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    Prairie Oaks Metro Park

    4.4 (34 reviews)
    Closed 6:30 am - 9:00 pm

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    Found a  geocache, this pic gives away nothing
    Gena W.

    Our metro parks are simply wonderful. Prairie oaks is no exception. The only tricky thing is that there are two entrances. My stepson and I Went geocaching and found two located within this park. It is well maintained and clean and beautiful. He was most impressed when I pointed out the thorns on a hickory tree.

    Prairie Oaks Metro Park, Hilliard OH
    Bruce K.

    Over two thousand acres of prairie and grasslands including 500 that have been restored with native seeds and plants. This is a stunning park that deserves more than the brief driveby I was able to give it as I made my way between Dayton and Columbus. Walking trails, playgrounds, picnic shelters, lots of parking and spots to spot local wildlife and a natural habitat. It's stunning. Maybe not a rest area but I stopped by and stretched my legs to enjoy the scenery. [Review 11272 overall, 1049 of 2019.]

    Prairie Land
    Mike G.

    One of the most important things about writing reviews on Yelp is to inform, inspire and share with others. So I want to start by thanking Ryan S. and Marissa C. for writing some really interesting reviews about our parks and green spaces. Kudos to them. Prairie Oaks Metro Park is one of our largest metro parks with 2,123 acres of restored prairie, woods, streams and lakes. I won't even pretend to tell you I've seen more than a fraction of it so far, so I'm just starting my exploration myself. It stays interesting just because it's so huge that I see something new and interesting each time I go there. On my last visit I actually found a small Indian mound along one of the trails. Like most other metro parks, this one is very dog friendly. While I've never seen that many people there at any time, many of those that do visit the park bring their dogs with them. By the way, if you're furry friend takes to the water like a fish, then there's a dog beach so your canine friend can go off-leash and splash around in the lake. Even thought it's one of our largest metro parks, it's also one of the lesser known in the area. I've only known seen it somewhat busy on one occasion so it tends to be very quiet and relaxing. I'm really OK with that. It's a great place to go to feel the wind blowing over the prairie land, to hear the rustle of the leaves and to sit back and just watch the clouds go by....

    Octavia M.

    I started coming to this park 3 yrs ago because of the wag festival thats held here every year in aug or sept. My dog have a chance to run around with other dogs and bark his little head off. They built a new sitting area and a dock so the dogs can jump off of. Its always a good time coming out here. Its a 30min drive from Columbus but its well worth it. There are tons of trails to walk and plenty of dogs running around. Go early mornings and the sunrise on the lake is beautiful and its so quiet. All the nature surrounding you will make you feel calm. By dog loves coming here and cant stay outta the water lol

    Went for a walk with the dogs and they loved it
    Matthew L.

    This is by far my favorite park in Central Ohio. No matter what time of year you go out this place always looks beautiful. My favorite time to go out is the late summer or early fall. They have some amazing trails you can walk around. Most of the trails at this park go around a lake. You can also bring your doogy friends as they have a nice large dog beach for them to swim and they do not have to be on a leash in the dog beach area. They do ask that in the rest of the park that your 4 legged friends be on leashes. They have a lot of different events at this metro park throughout the year. They do events for both kids and adults. It is always a good time. They do have places to do picnics, and other events. I always find myself enjoying the park towards the end of the day. They have several other things, like you can go canoeing here as well kayaking. I love it. Also, they have different trails with different entrances, try to check some of those other ones out. I highly encourage you visit this park.

    Kelsie K.

    If I had to pick a happy place in Columbus this would be it. We're so lucky to have a park so close to the city that offers everything that Prairie Oaks does. It's been getting more popular so expect to see plenty of people there on the weekends, if you're looking for more seclusion I'd recommend going during the week. While you're there you'll see everyone from runners to dog walkers to horseback riders to kayakers. Prairie Oaks offers something for everyone. I typically take my dog running here. The park is huge, we can pick a different trail to run every time we're here. Although the trails are unfortunately leash only, there is a dog beach where your pet is allowed to be off the leash. During the summer there is a dock installed and there's plenty of room to throw the ball for your dog!

    Abigail E.

    Beautiful trails, lots and lots of space. This park is sprawling and spacious which is nice but the big win for me is how pet friendly the park is. There are lots of pet friendly trails and awesome dog beach. A lot of parks say they are "pet friendly" because they have one trail that's 0.75 miles long. At Prairie Oaks there are about 8 miles of pet friendly trails with multiple access points, doggy clean up stations with bags and trash cans plus the roomy dog beach. There were probably ten plus dogs playing and there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out and not be on top of each other. Looking forward to coming back out and explore the other trails but I do highly recommend the Darby Creek Greenway Trail fr anybody visiting for the first time.

