Where the Wild Things Are

Walking along Lake La Su An Wildlife Area

Nestled in the far Northwest corner of Ohio is a serene nature preserve and wildlife area known as Lake La Su An. Located four miles west of Pioneer, Ohio, this is a 2,616-acre property featuring multiple lakes and ponds, hiking trails. and wetlands. Visitors to the wildlife area will find fishing opportunities, boating, hunting, and prime bird watching.

History & Specs

Acquired by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources beginning in 1981, the Lake La Su An area is still relatively unknown to many outside the small surrounding communities. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources this area features 13 small lakes and ponds from as small as 1-acre up to the largest at 82 acres.

My Great Discovery

Although I’ve lived in this area almost my entire life, I knew almost nothing about Lake La Su An until late 2016. A client mentioned going there often with her husband to take their dog on a walk. I told her I had never been and she insisted I check it out. Fast forward a year or two and two of my kids began taking frequent fishing trips to the area. I finally asked one weekend if they could show me where they go. I was instantly hooked! One of my first visits was in May of 2020 on a rainy Mother’s Day. As my stepson fished I found I started to walk the various trails. I found myself wanting to keep exploring more and more and go deeper into the woods. But the rain started to come down harder so I was forced to abandon my explorations. I vowed to come back and do some exploring on my own. I’ve now been back dozens of times and have explored multiple different trails. The terrain changes and offers some rare hilly areas that a perfect for a decent workout. The scenery is stunning and changes from month to month as the seasons change. Here are some of my pictures from my Mother’s Day hike two years ago.

This is for the Birds

Since that chilly May I have discovered other parts of the Lake and also found a way to enjoy one of my other new hobbies – identifying bird calls. My kids often call me an “old lady” or get embarrassed when I break out my phone and say “ooh, what bird is that I hear!?” But I don’t care. A couple of years ago I stumbled upon the Merlin Bird ID APP and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. I enjoy discovering all the different breeds around me and have now learned to identify many of them by sound. So now when I go on a solitary hike at La Su An I record the birds around me as I walk and keep track of all the different ones I’ve caught on my recordings. So far I’ve managed to record 25 different birds (I’d probably have many more but windy days tend to be a bit harder to get clear recordings). Here are the ones I’ve found so far:

Invitation

So whether you’re a hiker or a bird watcher like me, or a fisherman/fisherwoman like my kids, or for anyone who wants to just check out the incredible sites, I invited you to come explore! If you want to do any fishing/hunting, I first encourage you to do your research as there are limited times for these activities. But whenever you want to go for a good hike or just take in some beautiful scenery, find your way up to the Lake La Su An area and take in all that surrounds you!