Trail Review: Burbank Park, Upper Arlington, Ohio

When our daily adventures take us to a different place (like the tire shop), it’s the perfect time to change up the morning walk by trying a new trail. This week, that brought us to Upper Arlington—to a park in the middle of a beautiful, serene neighborhood.

Burbank Park is, for the most part, the typical neighborhood park—complete with walking paths and playgrounds and fields and a small picnic shelter and a playground or two, with paths leading off into neighboring streets. When we parked the car in the lot, it seemed pretty straightforward, with a path circling the open field. As we walked, though, we made our way over a bridge and through a small wooded area to find…another park. This one was slightly smaller, with an open field and a small shelter, but it was a nice surprise—especially since it meant that we wouldn’t have to walk circles around the same short loop to get in a decent walk. Instead, a couple of loops—along with some short strolls through neighboring streets—easily got us to four miles.

Admittedly, the walk wasn’t very exciting. The park is well-maintained, with a couple of fun play areas and a couple of actual restrooms if you need them. But, apart from the short path between the two loops, it’s mostly just a sidewalk around a large patch of grass. It’s actually pretty impressive for a neighborhood park, but there isn’t much to see here. My Summer Walking Buddy may have called it “kinda boring” (though I could have pointed out that it’s much less boring than our own, smaller, neighborhood park, with its tiny, .3-mile loop).

Again, Burbank Park is a great neighborhood park. It has playgrounds and some shaded areas and bathrooms on opposite ends of the path. This is a park that I’d be happy to have nearby for regular walks. If you happen to be in the area (maybe if you’re getting new tires on your car), it’s good for a change of scenery. But it’s not a park that I’d recommend going out of your way to explore.

Pros:
– Longer walking path than the average neighborhood park
– Surrounded by scenic neighborhood streets, in case you want to explore beyond the park
– Play areas for the kids (and fields for the dogs)
– Multiple bathrooms (not just porta potties!)

Cons:
– Not a whole lot of variety when it comes to scenery
– Pretty…but not especially noteworthy

Quick Take:
Nice neighborhood park that’s worth a walk if you’re in the area.