Fall foliage is just starting to turn beautiful colors and what better place to enjoy it than one of the seventeen beautiful metro parks that surround Columbus. We took advantage of the beautiful weather last weekend and drove to Clear Creek Metro Park. A short drive east on Route 33 toward Lancaster, Clear Creek Metro Park encompasses 5,380 acres and includes a nature preserve.
There are nine hiking trails throughout Clear Creek that range from easy to moderate to difficult. After eating a picnic lunch at the Fern Picnic Area, where there are several picnic tables and a charcoal grill, we were ready to hike. We chose Fern Trail.
Fern Trail is 2.1 miles and rated moderate to difficult. There are a couple of small wooden plank bridges to cross and then you get to hiking. The trail is well marked, but steep, climbing steadily for about a mile through a hardwood forest. When we visited, there were plenty of acorns falling out of the very high trees.
There appears to be quite a few trees uprooted, probably from the wind storms over the summer, but they do not impact the trail. The inside of the forest was cool and damp at about one in the afternoon. Once you are out of the forest, the trail is cut along the side of a grassy hill (where it meets with Cemetery Ridge Trail), and then you continue back into the forest, along a ravine. Once you climb back to the top of the hill, there’s a bench where you can rest and gaze into the ravine. A gentle breeze was blowing leaves from the trees; as they fell through the sky and were hit with sunlight, they created a shower of sparkling golden leaves through the ravine. Magical.
This area will only get more beautiful as the trees continue to change color and I recommend you visit!
Clear Creek Metro Park is open daily from 6:30am to dark. It’s located at 185 Clear Creek Road, Rockbridge, OH 43149.
If you’d like a more structured hike through the park, visit during one of the Commit to Be Fit Hikes. Which Metro Park is your favorite?