There are so many beautiful Central Ohio parks! As residents of Central Ohio, we are so fortunate to have a number of gorgeous State Parks, Regional / Metro Parks and Local Parks right in our back yard! Living in Central Ohio has its perks (“park perks”… I like it ;-))!
That being said, this is an attempt to introduce some of the parks near us that are well worth a visit. Putting this information together is a fun challenge. Even though I’ve lived in Columbus or one of its many suburbs for most of my life, there are quite a few parks that I haven’t visited before.
Join us in exploring the parks and places near you as well! Adventure awaits, and is probably closer to home than you may realize.
Our Central Ohio Parks Challenge – 100 Parks to Explore
Below is a list of 100 parks that we will visit in our challenge. While not a comprehensive list of parks in the area, it will give us a lot of places to explore.
How We Count a Visit
In order to count as a visit, we each of the parks that we visit, we will do something meaningful. For us, this typically means biking, hiking, fishing, picnicking or animal-watching. If you join us, whatever is meaningful to you can count as a visit.
There are many different types of parks and experiences that you can have. This list is just a guide to challenge you to find and explore a few!
Our Parks Challenge List
We created the following list which is composed primarily of parks around Central Ohio. All of the places on the list are within a ~60 minute drive of the city. There was no real science involved in creating the list. We primarily assembled parks that piqued our interest.
This list includes the following:
- All of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks (not including golf courses or trails)
- Ohio State Parks that are up to about an hour drive from Central Ohio (not an exact cut off, but you get the jist :-))
- A selection of local parks of interest (This is where the “not a real science” came into play – we just explored several parks pages to find what we thought we might like to check out. We were intentional about getting a geographic mix though.)
- A selection of Ohio Historical Connection Sites (Natural places, mounds and nature preserves are the main items that we included)
- National Park Sites near Central Ohio
Feel free to filter and play around with this list. It includes a total of 100 parks that are a part of our Central Ohio Parks Challenge. For the sake of our challenge, we are only counting parks that Jason and I have visited together!
Also, there is no time frame for completing the challenge. The point is to make purposeful visits to places to explore around the areas where we live! Happy Exploring!
Park | Category | Location | Official Website | Visited |
---|---|---|---|---|
A.W. Marion | State Park | Circleville | Ohio State Parks | |
Academy Park | Local Park | Gahanna | Gahanna Parks | |
Adena Mansion and Gardens | Ohio Historical Connection | Chillicothe | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | |
Alum Creek | State Park | Delaware | Ohio State Parks | Yes |
Amberleigh | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Antrim Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | Yes |
Battelle Darby Creek | Metro Park | Galloway | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Battelle Riverfront Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Bellantrae Park | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Bevelhymer Park | Local Park | New Albany | New Albany Parks | |
Bicentennial Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Blacklick Woods | Metro Park | Reynoldsburg | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Blendon Woods | Metro Park | Westerville | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Bridge Park | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Bryn Mawr | Local Park | Gahanna | Gahanna Parks | |
Buck Creek | State Park | Springfield | Ohio State Parks | |
Buckeye Lake | State Park | Millersport | Ohio State Parks | Yes |
Cedar Bog Nature Preserve | Ohio Historical Connection | Urbana | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | |
Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument | National Park Unit | Xenia | NPS Site | Yes |
Chestnut Ridge | Metro Park | Carroll | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Civic Park | Local Park | Reynoldsburg | Reynoldsburg Parks | Yes |
Clear Creek | Metro Park | Rockbridge | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Clinton-Como Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Coffman Park | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Colony Park | Local Park | Pickerington | Pickerington Parks and Recreation | |
Columbus Commons | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Creekside Park | Local Park | Gahanna | Gahanna Parks | |
Deer Creek | State Park | Mt. Sterling | Ohio State Parks | Yes |
Delaware | State Park | Delaware | Ohio State Parks | Yes |
Earlington Park | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Fanchion Lewis Park | Local Park | Granville | Granville Parks | |
