Go off the beaten path and uncover these overlooked natural wonders. Whether it's rediscovering canal ruins from a new vantage point or diving deeper into the grandeur of Nelson Ledges, these treasures help us find fresh adventures in the great outdoors of The 330.
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Logan Lutton
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Logan Lutton
Secrest Arboretum
by Collin Cunningham || photos by Logan Lutton
Step away from the city to a world of tall trees, Ohio prairie grasses and patches of vibrant flowers at the Secrest Arboretum. The lush 110-acre Wooster landscape garden features a butterfly and hummingbird garden, and an education center opening in October. “It’s a living museum of plants,” explains Curator Jason Veil. Originally constructed as a forestry research area in 1909, Secrest is as much a place for new discoveries as it is for a good time, with more than 2,500 varieties of woody and herbaceous plants in addition to a large natural play area, with a 60-foot slide built down a hill and an amphitheater that hosts community events. A must-see plant is the dawn redwood, which Veil calls a “living fossil” as it was deemed extinct for millions of years until a conservation group discovered one surviving tree in China in the 1940s, sending some of their seeds to Secrest. The garden gets some animal visitors, including songbirds, deer and snakes, and has many water features. “We have one that’s a nice little pond with koi that you can sit around,” Veil says. “It’s a really contemplative spot that you can watch the fish and frogs and more wildlife.” 2122 Williams Road, Wooster, 330-263-3761, secrest.osu.edu
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Logan Lutton
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Deep Lock Quarry
by Julie Riedel || photos by Logan Lutton
We have the Deep Lock Quarry to thank in part for Quaker Oats. The company’s founder, Ferdinand Schumacher, bought the quarry in the late 1800s and harvested Berea sandstone to make millstones to remove outer hulls of oats, starting Quaker Oats Co. in Akron. The harvested sandstone helped boost Akron’s economy. “Just a huge amount of stone was taken out. So it became a little bit more of a barren spot,” says Janean Kazimir, a naturalist at the Summit Metro Parks. The Deep Lock name is literal: A lock at the park was once the deepest lock on the Ohio & Erie Canal at 17 feet. These structures are less complete than they were in Schumacher’s day. The only part of the quarry that remains mostly intact is the main wall. “The other sections are nearly invisible because nature is growing back,” says Kazimir. The lock and quarry have transformed into a swampy ecosystem that’s home to bullfrogs, turtles and cerulean warblers, with a 1.4-mile hiking trail. But the wetlands have brought back a deep cut of the past: the regrowth of the surrounding old growth forest that predates the formation of the canal. 5779 Riverview Road, Peninsula, summitmetroparks.org
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Emily Baldwin
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St. Helena II
by Julie Riedel || photos by Emily Baldwin
History is frozen in time with the St. Helena III canal boat. Just as passengers did in the 1830s, take a seat for a ride on this authentic canal boat traditionally pulled by livestock. St. Helena III is a concrete 55-person remake of the wooden canal boats that used to travel the Ohio & Erie Canal. “It’s very peaceful. There’s a historian onboard who relates the history not only of the canal itself, but the workers and how canals helped form towns,” says Erin Bigelow, Canalway Center program director. “It’s a very beautiful ride.” You’ll have ample time to soak in the views — the 2-mile round-trip ride takes a languid 55 minutes. Horses now do the job mules once did, but with the historian pointing out hidden historical points like stops on the Underground Railroad and local wildlife such as turtles or deer along the Towpath Trail, this boat ride makes it easy to picture a 19th-century world when the canals were the center of business and life. 125 Tuscarawas St., Canal Fulton, 330-854-6835, cityofcanalfulton.oh.gov
Logan Lutton
Nelson Ledges
Discover three different ways to experience the local landmark.
by Sharon Best || photo by Logan Lutton
Nelson-Kenneddy Ledges State Park — Often overlooked for the raucous concerts at the quarry, Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park is home to stunning sandstone cliffs and other natural wonders. The 167-acre park includes picnicking areas, four hiking trails, caves chilled by geothermal properties and two waterfalls. Cascade Falls offers hikers the rare chance to go into an old gold hunter’s cave and see the waterfalls from behind. “I take my 9-year-old and she wants to touch the waterfall,” says Park Manager John Trevelline. To uncover forgotten treasures at the park, take one of the guided tours with a naturalist that are offered on some Sundays. State Route 282 just off 422, Nelson Township, 330-654-4989, parks.ohiodnr.gov/nelsonkennedyledges
Nelson Ledges Road Course — The whining buzz of motorized engines often floats over the 3 miles between the state park and state Route 305 where Nelson Ledges Road Course was carved out of a potato farm in 1958. One of the few originally designed road courses left in the country, the looped 2-mile track follows straightaways, a high-bank carousel turn and about a dozen other curves and turns that have challenged some of the best drivers in the world, including Paul Newman, who would drink post-race beers around the campfire. “Lap record times approach 57 seconds, which equates to an average speed of approximately 130 mph,” says Fred Wolfe, who has been involved with the course for some 30 years — and has great stories about meeting Michael Fassbender, and the time Elle Macpherson and Brian Johnson from AC/DC shared a car during a Grand Prix Cleveland event. While the track has fallen into disrepair, new owners are repaving it while keeping the iconic design. “For a road course, it is undoubtedly the fastest in the country,” Wolfe says. 10342 state Route 305, Garrettsville, 330-977-0111, nelsonledges.com
