Oak Openings Preserve
Located between Whitehouse and Swanton, Oak Openings Preserve takes its name from the surrounding region, which is 23 times larger than the park itself. Still, at 5,000 acres, Oak Openings Preserve is the largest of the Metroparks -- by far.
The natural habitats in the park range from oak savanna to wetlands to vegetated sand. The Nature Conservancy once named the sandy region one of the 200 “Last Great Places on Earth.”
Prickly-pear cactus, wild lupine and sand cherry bloom atop dry, hot dunes just yards away from orchids thriving in low, wet swales.