Highbanks Metro Park

Beautiful park with a lot of trails. Make sure you get a map if you are on a time frame of any sorts, so you don’t choose the wrong trail. Some of the trails are hours long and some are very short. Can be crowded at times.

Love the trails, especially the Coyote Run, which will connect to Dripping Rock. So peaceful even with the busy roads nearby.

It’s been longer than I thought since I was here last. It’s another great location in our Metroparks system.
I was here to ride my bike, and it’s not ideal for that. There is a multiuse trail along the northeast corner, but it is mostly along 23 and other roads, so it’s not as peaceful as you would hope. Still, it’s well-​paved, and goes through some interesting terrain. Hills, curves, woods. You can also ride on the «streets» in the park, though if it is at all busy I wouldn’t recommend it. I was there on a weekday and it was okay, but a little nerve-​wracking. Another minus is that it isn’t connected very well to the rest of our amazing local trail system. Plus, the typical «keep-​right» rule that holds society together, at least in the U.S., seems unknown up here in Orange Township. Beware of soccer moms with strollers or dogs coming around blind turns…
I had forgotten how hilly it is here. At some points I was testing out my bike’s first gear for the first time; at others I wished for a speedometer, to make sure I stayed under the 25mph limit downhill.
As a park, it is incredible. Many options, from walking to dining to education. There’s a great visitor’s center (there are bike racks across from the entrance.) The staff I’ve dealt with were very friendly and helpful. There are plenty of little parking lots, most with trail access, tables, at least a small shelter, etc. And the walking trails are phenomenal. A wide variety of experiences, several mounds– take some time and wander.
3 stars as a place to ride, 5 as a park.

Our first experience at this park. We are from out of town and I was looking for somewhere to exercise our dog. This park was large and had plenty of walking trails for all visitors. Several trails were pet friendly and pets must be leashed. We took the coyote trail. It was a beautiful walk full of fall colors. We passed several other dog walkers but it never seemed over crowded and other owners were respectful not allowing their dog to approach without permission and always leashed. We only met one couple that did not obey the rules. They had a puppy that was off leash and ran up to my dog. Lucky for them, she obeys commands very well.
Over all, we would def visit this park again. It was very clean and a lot of trail systems to explore.

This park is one of the closest to our home but it is also one of the largest and best of the metro parks. The many bridges, valleys and streams make hiking here very interesting. Amazing overlook of the olentangy river valley. We make the trip to visit at least twice a month and there is always a different look as the plants change through the seasons.

I absolutely love this park, and so does my Jack Russell! The park is very well maintained, and there are several different trails. This is my favorite place to spend time!
We need more pet trails please!

Highbanks is only 25 minutes away from my house and it is definitely worth the drive! A great way to escape the city life and enjoy a nice day in nature. It is definitely a scenic place for a morning walk or jog! Usually in the morning, the park is not as packed as it is in the afternoon so you would not bump into large groups of hikers. The trails are fairly flat so the hike around the park is easy and not too tiresome.
Tips:
–Bring binoculars for bird watching.
–Bring camera for beautiful photo-​ops.
–Good walking shoes that you do not mind getting dirty (especially during the winter and spring, the trails might be muddy from the rain/​snow falls)

Highbanks Metro Park: I was looking for a best picnic destination. I hope this would be one of the best destinations ever.

Had the opportunity to visit Highbanks for the first time on a weekday morning. There were more people than I would have expected, but definitely not a crowded park. We took the pup with us so our options were limited to one trail, Coyote Run. Its about a 3 mile loop of mostly flat ground. The scenery was not particularly breath-​taking (view of the main road and businesses on part of the trail) and the trail was rather muddy, however its winter time so I understand conditions are not optimal. Otherwise, the park is very well-​kept; free of trash, plenty of benches and maps of the area.
I would recommend everyone visit the Nature Center. For a small building they pack a lot of information! I was very impressed with the interactive displays and bird watching station. I look forward to exploring what Highbanks’ other trails have to offer!

A great place to jog, walk and take nice pictures. Spotted deer last time. This place sort of gets you back to nature.

Coyote Run is a great pet trail! There is a water fountain and poop bag station at the beginning so I was a bit annoyed to came across multiple piles of poop on the trail. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful, peaceful, trail that goes through forest and meadow. The 3.5 miles can be shortened or lengthened as desired by going around the loops in different ways. I especially like the all-​woods loop in the middle. Both times I went around this section I did not cross paths with anyone, surprsing for a Saturday! The parking lot is a bit small and crowded as it is shared with the nature center and other trail heads. Overall a wonderful place! I’m excited to spend many weekends here enjoying the outdoors with my dog!
**make sure you do a tic check afterward! I found one on my dog after our hike.

Spent some time there this weekend and love the trails. I enjoyed listening to the birds and the acorns fall. Took some photos, will share them.

