**sawyer quarry nature preserve**

Sawyer Quarry is one of many limestone quarries in this part of Ohio, but as of now, one of few that is open for climbing. Located on the southside of Perrysburg, this Wood County Park offers locals in Toledo and other Northwest Ohio towns a location for intermediate/ beginner climbing. The Sawyer name comes from the original owners of the quarry business who kept the land in the family long after the mining stopped (likely during the great depression of the 1930s) to enjoy its unique potential for recreation. Climbing likely began illegally around 2008 when the land was given to the Black Swamp Conservancy and the Wood County Park District. The park opened up the walls to climbing andrappelling in 2019.
There are four walls – two for bouldering (East and West walls) and two have top rope and rappelling (North and South). The bouldering walls are approximately 10 feet tall with various types of holds. The rock is solid for a quarry and provides vertical or slab climbing on crimps, ledges, pockets and horizontal cracks. The landing zones under the bouldering walls are fairly easy to protect with crash pads as work has been done to remove rocks and add gravel to flatten the trails. The bouldering can yield fun traverses and short top outs in the V0 to V3 range. The 25 foot top rope walls are mostly for instruction, but children and beginners may get their first taste of exposure as the ground disappears underneath their feet. Bring plenty of set up rope for a long anchor as the bolts are about 15-20 feet from the edge. Expect few other climbers as the sport is essentially still getting discovered by most in this area, but that could change soon!
The Park requires a sign in/waiver at the kiosk near the parking area. Please sign in first and follow the guidelines for the park as we want to demonstrate proper stewardship over Northwest Ohio’s primary climbing area.
For more information about the park go to **https://www.wcparks.org/parks/sawyerquarry/**.
For programming, contact Craig Spicer, Program Naturalist for Wood County Park District at **cspicer@wcparks.org**.

ROUTES

Mountain Project provides the only help with previously established problems. There aren’t many routes on MP as it is still getting developed, but please feel free to add more climbs as you find, establish and send them! There are possibly 3 short TR routes on the South wall and maybe 2 can be set up for kids on the North wall.

crag steward

The OCC is happy to announce the new volunteer Crag Steward for the area effective September 10, 2022: John Healy: Jawnhealy@gmail.com Please feel free to contact him with any questions, comments or concerns about the area.

Getting There

From Route 75 near Toledo, take route 20/23 SE towards Femont. Drive a couple miles passing the Home Depot and Target until you see Lime City Road where you turn North (Left). The park will be another half mile on the right. The quarry is located on the North side of the main parking area, between the two houses that are now park offices. The quarry/Crag is a 1 minute walk behind the house at the end of the parking area.

area attractions

If you are planning a weekend visit to Northwest Ohio to climb Sawyer Quarry, bring your mountain bike as well! Your climb may only last an afternoon, but the rest of your day could be spent on some fine mountain biking trails at Oak Openings https://metroparkstoledo.com/explore-your-parks/oak-openings-preserve-metropark/, less than a half hour drive to the West. This beautiful park offers camping, fishing and hiking in addition to the mountain biking. The trail system starts at the Beach Ridge Trailhead where you’ll encounter many wooden features.

Check out downtown Perrysburg and Maumee which are just across the river from each other for some fine storefront shopping, restaurants and coffee shops. Downtown Toledo is on the rise with several breweries and a park that also offers Kayaking and paved bike trails next to the great Maumee River.