CONTACTS: George Broughton, 740.374.9396, George@GWBSales.com and/or Ryan Smith, 740.538.0801
George Broughton, developer and manager of The Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area (The Farm), announced an agreement with Rudolph Farms that expands the Broughton Trail system and connects it with the Marietta Trail system.
Area Trail Map — Click to view on MAPS page.
The Park encompasses more than 600 acres with its own trail system just outside of Marietta. The Rudolph Farms trail system is estimated to be approximately 225 acres.
“We contacted Victor Rudolph, owner of Rudolph Farms, about leasing his property to further develop existing trails as an extension of our trail system. Linking to the Marietta Trail System makes our trails and the Devola Multi-Path more accessible to hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers coming from Marietta. Altogether, the Broughton-Rudolph partnership represents more than 800 acres of managed trails in the northernmost section of the Marietta Trail system,” said George Broughton.
Under the terms of the lease, Rudolph Farm trails will be maintained in a manner similar to the single path Broughton Park trails.
“Our family has owned the acreage along Millcreek Road for many years and has allowed local outdoor enthusiasts to use it responsibly,” said Victor Rudolph. “Interest in hiking and mountain biking has increased dramatically in recent years. We see this partnership with Broughton Park as a way to accommodate our local hikers and mountain bikers and to help make Marietta an even more popular destination for visiting outdoor enthusiasts.”
The Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area facilities and trail system is accessible from one entrance on Ohio State Route 60, and two on Ohio State Route 821. Rudolph Farms borders on Colegate Drive and Ohio State Route 821 in Marietta, just across the highway from the entrance to the Wildlife Area and the Eastern trail head of the Devola Multi-Path.
A large map of the Broughton and Rudolph Trails, and the entire Marietta-Devola Trail System, will be installed in a shelter at the main entrance to the park. Maps are also available online at thebroughtonfoundation.org.
Broughton gives credit to the many volunteers who worked on the project. “Volunteers like Ryan Smith, of the Marietta Adventure Company, have mapped most local trails and uploaded them to websites like hikingproject.com and mtbproject.com and are available through smart phone apps.” Maps of the Park’s two disc golf courses created by James Harward can also be found at the shelter, on the Broughton Foundation web site, and at dgcoursereview.com.
The Park is also an educational area available for wildlife and environmental study with three ponds, a natural stream, a waterfall and several areas of undisturbed natural habitat. Other features include cross country courses used by Marietta City Schools and Marietta College, two disc golf courses, a shelter and grounds area, two picnic shelters and three entrances with convenient parking.
Ongoing collaborations between Broughton and various trail committees, cross country coaches, disc golf enthusiasts, hiking and mountain biking groups, naturalists and others have been extremely successful in developing the area for public use. And, the Foundation has plans to develop a new community-oriented facility with a formal announcement to come later in 2018. Broughton said, “Our family views the Park as a work in progress. Our mission is to be the best privately managed park in Ohio.”
The Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area is developed and maintained for public use as the primary mission of The Broughton Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization founded in 1991 by Carl and Elizabeth Broughton. For more information, contact The Broughton Foundation at 619 State Route 821, Marietta, Ohio, 45750; call 740-374-9396; or visit thebroughtonfoundation.org.
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