Culture: For Every Season

FOR EVERY SEASON

Turn to a Metro Park during any one of Ohio’s four distinctive seasons; find a full listing of Metro Parks and their activities at metroparks.net.

Whether it’s 100 degrees or -1, there’s something to do at Franklin County Metro Parks. Activities like fishing, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, geocaching, sledding and more offer options for all ages. And let’s not forget: Baby bison are waiting to be discovered!

Spring

Salamanders and wood frogs are just as excited for spring as we are. These amphibians prep their summer bods during the spring in vernal pools. Wood frogs, for example, nearly freeze solid in the winter. Watch them thaw while the salamanders squiggle to life during a tour of vernal pools at Glacier Ridge in Plain City or Highbanks in Lewis Center.

After you’ve scoped out new life, honor the old at burial mounds associated with the Adena and Hopewell Native American cultures at Highbanks. There’s also one at Blacklick Woods in Reynoldsburg; its Blacklick Circle was discovered in 2017.

As the weather warms up, while away an afternoon watching the flowers grow at Inniswood. This 123-acre garden tucked into a Westerville nature preserve features blooms from more than 2,000 species of plants—like roses, herbs and conifer trees—that come alive in the spring.

Summer

Battelle Darby Creek in Galloway is home to 11 female and one male bison. The lucky fella was introduced to the herd late in August 2017, and, thanks to the birds and the bees and one very strong stork, the park saw the arrival of its first baby bison in late spring 2018.

Battelle Darby Creek also is one of eight Metro Parks waterways that offer canoe and kayak access points. Bring your boat of choice—and a fishing rod or two—and hit the water there or at Highbanks, Scioto Audubon in downtown Columbus, Prairie Oaks in West Jefferson, Walnut Woods or Three Creeks in Groveport, Scioto Grove in Grove City or newcomer Quarry Trails in Columbus, near Grandview, which opened in late 2021. Fishing from the shoreline is also permitted at Slate Run in Canal Winchester, Clear Creek in Lancaster, Homestead in Hilliard and Sharon Woods in Westerville. Two parks offer mountain biking: Chestnut Ridge in Carroll and Quarry Trails. At Chestnut Ridge, expert riders will enjoy the More Cowbell trail, while newbies should try Dirt School. At Quarry Trails, single-track mountain bike trails, under construction as of press time, meander over the northwest corner of the park.

Guided night hikes throughout the summer abound at multiple parks, but only two of them offer overnight camping: Scioto Grove and Battelle Darby Creek. Camping along their backpacking trails is free, but reservations are required.

Fall

In total, Metro Parks offers 20 natural-area parks throughout Central Ohio; that’s more than 28,400 acres of land with 230-plus miles of trails. Those trails are where you want to be in the fall as the foliage changes and the wildlife comes out to play or, more likely, get a move on.

At Prairie Oaks, watch migrating waterfowl from a bridge that connects the Darby Bend Lakes, or spot the majesty of a buck deer along Darby Creek Greenway Trail. Watch a sunset at Pickerington Ponds in Canal Winchester. Walk among the sublime goldenrods of Walnut Woods. Whatever you do, don’t forget your camera to capture it all.

At Slate Run, the family can visit a historic farm, then see a trail of Ohio’s favorite trees (hickory, sugar maple and more) put on their finest fall show. Looking for a scenic drive? Head to Blendon Woods in northeast Columbus for its annual Fall Driving Tour beginning in October. You can also say goodbye to migrating birds surrounded by a landscape of leaves, wetlands, the downtown Columbus skyline and a free rock-climbing wall at Scioto Audubon.

Want to bring Fluffy or Fido along? Leashed cats and dogs are permitted in certain areas and on designated trails at all 20 Metro Parks. (Service animals are welcome in all areas, of course.) For pups, there are also fenced dog parks at Glacier Ridge, Heritage Trail in Hilliard, Prairie Oaks, Rocky Fork in Westerville, Scioto Audubon, Three Creeks and Walnut Woods; Battelle Darby Creek and Prairie Oaks both have dog-friendly swim areas.

“MY FAVORITE ASPECT [OF LIVING HERE] IS HAVING ALL THE BICYCLE TRAILS AND PARKS TO USE. I LIVE JUST OUTSIDE 270, SO IT’S STILL COLUMBUS, AND I CAN BIKE THROUGH THE WHOLE CITY ON BIKE TRAILS.”

JACCI DELANEY

Jacci Delaney Glass | Artist, Director and Owner | Moved here in 2011 from Peoria, Illinois

Greenway Trails

There’s no shortage of multi-use trails in Central Ohio. For more information, visit centralohiogreenways.com.

Alum Creek: 24.4 miles, paved, from Westerville to Three Creeks

Big Walnut Trail: 7.6 miles, paved, from Hoover Reservoir to Inniswood Metro Gardens, with additional segments in Gahanna and southeast Columbus

Blacklick Creek: 15.8 miles, paved, from Blacklick Woods to Three Creeks

Camp Chase: 33.9 miles, paved, from Madison County into central Columbus; part of the Ohio to Erie Trail

Image Credit: Adam Cairns

Darby Creek: 8.5 miles, gravel, from Prairie Oaks to Battelle Darby Creek

Downtown Connector: 4.9 miles, paved, along I-670 from Fort Hayes to Alum Creek Trail

Heritage: 6.4 miles, paved, from Old Hilliard to Plain City

Ohio to Erie: 330 miles (about 50 miles in Central Ohio), paved, from the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland

Olentangy: 14.8 miles, paved, from Worthington to downtown Columbus

Scioto: 10.2 miles, paved, along the Scioto River from Grandview to the Brewery District

T.J. Evans: 14.2 miles, paved, from Newark to Johnstown

Winter

Winter may seem like time to hibernate at home, but when it snows, the parks are just getting warmed up.

You can cross-country ski or snowshoe at any park except Inniswood, round the icy pond rinks at Battelle Darby Creek or Blendon Woods, or coast the sledding hills at many of the Region’s options.

Many parks participate in a Winter Hike series, like the one at Three Creeks, featuring 1-, 3- or 5.6mile hikes along the frozen creekside. It’s a brisk walk followed, of course, by hot food and drink.

The parks also offer plenty of chances for indoor activities. The Blacklick Woods, Blendon Woods, Battelle Darby Creek, Highbanks and Scioto Audubon nature centers, for example, host kids’ programming, where the little ones can learn about animals that thrive on snow days. And at Scioto Grove, bring the whole family to celebrate Groundhog Day.

Whether he sees his shadow or not, it doesn’t matter at the Metro Parks. Every season’s a stunner.

“HAVING SPENT OUR ENTIRE LIVES IN THE SOUTH–FLORIDA, VIRGINIA, TEXAS–MY WIFE AND I WERE NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT [IN OHIO]. THE CHANGE OF SEASONS HAS BEEN REMARKABLE.”

TOM SCHMID

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | President and CEO | Moved here in 2021 from Corpus Christi, Texas