Blendon Woods Metro Park

This is a great park local to Gahanna where you can walk trails and get your blood flowing. There’s plenty of playground equipment for kids and there’s also plenty of grilling equipment. Check out the Nature Center’s fish tank, snake tank, and frog tank. There was a rafter, «flock», of Turkeys that we spotted while at the Nature Center. Their live bee hive inside the center (behind glass), though, has «failed and the beekeeper is looking into it». Over fun experience especially when there at dusk while the sun is setting. Our pictures came out nice with the sun in the background.

I come here fairly often with my son and we really love walking around all the trails! I wish there was a more toddler-​friendly play area but otherwise, it’s a great spot!

I walked on couple of trails and felt heavenly compared to other parks and missed being here during spring… I will come down when it snows

Such a serene, peaceful forest. I come some mornings to walk and always leave feeling revitalized. The trails are very easy and it’s difficult to become lost. The park is full of information as well as turkeys. Yep. Wild turkeys can be found roaming, so be careful as you’re taking the beautiful drive in!

I didn’t walk on any of the trails today but had forgotten how beautiful this Metro Park is off I-​161. We were there in the back at the shelter areas for a baby shower. Just adjacent to our picnic tables is a very nice playground for kids which is newly updated and upgraded and well maintained.
Upon our arrival, we asked about the availability of shelter areas and were told where we could find a section we would like. We asked how we could let others know where we were in the park and he told us we could not put up any signs for ourselves to let others arriving at the park know how to find us, but he said that he would put up a sign for us and did so. He put up a very nice sign just at the split of the main entrance to the park.
He told us how to find our table, reminded us that we would not be able to use nails, staples and the like for putting up decorations, but tape would be fine. We were prepared for that and even brought a ladder to help us wrap some of the poles.
Regular restrooms we’re available for men and women nearby. The women’s restroom was spotlessly clean and well maintained. But, one stall in the men’s restroom needed attention. Otherwise, it was clean and even smelled nice. I later reported the issue to a passing ranger who told me that they’d been working on the plumbing, but thanked me for reporting it to him.
The ranger came by several times later to check on us and to empty our trash bag. We were allowed to have a fire in the grates to grill our hamburger and hotdogs, others brought covered dishes.
The area was spotlessly clean when we arrived and when we finished a few hours later, we cleaned up and left it the same way.
Next time we’ll have to go back to the bird sanctuary (as far as my walker will let me go, anyway).

great place to go walking. we saw live turkeys and i loved the observation deck.

I love the metro parks! We randomly decided to take a drive around the park. I was surprised it seemed pretty darn big. I wish there was more snow around because they had a sledding area. They also had a ice skating area but that was not open.
We went and hung out in the nature center. My little one loved it. They had a lot of books and things for the kids to play with. There was also a pretty cool bird watching area inside. There were several feeders outside the window so there were plenty of birds around to watch.
The people working in the nature center were very nice and friendly too!
After hanging out at the nature center we decided to take a walk down to the waterfowl area. We saw some wild turkeys. I had never seen wild turkeys so it was exciting. The waterfowl area had two little buildings set up with telescopes so you can watch the birds.
We couldn’t explore too much because it was so cold but the emptiness of the park was very beautiful. I can’t wait to come back when the weather is warmer and see even more!

My department does a Q3 outing at one of the Blendon Woods’ shelters every year. We’ve chosen to hold our outings here over fancier/​more expensive options because this is always the most relaxed and enjoyable. The shelter houses are private, clean, have electric & water, plenty of seating and parking, clean restrooms, and nice heavy duty grills. This year we held it in the Hickory Grove shelter. It was unseasonably cool until the sun came out so we made use of the fireplace that’s already supplied with plenty of firewood. This shelter has a volleyball court with a provided ball, a mini Frisbee golf pin (?) with a frisbee, horshoes (although I didn’t see the pegs), a large open area for games, a swing set, and plenty of shade for hot days.
I haven’t explored too much of the park besides the shelters, but I’ve come across several critters such as turkey and deer. It’s a wildlife refuge in the middle of the suburbs. If I lived on the NE side of town I would stop by regularly. It would also be a great place to hold family reunions or other events.