Visited this weekend with the pup, and let just say… what a beautiful weekend! The hiking trails paired with the AWESOME weather, made a great family morning getaway. The pet trail, albeit boring, was really refreshing. I just wish there was more scenery. It winds out into an open field, then basically just loops around. I get it, save the cool hikes for the cool kids… but hey, us pooch lovers are cool too!
We ventured off and maybe perhaps broke the rules when we veered off onto a pet prohibited trail, and man… the beauty! We were missing out on that pet trail! Okay, yes… we were probably the people everyone hates that has their dog on a non-​pet trail, but whatev’s… we were rushing and wanted A) a shorter way back and B) a more scenic route. But honestly, no one seemed to mind, but they were probably perturbed.
Anyway… the observation deck, valleys, streams… were a must see. Just sucks the pet owners get the crummy parts.

Another wonderful chance to enjoy nature, while still staying in spitting distance of downtown. North of Worthington and located just before route 750 (AKA Polaris Parkway) crosses Route 23, the Highbanks park features a great selection of nature trails, an observation deck, earthworks, and even some swimming and a beach along the Olentangy.
We decided to go out for a date night picnic and hike and had a great time, but I have to admit that we somehow managed to miss the «overlook deck» and just kept walking the entire loop of the trail!
It was a perfect day for the hike, though, and ended as the night started to settle over the park, so we really didn’t mind.

This park has a little bit of everything from hiking trails, paved running trails, to picnic shelters.
I recently stopped by noticing they have a trail specific for dogs. During the winter it is for cross country skiing, but when there’s no snow they have it open for dogs and their human companions.
The trail is about three miles long, with little loops you can add on to make it longer. It’s also a grass trail, which was perfect since the bikers and most runners don’t venture that way to get the dogs all psycho… or is my dog the only one who wants to either tackle bikes to play with them or run very far away from them.
The trail runs from under tree coverage to out into the sunny fields, so make sure to bring lots of water for you and your dog.
There are a couple other dog friendly trails at the park, not as long, and they’re paved if you would prefer that. But I highly recommend that first trail for a fun exercise for both humans and dogs!

The eagles are coming! The eagles are coming!
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a bald eagle nest with a few eggs within sight of the observation deck. We went out today and fought the crowds to see what we could see. I got to see the head of one of the eagles, which was pretty cool. When the crowds got to be too much we wandered off on one of the other paths and hit the wetlands observation deck which was quiet and virtually empty. I’d love to drop by here on a weekday when the crowds aren’t so thick.

Enjoyed my early morning walk up to the highbank observation platform recently. the number of birds I heard was amazing and given that the trees are still leafless, I had at least a chance to spot a few. I stopped often just in amazement to listen to the birdsong and try to spot the birds, with limited success but did see a pilaeted woodpecker and other pretty birds. Yeah!
For an early morning walk, I liked that were some people, but not too many, and they were basically quiet and unobtrusive. I somehow missed that there was an Eagle’s nest and eagles although I wasn’t lucky enough to see any that day. Two locals stopped to share their binoculars and tell me about some local burial mounds they thought I might like. (Man, the folks in Ohio are overall so nice!)
I was surprised to find the park brochure considered the trek to the observation platform «moderate to difficult» when it was in fact a fairly easy 2 plus mile walk with pretty small elevation gain.
If I lived here, I can see this being a regular go to park for walking and bird watching.

Highbanks is another great part of our metro parks, and I think it is probably one of the most popular… as others have mentioned, it is frequently busy on nice weather weekends. But don’t let that scare you off — it’s a large park, with lots of parking available, so there’s room!
Some of the neat features of Highbanks include the geology, fossils, and the historical features, which are highlighted via signage throughout the trails and in the Nature Center. Trails here will let you get a glimpse of the Adena mounds and the Cole earthworks. The earthworks are located in the Edward F. Hutchins State Nature Preserve, which is located within the park. The state preserve is also where you can find the overlook that provides a great view of the Olentangy River, which is considered a State Scenic River in this area, and it gives a good view towards the eagle’s nest.
In the nature center, you can take a look at a fossilized piece of jawbone of a giant fish that was found in the park (yeah, I’m not even going to try to remember how to spell the official name) and a replica of how huge this thing’s head was. There are some local critters to take a look at, including a frog, a turtle, a bluegill, and a black rat snake, a bird-​watching window out towards some feeders, and several more displays and a book collection you can use on site.
Geology is all around in Highbanks, as it gets its name from the sheer shale bluffs that tower above the river, and a stream cuts through some ravines in the nearby area. This results in higher areas of great views, and lower areas where you can travel near the water and look around the ravine as you go along the trails. The bluff area is considered a National Natural Landmark.
There is also a sledding hill during the winter, a natural play area and playground equipment, picnic tables and shelters, and a wetland with a viewing deck. There is a lot to see and do here!

This park is pretty close to me, so I try and make it here often in the summer to run because it’s shadier than my usual running spots. I haven’t explored the entire park yet, but I’m looking forward to it this summer!
Some paved paths, some dirt, some grass… that doesn’t really matter to me though.

You have to drive all the way to Delaware for this one, but it’s a real gem. It’s got trails galore, photo opportunities everywhere, and it’s just an all-​around perfect place to be. I’m an avid birder and I saw my first Tufted Titmouse here when my girlfriend and I were out hiking around. There’s also a bald eagle nest that you can observe — a real treat here in Central Ohio!
There’s always something going on here. The Metro Parks system has events listed on their website. I highly recommend looking at the list of events. There are activities for everyone. Of course, if you just love the outdoors, you’ll love this park.