Most folks stop at the giant eagle’s nest at Hueston Woods State Park, snap a photo and move on. My son Cam and I decided it looked like the perfect place for lunch. We grabbed a veggie pizza from the lodge at Hueston Woods, I brought along a cold Take A Hike, and the two of us climbed into a nest built for a bald eagle. Cam handled the pizza duties with his usual enthusiasm while I enjoyed a beer brewed to support Ohio’s state parks. We filmed the whole thing for YouTube, and it might be the most fun we’ve ever had eating lunch.
This is what a Cam and Dad Adventure is all about. We live just down the road in Oxford, so Hueston Woods is our backyard playground. Cam has been my wingman at breweries, distilleries and parks for more than 10 years, and he’s never met an adventure he didn’t like, especially one that comes with pizza. Sitting in that nest, with Cam grinning and a slice in his hand, I couldn’t think of a better seat in Ohio.
The Giant Eagle’s Nest at the Hueston Woods Nature Center
The nest sits at the Hueston Woods Nature Center, and it was built to answer one of the most common questions park staff hear: just how big is a bald eagle’s nest? The answer is big. The replica measures about six feet wide and three feet tall, which is the typical size of a real nest in the wild. It was built by the Cincinnati Museum Center and donated by the Hueston Woods Visitors Bureau, with input from the park’s naturalist so it would look as real as possible. My friend Perry Gordon, a ranger at Hueston Woods, has posed in it too, and he fits right in. No eagle is going to move in, though. The nest is strictly a photo stop, and a darn good one.
The real stars are right next door. Bald eagles have nested at Hueston Woods for years, and the Nature Center is home to non-releasable bald eagles, including Branch, a male whose eye was permanently damaged. He was rehabilitated by Raptor Inc. near Cincinnati and now lives at the park, where visitors can see him daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Seeing a live bald eagle a few steps from where you just ate lunch in its oversized nest is a pretty memorable combination.
About Hueston Woods State Park
Hueston Woods State Park covers nearly 3,000 acres in Butler and Preble counties, about five miles north of Oxford, Ohio. At its heart is 625-acre Acton Lake, created in 1956 when a 1,200-foot earthen dam was built across Four Mile Creek. The lake is named for state legislator Cloyd Acton, who pushed Ohio to buy the old Hueston family land, and the park was dedicated in 1957. The real treasure is the roughly 200-acre old-growth beech-maple forest, which the Hueston family protected for generations and which is now a National Natural Landmark. Walk those trails and you’re among trees that were standing long before Ohio was a state.
There’s plenty to do once you’ve climbed out of the nest. Acton Lake is a no-wake lake, perfect for kayaks, canoes and pontoon boats, and anglers chase largemouth bass, crappie, saugeye and bluegill. The park also has an 18-hole golf course, a swimming beach, a marina, a large campground, cabins, hiking and mountain bike trails, and the Hueston Woods Covered Bridge. The lodge, which opened July 8, 1967, sits on a bluff overlooking Acton Lake with 92 rooms and a restaurant, the Smokehouse. Best of all, Ohio doesn’t charge an entrance fee at its state parks, so the eagle’s nest photo is free. The pizza is extra.
The Beer: Take A Hike from Nocterra Brewing
The beer in my hand was Take A Hike, a 6.5% ABV, 55 IBU American IPA from Nocterra Brewing Co. in Powell, Ohio. It’s brewed in partnership with Great Ohio Lodges and the Ohio State Parks Foundation, which makes it the official unofficial beer of a day at an Ohio state park. Expect a floral, piney hop aroma and a clean finish that pairs nicely with a slice of veggie pizza and a lake view.
The name is more than a pun. Nocterra’s Take A Hike program has raised money for local nonprofits since 2021, and the IPA supports the Ohio State Parks Foundation. You can find it at Great Ohio Lodges like the one at Hueston Woods, so every pint helps take care of the parks we love. As someone who has spent more than 35 years in the craft beer business, I can tell you that’s a beer worth raising, even from inside an eagle’s nest.
Plan Your Own Eagle’s Nest Picnic
If you’re anywhere near southwest Ohio, put Hueston Woods on your list. Pick up a pizza at the lodge, grab a Take A Hike, say hello to Branch at the Nature Center, and climb into the nest for a photo you’ll want to frame. Then walk the old-growth forest or paddle Acton Lake to work off that second slice. Cam and I will be back. Maybe next time we’ll bring dessert.
Address: 6301 Park Office Road, College Corner, OH 45003
Website: https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/hueston-woods-state-park
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq41WNCHG3c