This park is beautiful! Once you are off the highway and enter the premises of the park, feels like a completely different place, its very quiet and just feels great.

Ok so… it’s a cool park. The trails are nice, the trees are gorgeous but OMG the bugs are huge and aggressive!!! Mind you, my family just moved here from California so we aren’t used to the summer bugs. I get it… call us pansies if you must but no joke, my 3 kids and I sprinted and screamed our way out of this park. Uuuuugh… ew! Lol
Aside from that… it’s great!

It’s really not as large as you would think. There’s really only a small handful of trails but the woods are nice. I love walking through woods, anywhere quiet where’s there a steam; yeah water is a plus. There’s a lake here with two look out buildings but you cant get down to the water since it’s a water foul sanctuary… bummer. I like the micro scope & was even able to see a mother goose with her eggs! great for kids.
The nature building was horrible; old, dirty, stinky… even the poor fish in there looked sick from the horrid conditions they were living in. I did like the wild turkey though! You don’t get to see that usually.
We walked the water foul trail yesterday which was really short but we didn’t have time since it was getting late and we still needed dinner. We’ll probably go back tonight and try a different trail. This place deserves another look.

Great place for communing with nature, playing with the kids, or having a gathering/​picnic. Reserve areas early however as they tend to fill up way in advance.

This is a really beautiful park. There are fantastic areas of exposed bedrock along the ravine area, through which trails wind, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of the forest. Interestingly, the ravine’s set up resulted in each side growing its own type of forest — one is beech and maple, while the opposite side is oak and hickory. There is a nice overlook down into the ravine and the creek from the Overlook Trail.
Another great area to check out is the Walden Waterfowl Refuge. Thoreau Lake offers the perfect place to look for waterbirds from one of the two bird blinds, and the lake itself is very scenic.
There are a lot of additional offerings at Blendon Woods: ice skating and sledding when the ranger gives the OK in the winter, a disc golf course (for a fee), and play areas for kids (both a natural play area and standard playground equipment). There is also a nice Nature Center, which offers an opportunity to learn more about how the area developed, including a section on geology and the ripple rock from which the trail gets its name, the forest area and its ecosystem, and both the literary and ecological backgrounds on Thoreau Lake and its waterfowl. There are plenty of bird feeders on the outside, giving an opportunity to check out the visiting birds, and there are some aquariums featuring some fish, reptiles, amphibians and the like.

Blendon Woods is a great park for all ages of people. For the kids, there is a playground set, a 18 hole disc golf course, in the winter a ice skating rink and sledding hill and nature center. For the adults, there are hiking trails, cross country skiing trails in the winter.
On top of all those activities, Blendon Woods is a great place to hold family reunions or get togethers with friends. There is no way to reserve any of the park shelters, so make sure you come early and set up at one if you plan to be there all day.
The disc golf course is pay to play $ 1.50 a round of 18 or $ 4.50 for the whole day. The course is a smaller course and was designed with the beginner player at heart. Most all shots are below 300 feet with the exception of a few.
In the winter months, there is a very small pond that turns into a skating rink only when the conditions are perfectly fine and are approved by the Ranger to skate on. The kids sled hill is tucked away in the corner of the park and is open when there is snow only. Kid snowboarders and skiers trying to get better are welcome only if they are under the age limit.
Blendon Woods is a great place to be so if you go make sure you clean up to keep this park a beautiful place to be.

