|
|
THE ALUM CREEK GREENWAY TRAIL | PREVIOUS SECTION | NEXT PLANNED SECTION | 
|
 | 
| ||
NEXT COMPLETED SECTION | |||
 |
The Alum Creek Greenway is a work in progress. There are several completed sections and others under construction or development. Rather than attempt a detailed description of the connectors, I have just provided some information on how to connect unless it is a short hop. As the trail develops, I will keep updating and, hopefully, in a few years, the trail will extend from Westerville to Three Creeks Metropark in one unbroken stretch.
This section begins at the south end of Casto Park, turns east and runs down a gentle long slope adjacent to SR161 before turning and passing under that roadway. It snakes, briefly, through some trees before emerging to run along the North Campus Business Park parking lot with the Creek to the east side. It heads into a lightly wooded area, Strawberry Farms park. It makes a fairly sharp 90 degree turn over one of the arch bridges and into the maintained section of the park. There is an 0.8 loop trail with a large open area that sits almost in a bowl. Bear right (south) and follow the trail down and out of the park.
After passing out of Strawberry Farms, the trail runs through most open glades in Tanager Park and crosses (and runs partly through) a power-line right of way. There is a long steep access ramp which runs along the right of way to a park access off Mt. Hood Ct. And another one long, flatter one which leads to Hidden Ridge Ct. Again, only on-street residential parking. Another short bout of woods and you cross the second suspension bridge and enter Parkridge Park. The trail is off from the recreational areas but can be accessed by a feeder trail. It passes by the rear of some homes and then meanders out of the trees and splits with an access to the Morse Rd. sidewalk and and underpass by the river to the soccer fields on the south side. There is a walkway access to get to Easton.
There are no distance markers as yet on the trail. (Much of it looks so new as to be almost unused.) A rough estimate of the total length from the northern dead-end to Morse Road is 1.8M.
These are not measured distances:
Current dead-end off Corporate Dr to Strawberry Farms Park: 0.5M
Strawberry Farms Loop: (estimated) 400 yards
Strawberry Farms to Parkridge Park north entry (split with connector) 1.0M
Parkridge Park to Morse Rd: 0.3M
With the opening of the new underpass of SR161, I suspect that this portion of the trail will see a lot more use. It travels through three parks: Strawberry Farms, Tanager Woods and Parkridge Parks with both natural and maintained areas.. There are three new bridges and the trail surface seems barely used. It is a somewhat difficult section to access between North Campus Business park and Morse Rd as the parklands that it travels through are wedged in between fairly dense residential neighborhoods. Though there are several points of entry, all connect to neighborhood streets and only a few have any signing to indicate that they are park access routes. There are no parking areas as such, all parking is done on residential streets. My sense of it, given the size and equipment of these parks is that they are used primarily by the folks who live right around them. With regards to parking, I cannot speak for the business park. Their lots are usually mostly empty. There is ample parking at Casto Park and anywhere in nearby Easton at the other end. (Be careful of using the soccer fields lots. They are often locked in the evening or when the park is not in use. You can go off on a trip and come back to find your car is locked in.)
Though there are short woodsy sections, the foliage is not dense and most of the trail runs through open glades. It crosses the Alum Creek three times and the bridges have in-ground concrete markers which tell which park you're in. The trail is relatively flat throughout (though there is one access ramp that offers a nice climb.)
The recent renovation of Stelzer Rd has created a fairly easy to use detour that only adds about 7/10th of a mile to the distance between the trail at Easton Way and Fifth Avenue at I - 670. More information below.
BRIDGING THE GAP ON THE ALUM CREEK TRAIL
For information on the planned trail connection -
06/23/2008