Dream Land
by Madeline Myers, Taylor Patterson, Kelly Petryszyn and Nora Vinson
There are so many wonders to uncover at Northeast Ohio parks. These nature lovers share the places that enchant them. From sunsets to great blue herons and rock ledges to a waterfall, each spot opens up a summer full of splendor.
Rob Blair
While we’re sleeping, Rob Blair is chasing sunrises. He sometimes heads to Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Horseshoe Pond at the still of dawn. “It’s my way of finding peace,” says the Munroe Falls photographer. The sunrises make for enchanting photographs, like a fawn glowing under a sunray in “Unexpected Beauty,” which hangs in Summa Health Systems’ Akron hospital. His painting-like photographs show us beauty is in our backyard if we are willing to rise early to see it. “You’ll get dreamy, foggy scenes that have an ethereal quality,” says Blair, a videographer and Summit Metro Parks volunteer photographer. Here is where he finds serenity.
Go-to Spot: Munroe Falls Metro Park
Blair frequents this picturesque park near his house to encounter fiery fall leaves and diverse wildlife, including a barred owl in his “Solitude” photograph. The self-proclaimed “bird nerd” spotted it near the park entrance, inching closer as unknowing people and cars passed by. After he released the shutter, the owl flew away. “It feels like it was set aside for me,” he says. “You have this special moment nobody else notices because you really looked and listened.”
Summer Sunsets: Springfield Bog Metro Park
From late June to early August, blooming wildflowers, fluttering songbirds and mesmerizing sunsets and sunrises transform the Akron park into a storybook sight. “It feels like you’re walking in some surreal never-neverland with flowers as far as you can see,” he says. He recommends using mosquito repellant to better enjoy the stunning area. “There’s a lot of mosquitoes,” he laughs. More jaw-dropping sunsets: Tallmadge Meadows
Prettiest Place: Hudson Springs Park
At first glance, the busy city park by the Ohio Turnpike might not seem beautiful. Yet through Blair’s lens, we can witness its breathtaking tranquility at sunrise when great blue herons emerge, like in his award-winning “Beside Still Waters” shot. “You can see the fog off the lake that’s as calm as it can be,” he says. “It’s a divine gift.”
Shelley Tender
For 15 years, it’s been Shelley Tender’s job to help people better experience parks. As an education manager, she’s gotten to know Medina County Park District’s 15 locations well and loves introducing them to people through exploration programs, such as Tales for Tots that acquaints preschoolers with resident critters. The nature lover spends her off-time hiking, kayaking and making discoveries. “I’m drawn to plants. I love wildflowers. Every time I see one, I’ll stop and look at it,” she says. Tender shares a few of her best finds.
Serene Flashback: Green Leaf Park
This park is home to an early 1800s log cabin, and it’s one of Tender’s favorite places. “In the middle of summer, you have all these tall wildflowers in bloom and this little cabin in the background — it looks like you stepped back in time,” says Tender, who often enjoys the quaint scene over lunch at a nearby picnic shelter.
Best Fall Overlook: Allardale
The 1-mile wooded Outer Loop Trail has a phenomenal overlook where Tender soaks in the vivid break of autumn. “You’re looking down over this big field,” she says. “In the fall, it’s pretty spectacular because you can see for miles the different colors on the trees.” Another Fall Destination: Chestnut Memorial Hill Park
Unique History: Chippewa Lake
For almost 100 years, Chippewa Lake was home to a resort and amusement park with a dance hall, bathing beach, excursion boats and a roller coaster. Decades after the amusement park closed in the ‘70s, Medina County Park District acquired the lake that’s near the Chippewa Inlet Trail. “We got a chance to revert it back to a natural setting, but it still has that wonderful history,” Tender says. Locals still share with her memories of magical summer days on the midway.
Most Beautiful Wildflowers: Hubbard Valley Park
Tender loves to find wildflowers in the spring. Hubbard Valley has a lush variety, including four species of trillium. “We really enjoy looking for spring ephemerals — that’s a term for flowers that are here for a fleeting moment,” she says. “You’re observing the forest floor, seeing different things coming up.”
Max Brozeit
Max Brozeit dreams of a job where he can feel fresh air on his cheeks. “I like being outside all the time,” says the 18-year-old who bikes and hikes Akron-area parks. The Copley High School graduate experienced a natural workspace with Summit Metro Parks’ Ranger Explorers — a yearlong program for teens interested in park law enforcement. He took mountain bike patrol classes, rerouted trails and more. This fall, he will attend Robert Morris University to be a state trooper or natural resources officer — and eventually get that breezy office he’s been hoping for. Here are the parks that captivate him.
