Summit Metro Parks We're Your Back Yard
Sand Run Metro Park

Sand Run

Metro Park

Photo: Sand Run, water under Mingo Bridge

Park Areas

Big Bend Area

Address 1337 Merriman Rd.
Akron, OH 44313

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Trail Icon Trail Name Miles Class Rating Description
Towpath Trail Towpath Trail - - - There are 41 miles of the multipurpose Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Summit County. Summit Metro Parks manages half of that distance, from the southern boundary of Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the Stark County line, except about three miles in Akron.

Lone Spruce Area

Address 1350 Sand Run Pkwy.
Akron, OH 44313

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

North Hawkins Area

Address 800 N. Hawkins Ave.
Akron, OH 44313

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Old Portage Area

Address 1300 Sand Run Pkwy.
Akron, OH 44313

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Trail Icon Trail Name Miles Class Rating Description
Jogging Trail Jogging Trail 6.0 B,C 2 The Jogging Trail is the most popular in the park district. It is plowed in winter to allow access year-round.  At the start of the trail, from the Old Portage Area, a one-mile (round trip) section earns Class B status and is good for users with wheelchairs, walkers, canes and strollers.

Revere Road Lot

Address 2400 Sand Run Pkwy.
Fairlawn, OH 44333

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Trail Icon Trail Name Miles Class Rating Description
Jogging Trail Jogging Trail 6.0 B,C 2 The Jogging Trail is the most popular in the park district. It is plowed in winter to allow access year-round. At the start of the trail, from the Old Portage Area, a one-mile (round trip) section earns Class B status and is good for users with wheelchairs, walkers, canes and strollers.

Treaty Line Area

Address 995 Treaty Line Rd.
Akron OH 44313

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Trail Icon Trail Name Miles Class Rating Description
Parcours Trail 1.4 C 3 If you're looking for something other than a casual hike, challenge yourself on this trail with 20 numbered exercise stations. Each has a beginner and "par" level indicated on its sign. Trailside markers direct users to either walk or run at different intervals to enhance the workout.

Wadsworth Area

Address 1400 Sand Run Pkwy.
Akron OH 44313

Hours Daily: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Trail Icon Trail Name Miles Class Rating Description
Dogwood Trail 1.9 C 3 Explore shady valley and ridge-top terrain along the wooded and challenging Dogwood Trail. Climb the hill to the North Hawkins Area sled hill before descending back to the Sand Run valley.
Mingo Trail Mingo Trail 3.0 C,D 3 The wooded Mingo Trail harbors a variety of wildlife and oak, beech and tulip trees. The trail becomes quite rugged, earning Class D status.

Classes: A = Multipurpose  |  B = Accessible*  |  C = Basic  |  D = Primitive**  |  E = Bridle

Ratings: 1 = Easy  |  2 = Moderate  |  3 = Difficult

* Flat, easy trail or section with asphalt or crushed limestone surface.

See our  Spree For All page for more information about accessible trails.

** Rugged and challenging with uneven surfaces and steep, narrow routes

Park Map

Sand Run Map

History & Wildlife

The 998-acre Sand Run Metro Park opened in 1929, but the area has been welcoming visitors for centuries. The upland surrounding Sand Run was a settlement area for Indigenous Peoples. Portage Path was once an important Indigenous trail between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers; later, it was the western boundary of the United States. A high ridge above the Wadsworth Area was a lookout point for General Elijah Wadsworth, who made his camp near the present-day Old Portage Area during the War of 1812.

In the 1930s, Sand Run Parkway and many of the surrounding shelters and structures were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1974, the park district's Administrative Offices were moved from Goodyear Heights Metro Park to Sand Run.

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Today, visitors can drive through the Sand Run stream at the ford which crosses Sand Run Parkway. In the cool, shady ravines of Sand Run and its tributary streams, hemlocks, ferns, skunk cabbage and large colonies of horsetails grow. Each spring, large-flowered trilliums and other seasonal blooms appear, including foam flower, bloodroot, spring beauty and trout lily.

The towering forest is home to red, gray and fox squirrels; screech, barred and great horned owls; and pileated woodpeckers. Red-tailed hawks roost in the treetops when they are not soaring over the ridges. Many rare species inhabit the park, including sharp-shinned hawks, butternut trees and native orchids.
 

Photo Gallery

Activities
  • Biking
  • Cross-country Skiing
  • Ice Skating
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom
Activities
  • Take a hike or enjoy the view
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom
Activities
  • Take a hike or enjoy the view
Amenities
  • Lodge
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom
Activities
  • Sledding
  • Soccer
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom
Activities
  • Take a hike or enjoy the view
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom
  • Shelter
Activities
  • Take a hike or enjoy the view
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Restroom
Activities
  • Soccer
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom
Activities
  • Take a hike or enjoy the view
Amenities
  • Pet-friendly
  • Picnic Tables
  • Restroom