I love this place!
Great for nature walks through the woods, bird watching, watching birds feed (they have a great visitor center with a huge viewing area of bird feeders). Have seen all kinds of birds, including two wild turkeys!
There several nature trails of various distances through the woods.
They have a very nice trail just for walking your dog!
Very nice place to get away for some peace and quiet!
And most importantly, the visitors center has a very nice and clean restroom! Always a plus…

On a recent trip to Blendon to walk my mutts and air my mother out, as we were driving out of the park, close to dusk, I was decending a hill when, to my great surprise, a clutch? gaggle? swarm? of wild turkey hens were crossing the road! OMG! To see them close up was amazing!
Nature trails, waterfowl observation station equipped with telescopes, dog walk trail, shelters for that weekend get together and cookout, and yes they do have grills. The trails are well maintained. The nature center is always staffed and the restrooms are very clean. Generally there is a naturalist on board to answer any questions you might have about the park. There are play areas for kids too.
The trees are largely deciduous, maple, oak, etc… In the fall the dog trail is on fire as the trees turn shades of yellow, orange, russet and crimson, just breathtaking!
This is a great place to come for an aerobic or leisurely walk on it’s many beautiful trails, to bird watch, observe waterfowl, have a family get together and cookout, take the dogs for a trot or just sit and reflect.
Some words of advice: tick season runs spring through first frost so check yourself and any dogs children etc… Observe safety as this is a nature area and nature can be cruel at times, ie: appropriate footware, bug spray, watching where you put your feet and where you put your hands (poison ivy) and so on.
Last but not least: DO NOT lock your valuables in your car, there have been break-​ins, and this applys to all the parks where your car is unattended for periods of time.

Stumbled upon this metro park and was absolutely blown away. An oasis in the middle of the city? What a concept. I went during the springtime and it was so luscious green and smelled wonderful. The park includes a very easy 0.3 mile walking trail that leads to a waterfowl refuge pond lookout station. It was a neat experience trying to locate the waterfowls through the telescopes provided. Parking was not a problem for me.

This is one of the most biodiverse metro parks. A few weeks back I joined the naturalist, Bruce, on the Christmas Bird Count. We hiked the forest and saw over 40 species of birds. The highlight was a brown creeper.
If you are not there to bird it is worth hiking one of the many trails that venture through the prarie, wetlands, or forest.
The nature center is pretty cool with a good library and bird feeder station. A good place to chill.

The one thing about nature is it’s beautiful all year long. We tend to hibernate in the winter because of the cold, but I’d like to encourage you to consider otherwise. Columbus has quite a few metro parks; Blendon Woods of course being one of them. Unlike how we may feel life is on hiatus, nature doesn’t stop in the winter. There are still lots to see and do.
The only difference is you have to put on layers in the winter time. Now, I don’t recommend going out in dangerously cold temperatures, like -10 °F. However, I do recommend taking advantage of the hiking trails and activities like ice skating and sledding to get some exercise during those winter months. Blendon Woods has all of that plus a nature center, 18 hole golf course and pet trail. There is also the Walden Waterfowl Refuge and within it lays Lake Thoreau, named for the famous poet Henry David Thoreau.
At the nature center, there are kid-​friendly exhibits that say «please touch!» like turtle shells, shed snake skins, animal bones including skulls and bird feathers. Other exhibits teach about the different design and use of the feet and beaks of waterfowl. Activities that prove educational and fun for the wee ones happens all year and bird identification hikes, geology hikes, nature crafts and even campouts (in the nature center in the winter). The nature center is open Monday through Friday 12:00 to 5:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 5:00.
Or if you really don’t want to get out of the car, you can drive through some of it. Although, in the winter, you may have to heed the warning of the signs and resist the temptation to take those hills that look so much fun like a rollercoaster because those roads really can get icy. I’m not trying to suck out the fun, just giving you a heads up. Actually, I’m saying this because I couldn’t resist coasting! But then one time I had a little slipping and sliding added into that and that was not fun. Otherwise, any other time of the year, have no fear!

The recently added dog trail is nice. It’s surrounded by a field of wildflowers and the path goes over creek beds in which the dogs love to splash in the water. Be prepared for a panting tired dog. There is a drinking fountain beside the nature center nearby.
Also, it’s a great place to relax in the woods on their walking trails. The trails are kept up nice and everyone is really friendly. Most people are bird watching so if your into that sort of thing bring your binoculars.