Established in 2003, this 26-acre property was donated to the MetroParks as a natural area with important ecological function. The term “headwaters” refers to the beginning or source of a stream or river. Cranberry Run, a tributary to Mill Creek, forms on this property and converges with Mill Creek north of Shields Road in Mill Creek Park.

It encompasses densely wooded areas, wetlands, streams, vernal pools, and floodplains critical to the health of the Cranberry Run subwatershed. Located in a residential and commercial area, this preserve provides suitable habitats for sensitive and diverse amphibian, reptile, and mammal species.