Discovery Zone: F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm
Brozeit picks his own adventure at this Akron park — whether it’s a walk over a suspension bridge or through thick gardens. “I always choose a new trail,” he says. Brozeit routinely watches for animals, like cardinals that perch near Echo Pond on Cherry Lane Trail. “I look to see if there’s deer around,” he says. “I like seeing different wildlife.”
For Afternoons with Friends: Silver Creek Metro Park
The field near Harter Barn in Norton is the perfect place to hang out with friends. “It’s so vastly open,” he says. “I can play with friends, toss a football.” They do more than sports in this 1,008-acre park. They play the Pokemon Go app, searching for Pokemon on the wooded 1.2-mile Pheasant Run Trail. “I do a lot of walking around the park,” Brozeit says. Another spot to play catch: Goodyear Heights Metro Park
Best Memory: Firestone Metro Park
Some of Brozeit’s greatest memories are at Little Turtle Pond, including working the 2019 kids’ fishing derby as a Ranger Explorer. “My favorite thing to do was help kids,” he says, adding he put bait on their lines and helped cast their nets. Afterward, everyone celebrated over food. Brozeit’s ranger buddies had a hot dog eating contest, and of course — he won.
Joshua Kinches
After Joshua Kinches welds inside a workshop all day, he goes running through the woods to get away. “Anything that’s on my mind, I can mull over with a run,” says the 37-year-old North Royalton resident. Running 5 to 7 miles to relax might seem odd, but Kinches has been doing it since his cross-country days at Holy Name High School. He also backpacks, bikes or does anything else to get outdoors. “Nature is medicinal for me,” he says. “It’s a stress reliever.” These are Kinches’ favorite places to shake the day off.
Best Place to Race: Virginia Kendall
This Peninsula natural area takes Kinches back to Cub Scout hiking trips. Over 20 years later, he returns in the summer to bask in the lake’s natural beauty and look for beavers and owls. One of Kinches favorite race routes — a 5-mile run on the Lake, Cross Country and Salt Run trails — is in this area, which he ran during the 2019 Hermes’ Full Moon Series and took second place. “You run into woods, through fields and near a lake,” he says. “It’s a nice atmosphere.”
Regular Retreat: Hinckley Reservation
With around half-a-dozen trails, Kinches always gets a unique experience. “I like the mixture of terrain — it’s kind of like rolling hills,” he says. Kinches takes the elevated Buckeye Trail from Hinckley Lake to Whipp’s Ledges for its sweeping tree canopy views. On a walk with a friend there, he witnessed an incredible meteor shower. “We started seeing shooting stars with tails,” Kinches says. “It’s far enough from the highway that there’s almost no light pollution, so the sky can be really bright.”
Night Run: Mill Stream Run Reservation
After most cars have emptied the parking lot, Kinches dons a headlamp for a night run on the Bridle Trail through this Berea-area park. It encompasses Ranger and Wallace lakes, so you hear croaking frogs emerge after dark. Aside from critter encounters, being in nature at twilight provides even more of an escape. “There’s a lot of sensory deprivation, so you zone out,” he says. Another Stellar Night Spot: Gorge Metro Park
Scott Watkins
When Scott Watkins traveled to California on a birding trip, he was shocked to see West Coasters’ amazement at the sight of a northern cardinal, Ohio’s mohawked red state bird. It gave him a greater appreciation of bird-watching locally and the simple marvels he witnesses — like a chickadee singing overhead. “It relaxes you,” says the Canton Audubon Society vice president. “Plus, it keeps your mind learning.” Birding on Stark County trails allow him to meditate on his surroundings by tuning into distinct chirps and entering the fascinating world of birds through binoculars. Watkins’ favorite parks draw diverse birds — and there are plenty in The 330.
Spring Tradition: Sippo Lake Park
His interest in birding began 15 years ago when his wife brought home birds for rehabilitation from Sippo Lake Park’s Wildlife Conservation Center. Each spring, he looks forward to visiting this Canton park to see migratory birds like a red-breasted merganser duck with quirky feathers that stand up on its head. “The colors, the beauty, the different ways they do things — it’s so fun to watch and find new ones,” he says.
Year-Round Fun: Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center
Watkins has seen upward of 40 bird species at any time at this University of Mount Union location, and it’s one of his favorite places to log sightings in apps like eBird. “It’s little lakes, and it’s got a wooded area,” he says. “The dry trees might be older or dead, but the woodpeckers love them.” In the winter, he uses the Alliance nature center’s birding rooms, and when it’s warmer, he takes a peaceful stroll through on-site trails. More Yearlong Exploring: Water Works Park
Rare Encounters: John Glenn Grove
Some birds take your breath away. When Watkins visited this Massillon stop along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in May, he caught a glance at a blue-winged warbler — a yellow bird with a white wing bar and black “Zorro-looking” facial coloring. “I spotted it, and I was so excited,” he says. “I’d never seen one in my life — just in books.”