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Pet Trails

Twelve of the 15 Metro Parks have designated pet trails, as shown below.

Domesticated dogs and cats are permitted only in the picnic areas, roadways and on designated pet trails. Pets shall be controlled at all times and on a leash not more than six-feet long. Owners must clean up after pets and dispose of waste in a sanitary manner.


Battelle Darby Creek

Wagtail Trail
  (1.6 miles, easy to moderate)
Grass surface traverses restored prairies, open grasslands, forest and wetlands.

Directions to trail entrance: From I-270, take the West Broad Street (U.S. 40) exit west. Go about 5 miles on Broad Street
and turn left on Darby Creek Drive. Continue about 5 miles on Darby Creek Drive passing the main park entrance to Alkire Road and turn right. Continue on Alkire Road about 1 mile (crossing over Big Darby Creek) to Georgesville Wrightsville Road and turn left. Pet trail parking lot is about 1.6 miles on the left, after the road zig-zags.

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Blendon Woods

Goldenrod Pet Trail  (1.2 miles, easy)
Grass surface passes through meadows.

Directions: From I-270, take State Route 161/New Albany exit east to the Little Turtle Way exit and turn right onto Old State Route 161/East Dublin-Granville Road. Entrance is 1/2 mile on the left.

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Clear Creek

Barnebey Pet Trail    (1 mile, one way, easy to moderate)
Gravel surface. Trail is actually the first mile of the Chestnut Trail, which flows over gently rolling hills to a gate where the trail enters the forest. Pets are not allowed beyond this point.

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Glacier Ridge

Ironweed Trail
  (2.8 miles, easy)
Paved surface traverses woods and fields.

Marsh Hawk Trail  (2.2 miles, easy)
Paved surface traverses grasslands and woods.

Directions: From I-270 take U.S. 33 west (near Dublin) to State Route 161/Post Road exit. Turn right onto Post Road, then left onto Hyland Croy Road. Entrance is about 3 miles north on left.

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Heritage Park

Multi-Use Trail  (3.3 miles, easy)
Paved surface traverses open fields.

Directions: From I-270 take Tuttle Road and turn left onto Wilcox Road. Turn right onto Hayden Run Road. Entrance is about 2 3/4 miles on right.

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Highbanks

Coyote Run Trail  (3.5 miles, moderate)
Grass surface, through hardwood forests and fields. Closed to pets and hiking when cross-country skiing conditions exist.

Big Meadows Path  (1 mile, moderate)
Asphalt surface, through meadows and playfields. 

Oak Coves Path  (0.4 miles, easy)
Asphalt surface, through meadows and playfields. 

Directions: From I-270 take U.S. 23 North about 3 miles. Entrance is on the left, just before Powell Road.

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Inniswood Metro Gardens

Trail is accessed from North Street, Westerville, or from the far end of the Inniswood parking lot, outside the gardens, near the maintenance area. 

Chipmunk Chatter Trail  (0.6 miles, easy)
Paved surface traverses woodland.

Directions to trail entrance (North Street): From I-270, take the 161 east exit and turn left onto Sunbury Road. Go north on Sunbury Road about 1.5 miles to North Street on the left.

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Pickerington Ponds

Blacklick Creek Greenways Trail  (6.9 miles, easy — extends westward out of the park)
Paved surface passes through woods, fields and wetlands. Connects to Portman Park.
Trail can be accessed from the Glacier Knoll Picnic Area off Bowen Road

Directions: From I-270 take U.S. 33 east toward Lancaster about 3 miles. Turn left onto Gender Road, go about 1 mile and turn right onto Wright Road. Go about 1 mile to Bowen Road and turn left. Glacier Knoll picnic and parking area is about 0.25 miles on left.

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Prairie Oaks

Note: Pet Trails are not accessible from the main park entrance off Plain City-Georgesville Road.

Sycamore Plains Trail  (1 mile, moderate)
Grass and dirt surfaces traverse grasslands and passes along Big Darby Creek.

