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    Chestnut Ridge Metro Park

    4.5 (24 reviews)
    Closed 6:30 am - 5:00 pm

    Chestnut Ridge Metro Park Photos

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    View near the top of Ridge Trail.
    Marissa C.

    While I am a huge fan of our metro parks, I realized I'd been paying more attention to some than to others, and I figured it was time to give Chestnut Ridge some love! It's a beautiful place, with its forest, stream, wetland, green space, and, of course, the spectacular view from the top of the ridge! It's also great for when you want a bit more of a challenge than you can find in most of our flat areas around Columbus. Now there are other trails that will keep you more in the flatlands, if you prefer, but the view is well worth a trip up Ridge Trail - there's plenty of places to pull off the trail and take a break. You can either head straight up across the boardwalk and come back down the same way, or you have two loop options: a 1.4 mile option, which uses Homesite Trail to connect with Ridge Trail, or a 2 mile option, which forms a loop using Ridge and Meadows Trails. Both are great options, depending on what you're up for doing. Homesite is named as such because it contains the foundation of an old house and its associated gardens along the way. There is signage explaining the area nearby. Back down in the flat area is a fishing lake and a wetland with an observation deck. For use, in non quarantine times, of course, there are a variety of nice amenities including shelters, a sandstone amphitheatre, restrooms, and a playground. There is a separate entrance that will connect you to the variety of mountain bike options, including two trails and a pump track. Another wonderful park in our system!

    Pond in early morning in October.
    Scott J.

    Great little park between Carroll and Canal Winchester. Well maintained and very pretty.

    Stephanie H.

    This metro park is just a short ways away from Lancaster Ohio and neighboring smaller towns such as Carroll, Baltimore, Amanda and more! This offers a nice outer loop to walk, or run that is 2 miles total. Also a small half mile runs through the middle of the outer loop which takes you to an old foundation of a home site.This walking, hiking and running course is good for people of all ages and is well maintained by the Metro Parks. Of all the Metro Parks, this is one of my favorites. If you are short on time, you can experience the woods and great outdoors and get your walk done in less than one hour most times. You can also see the Columbus Ohio Skyline from a deck viewing area at the edge of the park. Also included in this park are single track mountain bike trails.There are other walking paths even some nice paths beside small ponds. Nice, updated playgrounds offer children excitement and fun. Restrooms are visible near several different parts of the Metro Park. Several shelter areas are great for group occasions and parties.

    Fawn C.

    We choose a particularly chilly, snowy day to have our first trip to Chestnut ridge. I would say there were 2-3 inches of snow on the ground, blanketing the entire park in white. We combined two trails basically doing a 2.5 mile loop. There were some decent inclines and declines along the path for the area. Which I appreciate, because I like to feel like I'm working when I'm out on a hike. I was immediately impressed with the trail. It had seclusion, beauty, elevation changes (small but enough to notice), a tree canopy, a true sense of being at one with nature. As we made our way along the trail we enjoyed the quiet. We were surprised that we had never heard of Chestnut Ridge yet it was so spectacular. Maybe it is the Columbus Metro Parks little secret. I fell in love with it during our hike and I am certain we will be back. I bet it is gorgeous during every season. I did feel lucky that the first time we saw it was while there was snow on the ground. It made it look majestic. If you are looking to try a new park this winter. We highly suggest driving a little outside of Columbus and giving Chestnut Ridge a try. We loved our time there.

    Map!
    Sara C.

    I bookmarked this park after seeing Marissa C's review last month, and took advantage of the nice weather this weekend to check it out. The drive out to Carroll didn't take long at all. There is a kid's fishing pond, playground, and an observation deck across from the parking lot, but the main attraction is the ridge and the trails that lead up to it. Two of them loop together and the third bisects it. I took the loop clockwise, saving the view for the end. The great thing about this park is the variety that you see along the trail -- open meadows, forest, streams, hills, and a boardwalk. Although the trail loop may look easy on the map -- only two miles -- there are a few steep areas that will get your heartrate going! I thought about hiking it twice but pooped out after one loop, though I saw a number of joggers who were circling around. The views are pretty nice, and there are plenty of benches along the path if you want to stop and take a break. The view of Columbus was a little hazy and partially hidden by some of the outgrowth of trees. I'd like to come back where there is snow on the ground since Carla D's review makes it sound lovely.

    Evan K.

    This is a great park to go for some exercise or just for a nice walk to see the outdoors. There are three main trails here that all connect together. Two of them form a two-mile loop that I find great for running, though I'll say it is quite the challenge. I'm used to running here a lot though, because my high school cross country team used to run here a couple times a week. There is also a little bit of history nestled into this park as one of the trails also passes by an old homestead site. There are still many berry bushes next to the homestead that are great for a few berries if all the birds haven't gotten to them yet. The park also features a wetlands area, a playground for kids, and a couple of group sites with grills. There is a campfire site as well, but throughout all my visits at this park I've yet to see it being used. There are also some tree markers on the trails to help you learn tree varieties, and there are a few lookout locations to take in all of the nature around you. I really like this park and have been there during almost every season. The only season I've yet to experience here is winter, but I'd love to go sometime when I get the chance.