    Greg and Macey at Prairie Oaks
    Morgan D.

    I have a highly active, seventy pound, four-year-old black lab mix in a two bedroom apartment in Columbus. So, having Prairie Oaks Metro Parks within five miles of my home is a life saver! Prairie Oaks contains nearly four hundred acres of pet friendly terrain. Eight of the ten trails are dog friendly, two are open to horseback riders. Each trail offers a different scenic view including forests, prairies, fields, and meadows. Each trail also offers different terrain including grass, dirt, gravel, curvy, straight, flat, and hilly. Most of the trails butt up against ponds or cross with Darby Creek, so there are plenty of opportunities for your dog to get a drink. One of the most beautiful trails I have been on is Coneflower South (1.7 mi). Note this is one of the two trails that is not dog friendly. You can get to Coneflower South by entering the park via Plan City-Georgesville Road. There are tons of yellow flowers and coneflowers lining the entire expanse. Go at dusk just as the sun turns everything golden. It's gorgeous. The park has many entrances, each being convenient for specific trails. Macey and I frequent the entrance marked Darby Bends, located off Amity Road. Darby bends juts off to several trails including Darby Creek (4.6mi), River Rock (.6mi), and Mound (.3mi). Though Darby Creek is the longest of all the trails in this park system, it offers several exit points that intersect with other trails in case you want to shorten your walk. Another plus, the trails typically loop around, bringing you back to where you started. Darby Bends is our favorite section of the Prairie Oaks system because of the off leash dog pond. At dusk, the pond usually has five to ten dogs romping in the water together. Macey still hasn't proven herself to be trustworthy enough to be off leash yet, but being able to socialize with the dogs and owners we meet there is very positive for her. I love that she can swim most of her energy out so our hike doesn't have to be so long and tiring. Otherwise, I end up not only wearing the dog out, but exhausting myself as well. If your dog doesn't do so well with others, try visiting the pond during the day. Usually you're there by yourself or with one other dog/owner pair. In the winter, you'll notice falling trees in Darby Bends - the result of beaver activity around Beaver Lake. It takes the beavers a long time to gnaw the tree enough to make it topple over, but it's really interesting to keep coming back to check their progress. Macey has a heyday sniffing the trunks where the large rodents have been. There is always some kind of activity going on at Prairie Oaks. I've seen canoeing classes, cross country training, and dog festivals going on there. Some of the trails offer good practice for cyclists. Prairie Oaks is also a great place to have a picnic or to spend a little time fishing. Note that you can only fish in two of the ponds, and children and seniors can fish in one additional pond, all located at Darby Bends. Prairie Oaks provides bio-degradable bags so you can pick up after your dog or clean up after your picnic. But you won't find any trash cans in this park. I find the carry in, carry out rule to be both a blessing and a burden. It keeps the park beautiful and eliminates swarming cans filled with bees or overflowing with trash, but I hate having to carry Macey's poop around in a bag for two hours while we hike and play. It's very tempting to throw the bio-degradable sack into the tall weeds rather than putting it in my car's trunk and carting it back to my apartment's dumpster. Prairie Oaks is a wondrous place to learn, exercise, and unwind. If you have a dog or just love to be outdoors you need to visit this place. And if you've already been to Prairie Oaks and love it as much as I do, you need to vote in 2009 to renew the ten-year-long levy that funds the majority of this system.

    Girl walking puppy on bridge
    Mandy W.

    If I could give this metro park a 3.5 I absolutely would. It's a very nice park with several trails of different lengths and a fairly nice restroom area. The dog poop disposal cylinders are plentiful and the trails are nice and very well kept. I have notes though. The ponds are great but are only for fishing, kayaking, and dog swimming. Why not people swimming, I ask? Blue green algae is highly prevalent in ohio, so perhaps that's it. Or, as a different dog parent informed me it would be a combination of that and the contamination of the ponds. Apparently they used to be significantly dirtier and restoration has helped them get to where they are today. She told me that 3 years ago if you stuck your hand in the water less than a few inches it would disappear. Do I really want my dog swimming in water like this? I will be looking into this and will update with whatever I find.

    Hunter jumping off of the dock
    Marie G.