Osage Opening Trail  (0.5 mile loop, moderate to difficult)
Grass and dirt surfaces traverse fields and woodlands.

Grassland Trail  (0.5 mile loop, easy)
Grass and dirt uneven surface, but fairly level, extends southward in a loop from the Sycamore Plains Trail.

Directions to the above trails entrance: From Route 142 (Plain City-Georgesville Road) go about 1/4 mile south of I-70 exit. Turn left on High Free Pike. Go about 1 mile to Roberts Road and turn left. Go about 1 mile on Roberts Road to Amity Road and turn left. Entrance is on left

Mound Trail  (0.3 miles, easy)
Grass and dirt uneven surface, but fairly level, encircles an Indian Mound in the Darby Bend Lakes area.

Lakeview Trail  (0.7 miles, easy)
Grass, dirt and hard-packed grit surface, fairly level with a few uneven surfaces, runs down the east side of the most southerly lake in the Darby Bend Lakes area, connecting with the Darby Creek Greenway Trail near the bridge to the west side of Big Darby Creek.

River Rock Trail  (0.6 miles, easy)
Grass and dirt surface fairly level but uneven, loops around one of the lakes in the Darby Bend Lakes area from the Darby Creek Greenway Trail.

Darby Creek Greenway Trail  (4.6  miles, easy)
Gravel surface, pets are allowed on the 1-mile stretch of the trail on the east side of Big Darby Creek, running through the Darby Bend Lakes area.

Directions to Darby Bend Lakes trails entrances: From I-270, take I-70 west to the West Jefferson / Plain City exit (exit 85), turn right onto Plain City-Georgesville Road / State Route 142. Go about 2.25 miles to Lucas Road (passing the main park entrance) and turn right. Go across Big Darby Creek and turn right at the stop sign onto Amity Road. Entrance is about 1/2 mile on right.

The Scioto Greenway Trail runs through the park, going south about 2 miles to Berliner Park, and north to  Centennial Park, where there's a connection to the Olentangy Greenway Trail, which goes north to Wilson Bridge Road, just south of I-270 in Worthington.

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Scioto Audubon

Scioto Greenway Trail 
  (2 miles, easy) The Scioto Greenway Trail runs through the park, going south about 2 miles to Berliner Park, and north to Bicentennial Park, where there's a connection to the Olentangy Greenway Trail, which goes north of I-270 to Worthington Hills Park.

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Slate Run

Covered Bridge Trail  (0.5 miles, easy)
Gravel surface through fields with a view of Buzzard’s Lake.

Lake Trail  (0.4 miles, easy)
Paved surface loops around an inlet in Buzzard's Roost Lake.

Shagbark Trail  (0.5 miles, easy)
Gravel surface loop trail through fields and forests connects to Covered Bridge Trail.


Directions: From I-270, take U.S. 33 east toward Lancaster to the Canal Winchester/State Route 674 exit. Turn right onto Gender Road/Route 674 and go about 2 miles until it dead-ends into Lithopolis Road. Turn left and go about 1/2 mile to Route 674. Turn right and go about 4 miles to the entrance on the right.

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Three Creeks

Evergreen Trail  (0.5 miles, easy)
Dirt and grass surface traverses white pine grove.

Blacklick Creek Greenways Trail  (5.8 miles roundtrip, easy)
Paved surface runs parallel to Blacklick Creek through meadows and wetlands.

Alum Creek Greenways Trail  (14.6 miles roundtrip, easy)
Paved surface runs parallel to Alum Creek, crossing a 300 ft. bridge below the confluence of the Alum, Big Walnut and Blacklick creeks.

Loop Trails
Pets can also be walked on the Heron Pond Loop Trail, the Turtle Pond Trail in the Confluence Trails area, and loops around Madison Mills and around Sycamore Fields playing areas, extending to Smith Farms.

Directions: From I-270, take U.S. 33 east to the South Hamilton Road exit. Turn right and go about 1 mile to Bixby Road and turn right. Entrance is about 1 mile on the right.

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