Every Trail Project- Rocky Fork

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Moving along on my journey through the Metro Parks brings me to Rocky Fork Metro Park in Westerville. This is one of the smaller parks in the Metro Parks system, but if you have a dog, this park is for you! Almost every trail in the park permits pets and there a few dog park areas. There is even a trail that permits dogs off of the leash. There is also a small playground area.

The longest trail in the park is actually the bridle trail which is not open to foot traffic. There are five named trails in the park that are open to foot traffic - Beech Woodland, Millstone Connector, North Meadow, Dog and Bevelhymer. With the exception of the North Meadow and Dog Trails, all the trails in Rocky Fork are paved. 

I ran every trail in this park using one 4.7 mile route. You can see the route I took here. I started at Millstone Picnic Area which is where the playground is located and access to both the Beech Woodland Trail, North Meadow Trail and Millstone Connector Trail. I hopped onto Beech Woodland for a short distance to connect to the other end of the North Meadow Trail. I was happy to get off of the pavement and onto this 1 mile grass trail that winds through grassland, taking me back to the Millstone Picnic Area where I would jump onto the Millstone Connector Trail.

Running on the North Meadow Trail

After a short distance on the Millstone Connector Trail I turned east to do an out and back on the Bevelhymer Trail which runs to the park boundary and connects to Bevelhymer Park (not a Metro Park). It was a 1 mile round trip and the I was back onto the Millstone Connecter until I reached the Dog Trail. This trail is a crushed gravel loop that's actually meant to allow dog owners to walk their dogs off the leash, one of the few trails in the Metro Parks system that allows this. After this very short 0.3 mile trail, I was back on Millstone which would take me to the main entrance of the park and past the pretty crowded dog park.

The main entrance to Rocky Fork at the end of the Millstone Connector Trail

I turned around at the entrance and took Millstone back the way I came until I met up with the Beech Woodland Trail again. Beech Woodland is a 1.25 mile paved trail that makes a loop. The Bridle Trail actually runs parallel to this trail in several sections. Although it is paved, the Beech Woodland Trail is beautiful and runs the the forested section of the park. Finishing the loop of this trail took me back to my car.

A beautiful section of the Beech Woodland Trail (if you look closely, there is a deer crossing the trail)

While this park is mostly paved, and my trail running sensibilities usually lead me to avoid paved trails, this park definitely had some gems. If you are someone who likes to run with your dog, this park is a great option, giving you the opportunity to run with your dog both on and off the leash. If you are a runner doing speed work and want a nice 1.5 mile loop, you can combine the Beech Woodland and Millstone Connector Trails. Overall, this is a fun little park.

As always, get outside, stay healthy and find joy!



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