A river runs through it

This is the place to come when you want to get away from the hubbub of metropolitan Gambier. Kenyon’s nature preserve offers beautiful gardens plus 500 acres of woodland and prairie habitats, which you can explore on eight miles of hiking trails, some offering fine hilltop views. A river does in fact run through it: the Kokosing, one of Ohio’s State Scenic Rivers, where students have been known to undertake monumentally lazy tubing expeditions. The preserve is used for biological research, but also for campfires, birdwatching, nature photography, and all-purpose communing, meandering and philosophizing. Students do volunteer work here as well, helping with the gardens and leading environmental education programs for local schoolchildren.

BFEC factoid: The "bee-fek" — the accepted pronunciation for the environmental center’s acronym — includes a farmhouse where student managers live.

Visit the BFEC website for more information about the preserve and its programs.

Accessibility Rating : 1

The BFEC is fully accessible. Accessible restrooms are located at the Educational Center and parking lots located throughout BFEC grounds allow for nearby parking regardless of destination.