Field of Corn | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve | Ohio Historical Connection | Glenford | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | |
Franklin Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Fred Beekman Park | Other | Columbus | Ohio State University Parks | |
Gahanna Woods | Local Park | Gahanna | Gahanna Parks | Yes |
Genoa Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Glacier Ridge | Metro Park | Plain City | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Glen Echo | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Goodale Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Grandview Heights Memorial Park | Local Park | Grandview | Grandview Parks | |
Great Seal | State Park | Chillicothe | Ohio State Parks | |
Hannah Park | Local Park | Gahanna | Gahanna Parks | |
Hayden Falls Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Heritage Park | Local Park | Westerville | Westerville Parks | |
Highbanks | Metro Park | Lewis Center | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Highlands Park | Local Park | Westerville | Westerville Parks | |
Hilliard's Station Park | Local Park | Hilliard | Hilliard Parks | |
Hocking Hills | State Park | Logan | Ohio State Parks | Yes |
Hoff Woods Park | Local Park | Westerville | Westerville Parks | |
Homestead | Metro Park | Hilliard | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Hoover Reservoir Park | Local Park | Westerville | Columbus Parks | |
Hopewell Culture National Historic Site | National Park Unit | Chillicothe | NPS SiteNPS Site | Yes |
Huber Park | Local Park | Reynoldsburg | Reynoldsburg Parks | Yes |
Inniswood Metro Gardens | Metro Park | Westerville | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Jeffrey Park | Local Park | Bexley | Bexley Parks | |
John Bryan | State Park | Yellow Springs | Ohio State Parks | |
John F Kennedy Park | Local Park | Reynoldsburg | Reynoldsburg Parks | |
Kiser Lake | State Park | St. Paris | Ohio State Parks | |
Lake Logan | State Park | Logan | Ohio State Parks | |
Livingston House Park | Local Park | Reynoldsburg | Reynoldsburg Parks | |
Madison Lake | State Park | London | Ohio State Parks | |
McCord Park | Local Park | Worthington | Worthington Parks | |
Mt. Gilead | State Park | Mt. Gilead | Ohio State Parks | |
Newark Earthworks | Ohio Historical Connection | Hebron | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | Yes |
Northam Park | Local Park | Upper Arlington | Upper Arlington Parks | |
Olentangy River Parklands | Local Park | Worthington | Worthington Parks | |
Opera House Park | Local Park | Granville | Granville Parks | |
Park Boulevard Park | Local Park | Worthington | Worthington Parks | |
Park of Roses | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | Yes |
Pickerington Ponds | Metro Park | Canal Winchester | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Pine Quarry Park | Local Park | Reynoldsburg | Reynoldsburg Parks | |
Prairie Oaks | Metro Park | West Jefferson | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Rocky Fork | Metro Park | Westerville | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Schiller Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Scioto Audobon | Metro Park | Columbus | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Scioto Grove | Metro Park | Grove City | Columbus Metro Parks | |
Scioto Park | Local Park | Dublin | Dublin Parks | |
Scioto Trail | State Park | Chillicothe | Ohio State Parks | |
Sharon Woods | Metro Park | Westerville | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Shrum Mound | Ohio Historical Connection | Columbus | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | |
Slate Run | Metro Park | Canal Winchester | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Smith Nature Park | Local Park | Upper Arlington | Upper Arlington Parks | |
Spring Valley Park | Local Park | Granville | Granville Parks | |
Story Mound | Ohio Historical Connection | Chillicothe | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | |
Sugarloaf Park | Local Park | Granville | Granville Parks | |
Sycamore Creek Park | Local Park | Pickerington | Pickerington Parks and Recreation | |
Tar Hollow | State Park | Laurelville | Ohio State Parks | |
The Promenade (Scioto Mile) | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Three Creeks | Metro Park | Groveport | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Topiary Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | |
Towers Park | Local Park | Westerville | Westerville Parks | |
Tremont Fountain Park | Local Park | Upper Arlington | Upper Arlington Parks | |
Victory Park | Local Park | Pickerington | Pickerington Parks and Recreation | |
Wahkeena Nature Preserve | Ohio Historical Connection | Sugar Grove | Ohio History ConnectionOhio History Connection | Yes |
Walnut Woods | Metro Park | Groveport | Columbus Metro Parks | Yes |
Whetstone Park | Local Park | Columbus | Columbus Parks | Yes |
Wildwood Park | Local Park | Granville | Granville Parks | |
Willow Pond Park | Local Park | Pickerington | Pickerington Parks and Recreation | |
Worthington Hills Park | Local Park | Worthington | Columbus Parks |