Nelson Ledges Quarry Park — A working quarry in the 1940s and ‘50s, it became a serene recreation area when a piece of equipment hit a natural spring that filled the basin with water. Since the ‘70s, thousands of adventurers have been drawn to the expansive campgrounds, sandy beach and opportunities for snorkeling, scuba diving or cliff jumping in the 30-foot-deep clear water of the quarry. By day, explorers can take in the radiance of the 30-acre quarry and surrounding 250 acres of forest, rock formations, meadows and fishing ponds. But by night, the calm is often overshadowed by the pulsing sounds and sights of concerts like one that featured psychedelic country crooner Willie Nelson or the Summerdance Fest Aug. 30-Sept. 2 with electronic band Lotus and plenty of glow sticks waving in the summer night sky. 12001 state Route 82, Garrettsville, nlqp.com
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Austin Mariasy
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Peninsula Quarry
by Kelly Petryszyn || photos by Austin Mariasy
We’re used to swimming in pristine crystal-clear chlorinated pools. But much of the lure of the Peninsula Quarry is that it’s natural. Surrounded by leafy trees and a grassy sunbathing hill, the 4.5-foot rocky shallow end has tadpoles that kids can watch turn into frogs, and the water in the 16- to 18-foot deep end is so dark that you can’t see the bottom. That’s part of the excitement. “An adventurous spirit is drawn to it,” says Board President Heather Johnston. It’s been a natural swimming hole since 1955, when rock quarry workers hit natural spring water. Since 2014, the once members-only club has been open to the public. The communal nature of the members remains with older kids often playing with youngsters in the sandbox and among the “Quarry Cats,” a group of teens who grew up there and still hang around. Novice swimmers float on pool noodles and watch as bold types jump off Berea sandstone cliffs or do elaborate double, triple or back flip dives off the 15-foot and 6-foot boards. Some serious divers wear full diving suits for a smoother entry into the water. Being down the road from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, hikers often happen upon it and are amazed at the chance to swim in such a lush natural setting. “They’re just fascinated it exists,” says Johnston. “They’ve never been anywhere like it.” 1980 W. Streetsboro Road, Peninsula, facebook.com/pg/thepeninsulaquarry
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Towner's Woods
by Collin Cunningham || photos by Emily Baldwin
Hopewell Mound
The hill overlooking Lake Pippen at Towner’s Woods looks like other grassy peaks in the 242-acre wooded park. Yet as you begin to ascend it, you see a rock bearing the name “Towner Mound,” and you realize what you’re standing on: a 2,000-year-old Native American burial mound. “It was first discovered to be related to Native Americans back in the early ‘30s,” says Christine Craycroft, executive director of the Portage Park District. The mound was a custom of the Hopewell people, who had a special reverence for the dead and were prominent in the Midwest between 200 B.C. and 400 A.D. During the initial excavation in 1932, archaeologists discovered between seven and 11 separate burials, including human remains, arrowheads and decorations. Portage County went on to acquire the mound in the 1970s. “It’s nice to know that that historic site is preserved permanently now,” says Craycroft. 2264 Ravenna Road, Kent, 330-297-7728, portageparkdistrict.org
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Island at Lake Milton
by Kelly Petryszyn || photos by Logan Lutton
The community has claimed its own 100-by-90-foot oasis in Lake Milton. Just 250 feet offshore of the reservoir’s south end by the Pointview boat launch, the small grassy island attracts boaters, kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders for a respite. Despite its tiny footprint, you might see around 50 boats moored together off the island. With picnic tables, shady trees, three boat docks and a boat swim area, it’s a meeting place for water lovers. And to the tight-knit Lake Milton community, it’s also a local legend. “It’s been part of the folklore of the lake and a beacon for people who have experiences and stories there,” says Park Manager John Trevelline. “They just had fun childhood memories, paddling, swimming out to it, playing around on it.” It’s so sacred to some that Trevelline knows of several couples who got married on the island. But the only island in the 1,685-acre reservoir can be anyone’s retreat. Curious new mariners are welcome to venture ashore for a lazy afternoon relaxing with a picnic or running around with Fido. “It’s one of those natural destinations people are drawn to,” Trevelline says. 16801 Mahoning Ave., Lake Milton, 330-654-4989, parks.ohiodnr.gov/lakemilton
Logan Lutton
Camping at Big Bend
by Sharon Best || photos by Logan Lutton
As the first hint of dawn begins to lighten the sky amid a chorus of birdsong, it’s easy to imagine you’re miles away from civilization. The faint buzz of traffic off in the distance is the only element to remind you that you are actually in the heart of Akron, just off Merriman Road, camping at the Big Bend trailhead of the Towpath Trail. One of only two sites on the Towpath where year-round overnight camping is permitted, Big Bend offers rustic conditions, with pit toilets at the trailhead and a wide meadow that is flooded in winter for ice skating — a perfect spot for stargazing. Bring a good flashlight, as the path to the campsite is steep and uneven. This truly hidden gem is a great stop for long-haul bikers or a good place to introduce youngsters to camping without the long drive. The tranquility gives way to rare sights: You might have a “Stand by Me” type moment with a passing deer. 330-867-5511, summitmetroparks.org/camping
