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.

Rising Park is definitely one of my favorite parks in the central Ohio vicinity, and I have really…read morebeen to them all. I love driving past it, even when I am not stopping for a hike. I can't help but look up when stopped at the traffic signal below to see if any hikers have 'made the summit' up to the cliff. There are multiple routes up the hill that is Rising Park, just pick your potion and bring your hiking shoes. You can choose between varying degrees of difficulty depending on the route you take, so it's suitable for any crowd, yet still pretty fun for the climb-y types because they can parkour their silly selves up the bigger boulders. It makes for a pretty approachable trip for most people. There are several ponds in a rolling valley on the North side of the hill with picnic tables and pavilions for grillin' and chillin. Parking is a-plenty. The park closes in the evening, but a sunset hike can lead perfectly into one of the many Summer festivals in Lancaster. The city of Lancaster itself is pretty lacking in cultural diversity, but it does have a cool art scene in the downtown area that draws creative energy from Columbus as well as lots of nearby rural/rural-ish towns.

It's a nice park - Lots of different things to do. There is an inclined hike to a lookout or you…read morecould walk around the pond in the grounds that are flatter. Probably 6 to 10 tennis courts, along with spots to fish, andin and a nice playground

Get out and go hiking. Only 1 trail dog friendly I do believe. Definitely some nice inclines and…read morerangers driving around. Happy hiking!!!

Of all the Metro Parks I've visited, Clear Creek is my favorite. Rugged with a feeling of being as…read moreclose to real wilderness that a Metro Park can currently offer.

This place definitely is very nice to stop by on any kind of day. Decent space amongst others as…read morewell bc u can go for a hike up the trails which has a short and long trail. Me and my fiancé went here and is marked out anniversary place! We loved the bridge and the lake! My friends even got married here a time or 2. Pumpkin hike in the fall and picnic tables are nice to even just hang around the front shelter house.

On a recent trip to visit Lancaster, OH we stopped here to see one of the many covered bridges in…read morethe area. Absolutely gorgeous little park. The leaves were at peak color for autumn, the air was brisk and the water on the lake was crystal clear. On-site is an historic little cabin but locked up for the colder seasons. They have a gorgeous event space as well. Plenty of parking and just as many photo ops. Perfect Fall day getaway.

A hidden and unique gem. This little park features a preserved mill with a large water wheel, a…read morecovered bridge, and a dramatic cliff and waterfall. We were incredibly lucky to run across some of the volunteer caretakers who allowed us to access the area below the mill where the waterfall creates a hollow in the rocks with a shallow sandbar and dramatic views of the bridge and mill. We had the place literally to ourselves while they did some maintenance up in the park. The spot is very similar to views at Hocking hills.... similar geology here. We got quite a few pictures on film here... and not a single other soul in sight! The park by the mill has tables and seating... it would be a very nice place for a picnic! The covered bridge is unusual in that it's white, and from the view below presents a dramatic profile atop the cliff.

Great little grist mill in great shape. It's in a beautiful little gorge just down the toad from…read morethe Rock Mill Brewery.

While I am a huge fan of our metro parks, I realized I'd been paying more attention to some than to…read moreothers, 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!

My dog and I started this years Winter Hike series here. We had a great time walking the pet trail…read moreand the park roads. We easily found a ranger to stamp my winter hike series log card. Mission accomplished!

Great playground! Swings, slides, climbing galore. Porta potty nearby and cover shelter. Parking…read morelot is decent size but not super close.

This is a new park attached to Westchester Golf Course (apparently; however, I haven't seen any…read moreholes...), just off a few new housing developments. I especially love all the shaded areas that are provided; even the jungle gym is cover with a nice canvas awning. I'm sure this is a happening place in the evenings, when parents get home from work and are able to walk over with their kids and let them exert some energy. I good addition to Canal Winchester!

