Summit Metro Parks is right in the backyard of Fairlawn and can be enjoyed year-round by families and visitors of the area.
Summit Metro Parks includes 11,500 acres that span over 14 parks and more than 125 miles of trails. The parks also include 22.4 miles of the Ohio and Erie Canal.
Nate Eppink, chief of marketing and communications for Summit Metro Parks, shares some of the best spots for Fairlawn locals to head outdoors and explore nature.
“Sand Run Metro Park is not our biggest park, but it is our busiest. It accounts for more than 2 million visitors each year,” he says. “The trails here get a lot of use too. Sand Run is a good option as is the Nature Realm, which is just around the corner.”
Eppink’s trail of choice, the Jogging Trail, at Sand Run Metro Park, 1300 Sand Run Road, is a 6-mile path in a nearly 1,000-acre park. The most common reason for a visit to this park is for fitness — it makes for a perfect spot to jog, take the dog for a walk, meet up for yoga or just exercise with a friend.
“I am partial to the jogging trail at Sand Run,” Eppink says. “Whereas the Nature Realm gets people who want to enjoy a good hike or to learn and discover nature.”
The F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, 1828 Smith Road, contains a 10,000-square-foot visitor’s center that often has new and changing exhibits, displays and programs. The park area has a host of trails to walk or hike on as well as gardens, ponds and some wetland area for families to explore.
During the warmer months, this area is busy with people taking advantage of the great outdoors. This park is also a place for people watching and it’s easily accessible from Fairlawn and the surrounding areas.
