woods, but MetroParks officials have prohibited four-wheelers and mountain bikes to preserve the natural area as a quiet retreat. The preserve also sits within the traditional ancestral homelands of the Myaamia (Miami) people in Southwest Ohio, according to Oxford Free Press, adding a layer of cultural history along the Four Mile Creek corridor.
Why Bald Eagle Sightings Are Becoming More Common
The creek-side bluff has already drawn attention as a promising spot for wildlife viewing, especially bald eagles, a species that has rebounded dramatically across Ohio in recent years. A 2025 statewide census by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed 964 active bald eagle nests across 87 of Ohio's 88 counties, a 36% increase in nesting pairs since 2020 and a stunning turnaround from just four nesting pairs recorded statewide in 1979. A January 2026 volunteer survey by the agency counted 715 bald eagles statewide, with officials noting that winter is peak viewing season as the raptors cluster near open water.
The eagles' growing presence in Butler County isn't limited to new parkland. Hoodline previously reported on a wounded eagle rescued from a highway in the county, underscoring how often the birds now turn up near local waterways and roadsides alike.
Part Of A Larger County Park System
MetroParks of Butler County operates as a public park district under Chapter 1545 of the Ohio Revised Code, managing nearly 5,000 acres across 14 park sites countywide. The agency's portfolio includes other well-known facilities, including Voice of America MetroPark, which Hoodline noted is set to host portions of the 2027 MLS Next Cup. The district has also been in the news recently after Hoodline reported on a police incident spanning two other MetroParks sites, Rentschler Forest and Timber Hill MetroParks, where a driver abandoned a car on a bike trail before stealing another vehicle.
With Davidson Woods set to open next Thursday, Butler County residents will gain direct access to one of the region's few remaining stretches of old-growth forest, paired with a rare vantage point for spotting the state's resurgent bald eagle population along Four Mile Creek.
