One thing Danae and I love to do, when she gets time away from medical school obviously, is walk our dog, Marley. One huge perk of living in Toledo is that there are so many metroparks available to be able to walk around. I'd actually go as far to say that it's probably one of my favourite things about Toledo.
Now, Danae and I have moved around for the last 2 years. We spent a decent amount of time in the TriDelta sorority house at UT when Danae was still doing undergrad, we then moved in together around the corner from the Stranahan theatre, when she started med school and then in the last year or so we moved again, this time just outside of Perrysburg. So, during the past 2 years, we have been able to venture out to the different metroparks that Toledo has to offer.
The 4 metroparks that Toledo has to offer are:
Sidecut
Sidecut happens to be my favourite of all the metroparks. The park itself is split into 2 sections. On one side of the road is a children's playground, which always seems to be full of people, whatever the weather. The trails on the river-side of the park follow the Maumee River, and there are always a few deer that are running around the trees as we walk down the trails. On the opposite side of Sidecut Park, there is a sledding hill that just opened up this year, and kids seem to really love it. I think the parents like the huge firepit set to the side of the hill, where they itheir kids enjoy a nice winter day. Our favourite trail is also on that side of the park, and it is about 4 miles long. It's really nice to walk down with Marley, as it changes surroundings often from in the trees, to the prairie, to near the water, and back again. Marley loves meeting other dogs there, and we love a good run through the changing scenery. There is another trail which includes a piece of the old canal lock that originally connected the main line of the Maumee and Erie Canal to the city of Maumee. There is also a bird watching shelter on that Canal Lock trail, which avails itself as a nice setting to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty of the world. Sidecut is an amazing place to go considering it's just outside of a city. You almost feel as if you are in the middle of the country.Swan Creek
Swan Creek is located within the city itself, so at times, it lacks the quiet, natural feel that we love about parks. Considering its location, there are a handful of deer to be seen in the park. There are several paved trails, which are ideal for bikes and an even ground to run on. The litter from the city can be seen at times, though, which is a distraction from the beauty that Swan Creek is capable of exhibiting. Marley has come home with a few ticks from Swan Creek, too, so since we've moved to Perrysburg, we haven't been there nearly as often. Swan Creek is a nice little nature-getaway for those stuck in the middle of a not-so-great area of Toledo, but there are so many better Metroparks that Toledo has to offer that Swan Creek is somewhat easy to overlook.
Wildwood
Oak Openings
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There are also many more in the surrounding areas, all of which can be found at:
