Five-Star Trails: Columbus: Your Guide to the Area's Most Beautiful Hikes

by Robert Loewendick

Overview

Five-Star Trails: Columbus is the most current and comprehensive guide to hiking the area and rates hikes on the following factors: scenery, trail condition, difficulty, appropriateness for children, and solitude. Each hikes also includes detailed landmarks, flora, fauna, and local history. In this Columbus guide, an impressive collection of routes ranges north, east, south, and west from the metro center, as well as within the urban setting. This capital city is rich in metro parks, natural areas and preserves, state parks, and state forests. And this diversity of hiking terrain invites all levels of abilities and skills. Thus, this guidebook is geared not only to avid trekkers seeking more challenge than a paved neighborhood path, but also to families and senior citizens. Outdoor enthusiasts of every stripe will have reason to grab this book and, well, take a hike. Sized for easy carrying or tossing into a backpack, this handy guide will quickly become a treasured resource among Columbus locals and visitors alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897329767
Publisher:	Menasha Ridge Press
Publication date:	04/22/2013
Series:	Five-Star Trails
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	80 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Author Robert Loewendick has written Five-Star Trails: Columbus the only way he knows how to do it: as your personal guide. Because exploring the natural world is not a hobby with him, but a lifestyle, his intent with all of his writing is to excite, encourage, and escort every level of hiker on an entertaining adventure.

Robert's quest in nature is diverse, whether he is hiking miles of tame trails or wild ones; paddling calm waters or running rapids; fly-fishing a mountain stream or cruising a Great Lake for angling adventures. His dedication to promoting the wonders of the outdoors extends to his wife and two children, who frequently accompany him and enrich his observations and insights.

An active member of Outdoor Writers of Ohio and Outdoor Writers Association of America, Robert writes and photographs for myriad nationwide media. His diverse outdoor pursuits and travels continue to provide compelling stories and images that encourage others, of all ages, to "get out there," he says. Born and raised in Ohio, he still calls the Buckeye State his base camp.

Read an Excerpt

Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Scenery: 4 stars
Trail Condition: 5 stars
Children: 5 stars
Difficulty: 3 stars
Solitude: 3 stars

GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES: N39° 53.490' W83° 12.787'
DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 3.9-mile figure eight
HIKING TIME: About 3 hours
HIGHLIGHTS: Woodlands, American Indian mound, creeks
ELEVATION: 855' at trailhead to 928' at highest point
ACCESS: April–September: daily, 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m.; October–March: daily, 6:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
MAPS: At bulletin boards, tinyurl.com/battelledarby
FACILITIES: Restrooms, drinking water, picnic areas, playground, Natural Play Area
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Only on the Darby Creek Greenway Trail
COMMENTS: The Natural Play Area allows children to experience hands-on nature activities. Pets and bicycles prohibited on nature trails.
CONTACTS: 1775 Darby Creek Drive, Galloway, OH 43119; 614-891-0700; tinyurl.com/battelledarby

Overview

Battelle Darby Creek is the largest park in the Metro Park system. The Big Darby and Little Darby Creeks, both designated State and National Scenic Rivers, run through its center. The Ancient Trail travels along the Big Darby where American Indians once maintained a village. The Terrace Trail explores a forest standing 100 feet above the fertile creek bottom. The blend of prairies, woodlands, and waterways creates an oasis for wildlife—and wildlife observers. The 7,060-acre park offers lots to see and do, and a hike is a great way to get started.

Route Details

Adventures abound year-round at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. You’ll find picnic areas for free use, lodge rentals, fishing ponds, creek access, sledding, cross-country skiing, skating, canoeing and kayaking, a Natural Play Area for the kids, a public hunting area, and, of course, hiking. The park’s landscape and waterways are as diverse as the activities they support. The trails detailed here feature two types of environments—creek bottomland and deciduous forest.

The Indian Ridge Picnic Area lies in the center of the park, but it may be the park’s least-used picnic area. From the north side, near a restroom, the Terrace Trail starts into the woods. The trail is wide, topped with crushed limestone, and well graded. The winding climb up the hillside is not abrupt, but a gradual incline that still gets the blood flowing. A trailside interpretive sign provides facts about wildlife species that inhabit the area, while a nearby bench offers a good resting spot. As the hill levels out, you’ll cross the park road on which you entered.

The forest opens up with less understory and larger-trunked hardwoods as the trail curves back toward the west. This stretch of deciduous forest provides the perfect setting for practicing tree identification. Consider bringing along an Eastern forest guidebook and see just how many different species you can recognize. At 1.1 miles the trail passes a piece of modern history, which many visitors will miss unless it’s a season with no vegetation. Then it sticks out like an old truck—because that’s what it is, or what’s left of it. To the right of the trail you’ll see a rusty red object sitting in the woods. A slim path makes its way to what’s left of the 1950s Chevrolet.

