Clear Creek Metro Park

I’d had Clear Creek bookmarked since reading Marissa’s review last year, and now that I’ve got a new hiking partner, we decided to check it out last weekend.
If your GPS is properly configured and directs you along the 33 to the east entrance of the park, it should take you about 40 minutes to get here from Columbus. If it is not and you end up being directed to the west entrance of the park, it will take you a lot longer. You can guess which of these scenarios happened to us.
Some of the parking areas indicated on the map are just little turnoffs for you to tuck your car off the road, and some of them are actual parking lots. We parked at a little turnoff near the trailhead for the Hemlock Trail. The trail, which is listed as «challenging» and states an estimated time of 48 minutes, starts out deceptively easy, winding through some neat rock formations and over creeks, before heading up the ridge and giving you a good workout. We were too tired to attempt the Cemetery Ridge trail, but will definitely be coming back to try it out.

Clear Creek is located between Columbus and the Hocking Hills area and contains Ohio’s largest state nature preserve. As compared to its fellow metro parks, Clear Creek has more of a rustic feel, with its dramatic views of forest, meadow, features cut into the Blackhand sandstone. Its location so far outside of the city also means that you really feel like you are out in nature… it’s easy to visit and not see another person, but to see plenty of wildlife!
Clear Creek, for which the park is named, runs throughout the park and has numerous points for fishing access. Fishing can also be had at Lake Ramona, and there are several picnicking areas with picnic tables and grills throughout the park. Only the Valley View area has a shelter and restrooms. Most of the other picnicking areas have «vault restrooms» according to the website — read: port-​a-​potties.
The 12 miles of trails range from easy hikes along the creek and lake to more intensive ones if you choose to head uphill to see the dramatic views of the valley. The signage is excellent, clearly labeling each trail with its length and approximate time for the hike.
As previous reviewers have mentioned, even the drive into the park is really neat, with huge pieces of sandstone alongside the road at funky angles.
While the features aren’t quite as dramatic as the famous ones in Hocking Hills, this is certainly worth a visit… plus it makes a great break from the crowds that flock to the Hills area.

This is an outstanding park, and probably has the best hiking trails in the metro parks system. I concur with the first review that the rock jutting out by the road is an awesome feature, it reminded me of some of the mountain roads in Utah.
We went for an early-​riser 6 mile hike (park opens at 6:30am), and the park was deserted, didn’t see another person on the trails the whole two hours we were there. On a beautiful late summer day in September, that really says a lot.
It’s a few miles closer and a lot less crowded than the popular hocking hills trails. There isn’t as much in terms of geological wonder as hocking hills, but the trails will still give you a solid workout amongst large groves of hemlocks, quaint small fields, and steep valleys with running or dry streambeds. There’s also plenty to hike (17 miles worth!) so you can go here for multiple trips and not see the same things twice.

This park is a very close hocking hills getaway, located along the northern edge of the hills and in the southern most part of Fairfield County.
I went hiking here last week and although I enjoyed the trails I had the most fun driving through the main road into the park. As I was about half way through, heading towards the trails I came upon a huge piece of sandstone rock, about the size of three economy cars butting against the side of road.
The thing was covered with dried up and dormant resurrection fern and really interesting to look at as I found my way to the trail heads.
This park is the largest in Franklin County Metro Parks systems and features a large tract of oak and hickory forest as well large pieces of sandstone anchored by hemlocks.
It was a sight in winter so I can’t wait to come back when the weather warms up and see this place in all of its glory.