Walnut Woods is the newest Columbus area Metro Park. This 1,032 acre park is located southeast of Columbus near Groveport.
We visited the Metro Park in March and again at the end of summer. The park is divided into three sections. The middle section is currently unimproved, with no trails. It has several lakes and ponds and a segment of Big Run Creek. It will eventually have a trail and areas for bird watching. The other two sections – the Tall Pines Area and the Buckeye Area have facilities and trails, with the Buckeye Area just opened in the spring of this year.
Much of the park was originally a tree farm – hence many of the trees are grouped together by type and lined up in rows. It seems a little odd, but it’s a pleasant place for a family stroll or bike ride.
The Tall Pines area has a gravel parking lot with an informational kiosk and a port-a-john. There is a figure-eight-shaped, paved multi-use trail that totals 2.6 miles. The trail named the Sweetgum Trail traverses fields and wooded areas. The entire trail is paved and marked for pedestrians and bicyclists with the exception of a short gravel segment .
Most of the trail passes through groves of deciduous trees, pines and some meadows. The multi-use paths wind through the park across relatively flat terrain with a few small hills. Inline skaters may wish to avoid the gravel segment that occurs just prior to entering the pine area on the north side of the second loop.
On the way out, we met and spoke to one of the rangers. He said that the metro parks allow "off-trail" hiking in most areas (except where explicitly prohibited with signs). There are two mown paths through the forest (see map) – where visitors might want to leave the multi-use, paved trail to see birds and other wildlife.
In spring the range said that there were numerous flowering trees, as well as wildflowers. He also said that the park looked beautiful in the fall when the leaves started changing color.
The recently opened Buckeye Area features a paved parking lot, picnic shelter, a children’s playground, a 4 acre dog park, and restrooms. It features the 2-mile Buckeye Trail (not to be confused with the ‘blue-blazed’ Buckeye Trail) which is also roughly a figure eight. It passes through meadows, forest, and even runs along Walnut Creek for a while.
Overall, Walnut Woods is a nice addition to the Metro Park system and a place where local residents can enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise. The meadows and central area (when complete) should be of interest to bird watchers.
Here are some of the wildflowers that were growing near the multi-use path in late August.
Additional information
- TrekOhio: Franklin County Parks & Nature Preserves — This is the county where Walnut Woods is located; check out this page for links to the official website and for information on nearby parks and preserves.
Location
- Tall Pines Area
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- Address: 6833 Richardson Road, Groveport, Ohio 43125
- GPS Coordinates: 39.838859, -82.870231
- Google Maps: View on map or get directions
- Buckeye Area
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- Address: 6716 Lithopolis Road, Groveport, Ohio 43125
- GPS Coordinates: 39.842616, -82.853236
- Google Maps: View on map or get directions
Thank you for the reply and pics Deb – I am “addicted” to wildflowers – I have a blast going out searching for new
unknowns . Your pictures are amazing ! Thank u so much for sharing them.
J., thanks for your kind words about our pictures! I love discovering new wildflowers, too. If you are on Facebook, there’s a really nice group there that might interest you: Ohio’s Wildflowers And Flora – Native, Alien, and Escaped.
We have connected on it already – hooked on ladies tresses of late
Now I recognize you! 🙂 I have yet to see Lady Tresses in the wild (and for those unfamiliar with them, they are a type of flower).
I am thinking it would be good for bird-watching as well as a nice bike ride.
That’s what I was thinking!
Re: flowers within a flower – what flower is that ?
Hi, J. I think that it’s a False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides). When there are hundreds of little flowers in a flower’s center, the whole blossom is called Composite flowerhead (Pseudanthium). All the flowers in the Aster family are like this, but you have to look closely at the flower center to notice them. And if the little interior flowers haven’t opened yet, you also might not notice them. Here are some other asters that have little, tiny flowers in their centers.
In the above photo of Roundleaf ragwort, most of the interior flowers are still closed, buds, so they look like little round bumps. But if you look around the photo, you’ll see that some of the interior flowers have opened. If you click on any of the above photos, you can see a larger version of them.
The tall Ironwood photo is beautiful.
Thanks!