    Ah how we love this park! We are so thankful of all of the metro parks! Prairie oaks is a bit far from us so we don't come here too often but owning a lab puppy, we go where the water is! There is plenty of parking! The dog beach is not fenced in but it's also not in an overly open area where dogs can run off. But just a word of caution, make sure your pup understands basic recall! There are areas to walk around as well. Our pup enjoys the dock diving as well! And don't forget your camera - there are photo oops all around you! My only suggestion...fence off the dog beach area! Our pup is good but I know of too many people who refuse to go because their dogs would bolt and not come back.

    Nate M.

    I went here a couple years ago on one of the hottest days of the year. We only intended to walk for a little bit and we had a map yet we still got lost because the trail markings were so bad. There was supposed to be a link to a trail that would loop us around back to the car. We never found it and ended up walking for hours in sweltering heat with no water. The trails are really mostly just paths mowed through tall grass. There was one part where there's a creek that was pretty but the rest was just fields. It was a little bit dull.

    Husky event
    Heather L.

    What a nice park! Came here for a Siberian husky event so didnt do as much exploring as I wouldve liked but wow. Clean, well groomed and extensive selection of trails! Downside is there are no trash cans, although they do provide "carry out" trash bags around the park. Nice lakes/ponds and just all around gorgeous open spaces!

    Grassy path

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    2 years ago

    Great trails, if you're quiet enough you'll easily see deer. Playground is good too. I let the kids do a little creeking so bring your boots

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    3 years ago

    Don't be fooled. This dog park is not off leash and not dog friendly. Staff is incredibly rude.

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    8 years ago

    Nice clean park with lots of trails to walk or bike in. Also they have a nice area for kids to play in.

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    Ask the Community - Prairie Oaks Metro Park

    Review Highlights - Prairie Oaks Metro Park

    I have a highly active, seventy pound, four-year-old black lab mix in a two bedroom apartment in Columbus.

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    Hilliard Municipal Park

    Hilliard Municipal Park

    3.8
    (18 reviews)
    4.6 mi

    Nice park with a number of great amenities. There are a couple of walking paths, and we were glad…read moreto find a paved one after the rain, which made for a bit of a drier walking experience. There are shelterhouses and picnic tables, sports fields, disc golf, a pool with slides and aquatic center, a playground, and more. Parking is available in several different lots. A nice place to relax and enjoy activities or a good stroll.

    This is park central for Hilliard P&R, with its main community center, its premier public pool, and…read morea variety of sport facilities in the eight-acre spread. Accessed from Scioto-Darby bordering its north, the park is tucked between neighborhoods, fields, and golf courses. Mark K. mentioned in his review circa 2015 that there was no easy bike connection between Homestead park and here. In the five years since that weakness has been rectified with an off-road bike path running down Lappert Rd. This is the way I cycled here. Just turn south from the Heritage Trail, left at the round-a-bout at Darby, and cross the street into the bike access. The park was eerily silent for the sunny summer Saturday I visited on my ride. Normally you'd expect the place to be jumping on such a gorgeous day, but the pandemic has damper things. Connected to that fact, the public pool here is closed for the year. Normally, the Family Aquatic Center, as it is called, would be full of swimmers using its leisure pool, sports pool, lazy river, slides, and children sections. Now it has a weird, abandon amusement park feel, with the rides sticking up like ruins over the wall, and ghostly echoes of screams, laughs, and splashes that should be here coming to mine in the quiet. What I call a 'sports park' the grounds hold fields for baseball/softball, lacrosse, soccer, and disk golf. Basketball courts and tennis are of course are found, as well as horseshoe ring. There is a small amphitheater and a large sledding hill half-mooning the grounds like a Native American mound. There are some art park landscaping here, especially near the fishing pond, a rustic body split by a wood bridge. There are several shelter houses here to rent. The running/riding trail isn't all that great, but it does breeze through the heart of the park. There are several connectors that leads to and from the surrounding neighborhoods. There is also a rustic food garden found here. On the east is a Veterans Memorial garden with colorful flowers, waving flags, and reflective stones ingrained with locals who gave the ultimate price. In all a good city park with lots of amenities, easy access, and just enough artwork to give it character.

    Photos
    Wooden bridge.
    Wooden bridge.
    Fishing pond.
    Fishing pond.
    Here's to better times ahead,

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    Here's to better times ahead,

    Prairie Oaks Metro Park - hiking - Updated July 2026

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