The trail continues through oaks and maples and down an appealing ravine with rocks from hand-size to those measuring a few feet in diameter scattered about the seasonal creek bed. A bench and interpretive sign sit on the edge of this ravine. The sign reveals how today’s landscape was carved out during the last glacial period, which also produced the peculiar looking stones. Leave the forest briefly and cross an opening dotted with wildflowers and shrubs. Then you’ll enter a younger woodland, and at 1.5 miles reach the Ancient Trail intersection on the left.

Follow the Ancient Trail along Big Darby Creek and its creek-bottom habitat. Wildflowers and riparian plants grow under the sporadic tree canopy shading most of the creek bank. Not only is the Big Darby a scenic river to view and paddle, but also the river’s underwater environment is just as appealing. The creek, which seems as wide as a river, supports threatened and endangered fish and mussels. Both the Big Darby’s and Little Darby’s mussels have been considered by some aquatic experts as the most diverse collection in North America.

A rise in the land takes the hike to the north corner of a meadow of approximately 50 acres. Also at this point is the dead end of Harrisburg-Georgesville Road. Signage here informs visitors arriving in vehicles that parking is allowed and points out the trail directions. The trail appears to be a dirt farm road with stands of trees on both sides.

Positioned just above the creek and along the meadow’s edge, at 2.2 miles, is the Ancient Mound. A comprehensive interpretive sign inspires many to gaze across the meadow and imagine what the long-gone American Indian village would have actually looked like. Nearly 1,000 years ago, what is now a meadow of wildflowers was then a field growing the “three sisters”: maize, beans, and squash. Now follow the trail on the mowed path south, then east, then north to return to the point where the road dead-ends, and enjoy the shaded walk to the Terrace Trail.

On the Terrace Trail, 3.6 miles into the hike, an intersecting dirt footpath leads down to the creek. The pathway to the Big Darby Creek is an extension of the 8-acre Natural Play Area that spreads out through the trees and shrubs to the right. Kids and accompanying adults are encouraged to take a hands-on approach as they explore the forest and creek. About 400 feet straight ahead, the Terrace Trail is met on the left by the Indian Ridge Trail. Turn left and walk about 100 feet around the bend to find a scenic vista of the Big Darby and Little Darby confluence. An iron train trestle crosses overhead, and creekside rocks, the perfect size to sit on with feet dangling in the water, line the gravel beach between creek and trail. Two interpretive signs stand here too, revealing the history of the railroad passing by and sharing white-tailed deer facts. Turn around and return to the Terrace Trail. Hike east 0.1 mile to an opening through the brush on the right, which leads to the Indian Ridge Picnic Area and your ride.

Nearby Attractions

With more than 7,000 acres of park, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something interesting nearby. At the north end of the park, walk the Darby Creek Greenway Trail, starting at the Cedar Ridge entrance and parking area near the park office. Travel north on the wide gravel multiuse trail for about 1 mile to reach the fields that hold several bison—yes, buffalo. To the south of the park center, just south of Interstate 71, on the outskirts of Springlawn off OH 3, you’ll find a small fishing lake and a couple of miles of hiking trails circling the lake and passing through a woodlot and prairie.

Directions

From I-270 take Exit 7 and travel west on US 40 for 5.1 miles to Darby Creek Drive. Turn left and continue south 4.1 miles to the Indian Ridge entrance on the right.

Table of Contents

Overview Map
Overview Map Key
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Preface
Recommended Hikes
Introduction

Central
1. Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
2. Blacklick Woods Metro Park
3. Blendon Woods Metro Park
4. Gahanna Woods: City Park and State Nature Preserve
5. Glacier Ridge Metro Park
6. Highbanks Metro Park
7. Pickerington Ponds Metro Park
8. Prairie Oaks Metro Park
9. Sharon Woods Metro Park
10. Three Creeks Metro Park

North
11. Hogback Ridge Preserve
12. Malabar Farm State Park
13. Mohican State Park

East
14. Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve
15. Dawes Arboretum
16. Denison UniversityBiological Reserve
17. Flint Ridge State Memorial
18. Hebron Fish Hatchery
19. Infirmary Mound Park

South
20. A.W. Marion State Park
21. Alley Park
22. Chestnut Ridge Metro Park
23. Clear Creek Metro Park
24. Conkle’s Hollow State Nature Preserve
25. Hocking Hills State Park: Old Man’s Cave
26. Rockbridge State Nature Preserve
27. Shallenberger State Nature Preserve
28. Slate Run Metro Park
29. Stage’s Pond State Nature Preserve

West
30. Glen Helen Nature Preserve
31. John Bryan State Park/Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve

Appendixes
Appendix A: Outdoor Retailers
Appendix B: Places to Buy Maps
Appendix C: Hiking Clubs
Index
About the Author
Map Legend