Nature and Outdoor Recreation
The theme I chose from the Columbus To Do List was nature and outdoor recreation. Initially, this was one of the categories that really stood out to me. As a boy scout who grew up in a household of hikes, picnics, and other outings, I decided that it’d be cool to find out what parks and trails Columbus has to offer. It’s also nice to find smaller interesting things in Columbus on my way to the parks.
The Olentangy Trail
The Olentangy trail is an essential trail that links Downtown Columbus to the Ohio State campus. Not only that, it runs a length of over 13 miles from the Northbank Park just west of downtown, to the Olentangy Park near the intersection of I-270 and SR-315. In addition, it connects to other trails such as the Lower Scioto Greenway trail.
The trail, running along the Olentangy river, makes it easy for one with a bike, such as myself, to hop on through campus and get downtown in under 20 minutes. It’s safer and faster than road riding and it’s a good way to get exercise. I’ve personally traveled the entire length of it on separate occasions and find it very enjoyable. The only parts I dislike would be travelling next to the 315 the majority of the time and some parts on the Upper Olentangy trail that are only connected via neighborhood roads, which are a little tricky to navigate. I have and plan to use this trail many times in the future.
The Scioto Auduban Metro Park
Among the many parks connected to the Olentangy trail is the Scioto Auduban Metro Park. This park was a neat place to ride around and explore. One of the things that stood out to me was the big red (or rusty) water tower in the center. It looks really neat and I find it really fits in with it’s surrounding tall grass. If I recall correctly, this park has a –maybe 25 foot– climbing wall in the form of two rocky arches. I didn’t really look into the cost of climbing it, but it might be cool to check out when I have time on a weekend. It also is sandwiched between the Scioto river and a railroad track. On one of my explorations I jumped the track, and thought it would be cool to walk down in the future. (yeah, it might be a little dangerous).
These are the first two in a five part series on the Columbus To-do list, and I look forward to completing the last three.