    The trail less traveled
    Martha C.

    By far one of my favorite places near my hometown, and one place I try to stop at every time I am home. Chestnut ridge is great for family hikes, bird watching, fishing and my favorite, trail running. Something about the trails here push me to get my butt into gear. I think what I love most is the views and scenery, something about it always keeps me interested and keeps me running. As for the other things to do, there are, as others have mentioned, several observation decks along the trails, a playground and a nice place to sit and have a picnic. If I had a family, I would bring them here often, as I feel there are a good many things to do. One final thing I should mention about this park is how good they are about upkeep. The park is well maintained and feels safe at all times.

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    4 years ago

    Great park - the path gives you a full workout. It's always beautiful there no matter the season.

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    Ask the Community - Chestnut Ridge Metro Park

    Review Highlights - Chestnut Ridge Metro Park

    There is a 2 mile loop with an overlook that on a clear day has a view of the Columbus skyline, pretty impressive considering it's some 25 miles from the city.

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    Sensory Trail Park - The treehouse at Sensory Trail Park

    Sensory Trail Park

    5.0(2 reviews)
    10.0 mi

    This is a very cool park! My children tend to gravitate toward parks and playgrounds where there…read moreare open-ended and tactile features available, and this park has that. There are boulders to climb, outdoor musical instruments to play, a treehouse to play pretend in (and is wheelchair accessible!), a merry-go-round, swings, a traditional playground structure with slides, and lots more. The playground area is lined with wood chips. There is also lots of space to run around, and lots of trees. Like the name of the park suggests, this is a very sensory-friendly park, and there are nature stations set up all around where you can use your senses to explore. There is also a short, paved trail that goes around the park, which is wide and smooth enough for strollers and wheelchairs. The trail goes by a creek, which is nice. As of right now, this is the only sensory-friendly park in the state of Ohio! It's definitely worth a visit.

    This is a really neat and wonderfully inclusive park. This features a short, paved path that is…read morewheelchair and walker accessible. Along the path are a variety of interactive stations that are also designed to be accessible. If you start near the entry sign, you'll find a Little Free Library, which, on our recent visit, was loaded with a lot of great kids options. Just ahead is a variety of benches and a little music garden, featuring musical instruments that can be played, and you can also interact with the Rough Bark Tactile Display to learn more about different tree barks. A little further down are the cutest animal looking instruments that can also be used. As you continue down the path, you find a swingset with a variety of swings that include both traditional and accessible options. There's a nice little shaded bench area with information about the creek, Fetter's Run, that can be seen from the location. As you proceed along, a very exciting find is the Treehouse, which is built within the forest trees as opposed to up in one, which allows a wheelchair ramp to make it accessible. This overlooks the creek and has things to explore, like neat nature art and a second floor (not accessible) with a fire pole. At the end of the path is a shelter house with picnic tables and nearby grills. Most, if not all, of the signage included Braille translations, as well. There is a large parking lot here, but I do note that this is located behind a school, so I'm not sure how that would affect parking for a visit during a school day.

    Photos
    Sensory Trail Park - Second level of tree house

    Second level of tree house

    Sensory Trail Park - Tree house from path

    Tree house from path

    Sensory Trail Park - Shelter house

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    Shelter house

    Walnut Woods Metro Park

    Walnut Woods Metro Park

    4.2(19 reviews)
    6.2 mi

    I have wanted to check this park out for a long time after seeing lots of pictures of the Tall…read morePines. So we went to BrewDog for lunch and then headed over to the park and took a walk in the Tall Pines area, and it did not disappoint! I only wish the Tall Pines were even more plentiful. (They are a good little chunk of the trail in the middle but not the entire trail is full of them but don't let that stop you!) They are beautiful and such a marvel. I could have just laid down and stared at them. The trail was flat and easy and was the perfect length for a nice afternoon walk. I'll definitely be back to stare at those tall trees some more :)

    What a fabulous park! I'm kicking myself for not visiting sooner. It's about twenty minutes from my…read moreplace and I've been seeing beautiful pictures of the tall pines here forever. I like to hike on snowy days when the sun's out and over the weekend I took advantage of the prime weather conditions and made my way out there. There's a sign out front letting you know to turn and there's a relatively small parking lot to leave your car. The start of the trails were easy to find thanks to the signage and after getting my bearings I headed out. The trail turns and weaves for a couple miles making a few loops. It was pretty simple to navigate which was awesome. And while the parking lot was full, I didn't run into too many people. I love that! I enjoyed every minute of my time out there. If you're like me and in need of a little time to disconnect from the world, come here. Of course, the entire place was extremely photogenic, the tall pines area being the most instagram worthy. I could have laid down right in the middle of it and just enjoyed the sound of the birds, the wind, and the feeling of the warm sunshine on my face. The only thing is the only area I found to sit down was on the other side of the park. It would have been nice to see a few more benches scattered about. Come here. Soak up nature. The peace and quiet. Unwind and settle your brain. You're welcome.

    Photos
    Walnut Woods Metro Park
    Walnut Woods Metro Park
    Walnut Woods Metro Park

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    Chestnut Ridge Metro Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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