Trail Review: Glen Echo Park, Columbus, Ohio
Now that summer break is here again—and I’ve got my Summer Walking Buddy back—it’s time to explore more new trails! For our first trail review of the summer, we had to do some scrolling through the list of trails we’ve already explored to find Glen Echo Park. Reviews said that it was one of the area’s best-kept secrets, so we were excited to check it out.
Glen Echo isn’t far from High Street in Clintonville. To get there, you drive through a classic residential area and park on the street in front of the neighboring houses. Though one of the entrances was closed, there was a second, larger, entrance nearby.
As soon as we walked down the slanted sidewalk into the park, we were struck by how beautiful it was: a natural wooded area with paths surrounded by rivers and ravines and a few picnic tables on the lawn. And as we continued walking, we approached the park’s landmark: a large tunnel under the city streets.
From there, we climbed some stairs to explore the neighborhood before coming back down and wandering down some of the surrounding trails. While the main trail is paved, though, one of the paths is torn up and quite rocky, while other trails are dirt paths that wind up a hill, along the ravine, and behind the occasional homes. They’re beautiful, wooded trails, but they just wander off into random directions, and we were a little worried that we’d end up getting lost if we went too far off the main path.
After exploring several side paths, we still hadn’t walked very far, so we decided to do an additional lap around the neighborhood—which, fortunately, made for a different kind of scenic walk, though it wasn’t what we were expecting from our walk that day. In the end, we only logged a couple of miles.
Overall, Glen Echo Park is a beautiful park to visit—a striking wooded area in the middle of Clintonville, not far from the university campus. It’s certainly unique—and if you’re just there to take in a little bit of nature, it’s a great choice. If you’re looking for a quiet place to go for a longer walk, though, it’s rather disappointing—with uneven terrain and a collection of short, unmarked trails. The neighboring sidewalks do make for an enjoyable stroll—but not if you’re expecting a long walk through a wooded park.
Pros:
– Beautiful natural scenery
– Unique, unexpected views
– Varied trails
Cons:
– Difficult terrain
– Shorter trails
– No maps/markings for trails
– Minimal amenities
Quick take:
We loved visiting this park—but it’s not ideal for longer walks.
