About: A Hiker's Guide to Wayne County is the all in one resource for getting out, exploring, and making the most of your time in the great outdoors.
Where to go, what to see, and how to get involved.
Wooster Memorial Park Easily everyone's favorite park, and for a good reason. WMP has over 11miles of hiking trails through ravines, over Rathburn run, across old fields, and a newly added ADA accessible trail that wanders through a prairie.
Open sunrise to sunset all year long.
Restrooms on site.
Pavilions can be rented otherwise they're on a first come first serve basis.
Dogs permitted if leashed.
No bikes, horses, or vehicles permitted on trails.
Springtime is a wonderful time to discover early blooming wildflowers. Summertime, the crossings along Rathburn Run provide a cool reprieve from the heat. Fall brings the Friends of Wooster Memorial Park "Fall Hiking Challenge" Winter, after the leaves have all fallen, highlights the geographic features along the trails.
Barnes Preserve A "new" park, established in 2015 is Wayne County's first ADA accessible park. The path goes through the woods, overlooks the Koehler pond, and has a 'short loop' or 'long loop' through the meadow. Recently some earthen trails have been added through a successional meadow and down to two old collection ponds.
Open sunrise to sunset spring through fall.
Restroom available April - October.
Pavilion may be rented otherwise it's on a first come first serve basis.
Dogs permitted if leashed.
No bikes, horses, or vehicles permitted on trails.
Fishing, swimming, and wading are not permitted in any of the ponds.
Springtime the spring peepers sing their song at the pond. Summer pollinators can be found fluttering and buzzing in the meadow. Fall shows off the color of the giant oak and hickory trees. Winter, the park is not maintained so hike at your own risk (the trails get very slippery).
Oak Hill Park On the west side of Wooster, sits the best park to watch the sun set in the summer, Oak Hill park. Over 2 miles of paved trails and a number of mowed trail, this is a favorite of families, bike riders, runners, and dog walkers. While the trails are nicely paved, the grade is too steep for wheelchairs.
Open sunrise to sunset all year long.
Restrooms on site.
Pavilion can be rented otherwise it's on a first come first serve basis.
Dogs permitted if leashed.
Bikes and strollers are permitted on trails.
Late summer/early fall is a great time to to go out and watch the sun as it sets, the open view to the west is gorgeous.
Walton Woods Wildflower Sanctuary Still a bit of a secret park, the nondescript entrance gives no clues as to what's beyond the 3 car parking area. A very primitive trail leads you through an oak forest with an assortment of spring wildflowers, then through a grove of invasive burning bush, up the side of a ravine, back down with views of a very small creek (seems to only have water in spring), circling down by a wetland, then up the hill where dutchman's breeches and trout lily can be found, past the old (unusable) outhouse, around some fallen trees, back through the burning bush grove, and back to the oak forest. The whole loop is about 3/4 of a mile, just the right length to stretch out after a long day's work.
Open sunrise to sunset all year long.
No facilities on site.
Dogs permitted if leashed.
No bikes, horses, or vehicles permitted on trails.
Spring brings a beautiful display of ephemerals (early spring wildflowers), cutleaf toothwort, mayapples, trout lily, dutchman's breeches, wild geranium, etc. This is also a pretty good area for birdwatching. In summer the invasive bittersweet wraps itself around trees and shrubs, making even dead trees look as if they have foliage. Fall the invasive burning bush turns a curious red/pink color giving the forest a surreal feel.
Brown's Lake Bog A
City of Wooster Bike Path
Grosjean Park
Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve Old growth forest
Kinney Field
Melissa Schultz Nature Preserve/ Gersenslager Park
Secrest Arboretum
Rails To Trails of Wayne County
Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area
Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area
The Wilderness Center
Coming Soon: Clear Creek Park - Wooster, OH Rittman Nature Preserve (Name TBA)