The main feature of this park is the wonderful large playground! There are so many activities for…read morethe kids. Signage indicates it is geared towards 5-12 year olds, and it features a variety of swings, slides, climbing structures, a rocking ship, a spinning merry-go-round type toy with seats, interactive musical pieces, and more. The area around the playground is nicely designed for the supervising adults - there are a number of benches and picnic tables, many of them nicely shaded by canopies or umbrellas. While there is a good paved parking lot available, this park is also accessible via the bike trail. Restrooms on timers set to be open from sunrise to sunset are available onsite as well.

Read some of the reviews people complaining about no fishing and employees doing there job notice…read moreit is a nature PRESERVE a lot of history staff inside the building was very kind and informative to me, I'm from out of town just exploring on my day off work trails are well marked and in my opinion fairly easy really cool place

This is a beautiful little preserve located near Hocking Hills. When you first park and head in,…read more you are greeted by the picturesque Lake Odonata. There is a trail that takes you near the lake and the Beaver Pond to the right when you are facing the park, with a short floating boardwalk through the wetland area to your left. The longer trails are the Casa Burro Trail (1 mile) and Shelter Trail (0.5 mile) and can be accessed by heading up the path past the historic buildings that now serve as the nature center and classroom spaces. The Casa Burro Trail overlaps a bit with the Shelter Trail before veering uphill through the forest and giving a good view of the sandstone cliffs. The Shelter Trail is a bit flatter and provides a nice journey through the woods. Most of the loops bring you back to the Nature Center, which has reopened though they are limiting the number of people inside at one time. Also near the Nature Center is a raptor area, where two birds, a Barred Owl and a Red-Shouldered Hawk, who are unable to be released into the wild, are residing. The naturalists are terrifically friendly here and can often be found near the information kiosk and nature center. They were offering some very cute kids activities and materials on our most recent visit - there is a dragon footprint scavenger hunt through the woods, and they gave out little prizes for completing it. A great place to visit!

Boch Hollow is a hidden gem of the Hocking Hills. With a variety of trails that can be strung…read moretogether for endless hiking and nature experiences! The Buckeye Trail is the backbone of this beautiful hollow traversing through dreamy meadows, peaceful forest, quaint ponds, and a unique, albeit small, waterfall (Robinson Falls). I truly enjoyed my hike through Boch Hollow. The trails are well-maintained and clearly marked, but aren't overly crowded or bustling with people. I came across a handful of other hikers during my 7-mile jaunt of Boch Hollow's trails. With multiple parking areas and trail heads access the trails are easy. Although no bathrooms or access to potable water at the trailhead or on the trail. Pets are not permitted. I parked at the North trailhead and hiked in until I hit the Buckeye Trail v. Pond Trail fork. I took Pond Trail up and around and back onto Buckeye Trail which I stayed on until the Buckeye Trail v. Meadow Trail fork. I stayed left/straight on Meadow Trail which brings you back to Buckeye Trail until hitting Cemetery Trail. I took Cemetery Trail (which I highly recommend) through an idyllic meadow with wildflowers 4 ft tall. Then back into the woods hitting Buckeye trail again which I followed all the way out to the East Trailhead Parking area. Then I hiked all the way back staying only on the Buckeye Trail (blue blazes) until hitting the Ridge Trail which is a 0.2 mile short cut through a portion of Buckeye trail I already hiked. Then stayed on the Buckeye Trail until I ended up back where I began at the Pond Trail fork. This route is about 7 miles in total and includes pretty much every trail except one (the Buckeye trail portion (0.9 mile one way) that leads to the West Trailhead which was marked as closed). If you want more details or a map to follow I recorded my hike on AllTrails with pictures and locations. If you want to see Robinson Falls (also known as Corkscrew Falls) a permit is required although the permit is FREE OF CHARGE. The permit comes with a parking pass and directions on where to park and how to access the trail. The trail to Robinson Falls is very very short and easy. There is only one location to view the falls from and they are quite small but still a great place to visit and enjoy! As always be careful out there, have fun and take care of Mother Earth!

Pretty much my favorite hike in the area, never crowded and full of up's and down's over the course…read moreof up to 12 miles or so!! You can bite off as little or as much as you want to do. No bathrooms at the trailheads or in the preserve so prepare accordingly although I have not been to one of the trailheads....