Quick and Easy Tips for Local Metro Parks
Walnut Woods
Walnut Woods Metro Park had some awesome trails to choose from. The trails all varied in length and surface which gave me the choice of what I was feeling in that moment. Walnut Woods is a bit different than some of the parks I have visited because you need to cross the street on some paths and you have to drive to get to some of the playgrounds and bathrooms.
Buckeye Trail
Buckeye trail is connected to the main entrance and is 2 miles in length with a paved pathway. This trail is easy to use and is conveniently placed next to the parks, bathrooms, and dog parks.
Monarch Trail
The Monarch trail is a 1.5 mile gravel trail that connects to the Sweetgum trail. This trail runs through an open field but does cross the street to connect to other trails. Monarch is fairly flat and easy. I enjoy this trail because I can see the rest of the trail in the field and see where I am going.
Kestrel Trail
The Kestrel trail is a 1.3 mile trail that is grass and dirt and runs through the wetlands and an open field. This trail is right beside the Monarch Trail and directly connects to it. This trail is very nice to run on at Walnut Woods because it is a grass path so it is a softer surface than the other trails.
Sweetgum Trail
The Sweetgum trail is about 2.5 miles of paved and gravel pathways that runs through the trees of Walnut Woods. This trail is fairly flat so it is a nice trail to start on to get a good warm up on hard surfaces then move over to some of the shorter but softer trails.
Bathrooms
Walnut Woods has a main bathroom at the entrance of the park where the Buckeye Trail is. If you want to drive to the other trails, there are temporary bathrooms at each trail.
Parks and Gathering Areas
Walnut Woods has a few parks with gathering spaces next to them. The Metropark also includes a dog park next to the main gathering are where people can bring dogs of any sizes any time of year.