Chestnut Ridge Metro Park

I liked Chestnut Ridge. It was nice for a morning hike. 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. Also interesting about this park is that it is situated on what is the first ridge of the Appalachian foothills.

This morning it was pretty humid but on a cooler day it would be great. The view of the skyline wasn't visible because it was so hazy. No pets allowed on the trails which is a minus but I understand the reasoning. It's not too far from the city.

So we went to Chestnut Ridge Park in Carroll this weekend to take Apollo for a nice nature walk. The park is fairly close to us, and absolutely gorgeous.

However, we couldn't be more disappointed.

They have several long trails through the woods where you've got these gorgeous ridge climbs. Problem is, they don't allow dogs on any of them.

They have one small trail called Milkweed, that is dog-friendly. But it was barely half a mile, and a large part of that was just on mowed grass.

Once we got into the woods, we loved it, but it was basically over as soon as it began.

That isn't nearly enough for a dog or a person to have a nice walk. It's insulting when they have several miles of gorgeous trails they could open up for people like us.

I understand some people don't like dogs, and they try to have a place for them to hike.

But why reserve multiple trails for these people? They're surely in the minority. Most people like or at least are tolerant of dogs. Yes this park seems to cater to them, when I'm certain most people in or near Carroll have dogs.

I wish there was a petition or something we could do to get them to open up a serious trail that's dog friendly. One non-dog trail is enough. Open the rest for those of us who love nature and our pets.

Shame on Chestnut Ridge for this bias against dog owners.

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

No services except restrooms. Not bad not great. Close to the house. Kids run cross country practices there. Two ponds to fish on, catch and release I think. One pavilion and medium sized playground. Dawn to dusk hours.

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!

This is my hidden gem for picnics and the trails. Plenty of space to social distance during this season.

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

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

Good spot for a nice hike through nature. A little steeper at parts which was a nice change from most Columbus area trails. We did one of the 2 mile loop trails. Heavily forested most of the way. The only problem was the signage was poor so we weren't sure what trail we were on or how to get to where we wanted to go. The map claimed there was a view of the Columbus skyline but we never came across it.

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.

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.