Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
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The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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117 parks in 7 regions

Sand Run Metro Park

Akron · Summit County · Northeast Ohio
Managed by Summit Metro Parks
995acres
15trail miles
1929established

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Summit Metro Parks (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Sand Run Metro Park, 1300 Sand Run Rd (Old Portage Area), Akron
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Hunting is not permitted in Summit Metro Parks.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The story of this land

Sand Run Metro Park opened in 1929 and is Summit County's oldest metro park. It began when F. A. Seiberling, the Goodyear co-founder, gave 500 acres stretching from Merriman Road to Ghent Road, and the park district's staff then asked the remaining landowners along the future Sand Run Parkway to donate or sell their rights of way. When it opened the park was close to 700 acres with a perimeter of about 12 miles. In the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps crews built Sand Run Parkway and many of the park's shelters and structures, and later purchases such as the old county hospital property added the Treaty Line Area.

The land was a destination long before the park. The land around Chestnut Lodge was a campsite for Indigenous peoples, and Mingo people are recorded camping near what is now Mingo Pavilion. The Portage Path, a carry between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers, was an important Indigenous trail, and it later served as the western boundary of the United States. During the War of 1812 General Elijah Wadsworth camped near what is now the Old Portage Area and used a high ridge above the Wadsworth Area as a lookout. Today the park is one of Summit Metro Parks' anchor parks and links 1,700 acres of green space to Gorge Metro Park in Cuyahoga Falls.

Things to do in the park

  • Hike the ravine trails and the Buckeye Trail
  • Drive through the ford where Sand Run crosses the parkway
  • Walk or bike the paved trail beside the parkway
  • Sled and cross-country ski in winter
  • Visit the picnic areas and historic CCC shelters

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Sand Run Metro Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
  • Hale Farm & Village

Hiking trails

More than 15 miles of trails, including the Buckeye Trail, which one guide rates strenuous here; a 2.8-mile Valley Link trail joins the Cascade Valley park to the north

Wildlife you might see

  • Cool ravines of hemlocks and ferns
  • Stream life along Sand Run
  • Migrating frogs and salamanders and many birds

Fishing

  • Fishing is not a feature of the park.

Hunting

Hunting is not permitted in Summit Metro Parks.

Waterfalls near Sand Run Metro Park

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Blue Hen Falls

Boston Township · Summit County
A small, photogenic shale ledge waterfall in a quiet Cuyahoga Valley ravine, reached by an easy to moderate hike on the Buckeye Trail.
15 ftModerate hikeLegend
About 9 miles from this park

Brandywine Falls

Sagamore Hills · Summit County
The tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with a wheelchair accessible upper overlook.
60 to 65 ftEasy walkAccessible overlook
About 10 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Sand Run Metro Park

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

25 Akron Section

57 miles · Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark
The Buckeye Trail runs through this Summit Metro Parks ravine park
3 parks

There is no camping in the park. The Buckeye Trail's camping options near Akron are at Summit Metro Parks' Nimisila Reservoir, by permit.

Restaurants nearby

Harbor Lighthouse Grille
Right on the water, open daily until 11. The pickle bombs have a following
Directions
Dano's Lakeside Pub
Tucked in a neighborhood; you can dock a boat right in front
Directions
Dockside Grille on Portage Lakes
Big patio with lake views, walleye nuggets. Closed Mondays
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Circle K
24 hours on Manchester Road, the main route into the park area
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.