Every Trail Project- Sharon Woods

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 It was a beautiful day outside so the family and I headed over to Sharon Woods so the kids could play and I could hit the trails. I had been to this park a number of times, but have never run on the trails there. I take my daughter there because Sharon Woods has a great natural play area. Unlike Blendon Woods, this play area is all nature, no extras. It's big and it has a diverse number of things to do and see. Plenty of logs to check under and a stream to play in. It's definitely one of my daughter's favorites!

Sharon Woods has six named trails - Edward S Thomas, Spring Creek, Multipurpose, Lake, Oak Openings and Connector. The route I ran was about 9 miles, but this included some double loops and a few double backs so I could makes sure I ran on every trail. You can see the route I ran here.The longest trail is the Multipurpose Trail which is a 3.8 mile paved loop around the entire park. This trail is one way for cyclists, but foot traffic can go either direction in a dedicated lane. I hit this trail first because, if I'm honest, I wanted to get it out of the way and on to the unpaved trails. It still had some really beautiful sections and I even saw a bunch of wild turkeys. 

Nice shade on this section of the Multipurpose Trail

The Edward S Thomas Trail and the Spring Creek Trail are both beautiful. The are both finely crushed gravel and run through mostly forest. There is also a nice grass/prairie section on the Spring Creek Trail and the Connector Trail. For Views of the lake, you can take the paved Lake Trail that runs alongside the lake with plenty of spots to stop by the water. Overall, the ease of connecting the trails makes Sharon Woods an ideal spot to do some longer running fully within the boundaries of the park. Kids (and adults) will love the natural play area as well. 

Prairie section of the Spring Creek Trail

This was my fifth park in five days and my legs are feeling it. But, completing this journey and supporting Friends of Metro Parks is keeping me motivated! I definitely look how I feel though.

Just a little disheveled...

I hope you will consider joining me in making a donation to Friends of Metro Parks by visiting this donation page. Make sure to select "Every Trail Project" in the donation details section. Thank you for following along! Get outside, stay healthy and find joy!


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