In mid-August we visited Holden Arboretum to see two new attractions – the Murch Canopy Walk and the Kalberer Emergent Tower. Located in Lake County, Holden Arboretum is the largest publicly-accessible arboretum in the state of Ohio. With 3,600 acres of gardens and forest and over twenty miles of trails there is much to see and do. This article discusses the new canopy walk and the emergent tower. For more information on Holden Arboretum, please see the posts about our earlier visits.
Murch Canopy Walk
The Murch Canopy Walk takes the visitor high into the tree-top canopy. You walk in a 500-foot loop between tree-top towers via wooden, pedestrian, suspension bridges. From the suspension bridges you get a squirrels-eye view, 65 feet above the forest floor, of the surrounding treetop canopy.
Kalberer Emergent Tower
Located near-by is the Kalberer Emergent Tower. Once you enter the wooden tower, you climb a sequence of stairs. Many, many steps later you emerge 120 feet above the forest floor to a wooden observation deck above the tree-tops. From there you can see the surrounding forest, garden areas of the arboretum, and on a good day, Lake Erie off in the distance.
We visited in August and enjoyed the canopy walk and tower, as well as Holden’s many other attractions. I would expect that the canopy walk and tower would be spectacularly colorful during peak fall foliage.
There is an entry fee for Holden Arboretum, and tickets for the canopy walk and tower must be purchased separately. Tickets may be purchased at either the entrance to the arboretum, or in the visitors center. For pricing and hours of operation of the canopy walk and tower, please see the Holden web site. Note: the canopy walk and tower may be closed for periodic maintenance. Please check the web site prior to your visit.
Additional information
- TrekOhio: Lake County Parks & Nature Preserves — This is the county where Holden Arboretum is located; check out this page for links to the official website and for information on nearby parks and preserves.
- Holden Arboretum: Murch Canopy Walk & Kalberer Emergent Tower
- TrekOhio: Holden Arboretum — Our overview of the arboretum
- TrekOhio: Hiking A Nature Trail at Holden Arboretum — Description of one of the nature trails
Location
- Address: 9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland, Ohio 44094
- GPS Coordinates: 41.6089711, -81.3021156
- Google Maps: View on map or get directions
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