Rocky Fork Metro Park
New Metro Park glimmers with classy touches
In New Albany, where the roads are lined with white, picket fences, you’d expect to find public spaces with superb fit and finish. And that’s just what you’ll find at Rocky Fork Metro Park, which opened just north of New Albany in August 2015.
One of 19 central Ohio Metro Parks, Rocky Fork was developed through a partnership among New Albany, the city of Columbus and Plain Township.
Nature does its own work to make this 1,003-acre plot of land attractive. But it’s the details in the man-made construction that makes Rocky Form Metro Park a bit more fashionable.
Fine craftsmanship is especially noticeable in the park’s picnic shelter, where guests will find glossy-topped picnic tables surrounding a two-sided fireplace with stone chimney. Nearby are knotty pine Adirondack chairs.
Kids will like the play area, which has fake boulders to climb and a rolling slide, all set on a squishy surface.
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Parents will appreciate the clean bathrooms. And pet owners will like the off-leash dog trail and dog park with fountains for Fido to cool down.
Other than these few accoutrements, the space is pretty sparse. That’s fine, especially for nature lovers, who’ll find miles of quiet trails for walking, biking and horseback riding.
We enjoyed the North Meadow trail, which meanders one mile around a field that’s abuzz with bees visiting fragrant clover and daisies. Highlights included seeing deer, watching the summer breeze cause the field flowers to sway and finding droves of young frogs hopping across the path toward a cattail-lined swamp.
Rocky Fork Metro Park is located at 7180 Walnut St., Westerville. For more information, visit metroparks.net.
