Traipse Through An Enchanting Fairy Tale Forest At Sugarcreek Metro Park
By Sarah McCosham|Published October 27, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
Fairy tale places abound in Ohio, from Loveland’s Château Laroche to the ever-beguiling Kenyon College, our very own Hogwarts! These are well-known destinations plucked straight from the pages of a storybook, but did you know there’s a park hiding just outside Dayton, Ohio, that’s a real-life secret garden? Sugarcreek MetroPark is the most magical fairy tale forest in Ohio, and it’s just waiting to be explored… by you.
Just outside the hustle and bustle of busy Dayton, Ohio, there is a lush and enchanted forest that feels like a real-life fairy tale.
This is Sugarcreek MetroPark, a 618-acre expanse filled with a diverse habitat of scenic creeks, rolling hills, dense woods, wildflowers, fields, prairies, wetlands, and wildlife. Lots and lots of wildlife!
Within this fairy-tale forest, three commanding oak trees take center stage. The largest of the trio, dubbed the Big Sister, is one of the two largest trees in the MetroParks, with a circumference of 226 inches, a height of 141 feet, and a crown spread of 93 feet. She is hauntingly beautiful during the golden hour.
Beautiful all year round, the spring and summer blooms of this Ohio park are truly something to see. Vivid and vibrant, colorful and fanciful, birds singing and bees buzzing, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more romantic place in the Buckeye State.
Don't discount winter here, either. When the snow falls, the park takes on a serene stillness that's downright heavenly. The park's Sycamore Ridge and Beech Woods trails traverse some of its most beautiful landscapes.
Of course, Sugarcreek MetroPark is perhaps best-known for its glorious tree tunnel. Known as the Osage Orange Tunnel, this unique tunnel of trees was planted as a living fence many, many years ago.
The "tunnel" was formed by the large arching branches of the old trees, which slowly bowed with the passage of time. Today, visitors can experience the splendor of walking through this glorious tunnel of trees on the easy, 1.3-mile Orange Trail.
If you're craving a bit of time in the great outdoors, this is one park you shouldn't pass up. Between its winsome woodland creatures, old-growth forests, and beguiling giants, Sugarcreek MetroPark in is straight out of a fairy tale.
