Allardale

places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Remsen Corners OH

The Park

Stanley and Esther Allard donated 125 acres of a three-generation family farm to Medina County in 1992 “so others can enjoy the open spaces, the blue sky, the trees, the flowers, the birds and the hills and valleys that we have loved so much.” In the 1930s Allardale was one of the first farms in Northeast Ohio to practice soil-saving techniques such as contour strip farming and the planting of pines and spruces along steep hillsides. In fact, Stan Allard estimated that he planted over 100,000 trees during his lifetime. Plantings continue apace today and Allardale is considered one of the finest tree farms in Ohio.

The Walks

Taking your dog around Allardale is like touring your own private estate grounds. A paved half-mile loop is tucked inside a mile-long, mostly grass path that climbs across a meadow to the top of Medina County’s hilliest park and drops through a hardy beech-maple forest to a floodplain finish that is a wonder to behold during spring wildflower season. More blooms can be seen on the Wildflower Trail that ducks into an airy woods and travels around a shallow stream on a gravel path. Heck, your dog won’t howl in protest if you decide to go round a second time.

Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Park maps are available but just jump on the trail at the parking lot and leisurely follow it around.

Workout For Your Dog - Rolling hills for about an hour.

Swimming - The stream gurgles lightly and is an ideal sittin’ and coolin’ off stream but not deep enough for canine aquatics.

Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike around Allardale and mutt mitts are provided.

Something Extra

A wolf tree is a tree, often very old, in a bush or a thicket which is different in shape from those around it; a tree whose broader trunk and spreading branches indicate that it once grew alone but is now surrounded. One such distinctive tree is a spectacular sugar maple perched ever so slightly on the edge of a ravine. Measured at 162 inches in circumference and 115 feet high, this is the champion sugar maple in all of Ohio.

Phone - (330) 722-9364

Website 

Pages/Allardale.html

Admission Fee - None

Directions - Remsen Corners; take Exit 3 from I-271 and go south on Ridge Road, SR 94, to Remsen Road. Turn left and travel east to the park entrance on the left, past State Road.

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Lakeshore Reservation

places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - North Perry Village OH

The Park

This park on the bluffs above Lake Erie was stitched together by Lake County by acquiring ten parcels of private property between 1967 and 1973. The land was targeted for development as a park because of a naturally stable sand beach and mature stands of trees.

The Walks

Of Ohio’s 262 miles of Lake Erie shoreline it is estimated that only about 40 are open for access by the public - and a lot fewer than that are open to your dog so that makes this a very special place indeed for dog owners. The highlight in the 84-acre park for your dog is the driftwood-littered sandy beach that can be hiked between staircases that drop you off the bluffs. Strong swimming dogs will love the challenge of Lake Erie waves crashing onto shore. Back on top of the bluffs the short, groomed trails in Lakeshore Reservation have a garden-like feel. The principal private landowner, Charles Irish, was a pioneering arborist who spotted non native ornamental trees and shrubs around his home amidst the typical Ohio beeches and maples. The park is oriented east-west and each side contains its own loop that mirror each other. The beach stroll can be used to create a canine hiking loop from side to side.

Where The Paw Meets The Earth: The sandy beach is not a sunbathing beach and the picnic areas are small so crowds are light to moderate.

Workout For Your Dog - Less than an hour of hiking time but the beach will keep your dog here longer than that.

Swimming - Yes, but only if your dog likes waves.

Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome in the park, on the beach and in the lake.

Something Extra

Since 1967, Carl Floyd, Chairman of the Sculpture Department of the Cleveland Institute of Art, has focused on developing large-scale site-specific sculptures. One of his earliest works was a sculpted sundial group that anchors the park’s sculpture garden.

Phone - None

Website

Admission Fee - None

Directions - North Perry Village; go north on Antioch Road from SR 20 in Perry and continue straight into the park.

hikewithyourdog.com