Alerts

Be prepared for your next visit. View a list of park and trail alerts below, and call the park district’s Administrative Office for details: 330-867-5511 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Last updated April 23, 2025

General

Bird Flu

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), H5N1 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers. The best prevention is to avoid sources of exposure:

1. Enjoy wild birds safely from a distance. Avoid physical interactions like feeding.
2. Do not touch sick or dead birds.
3. Avoid collecting bird feathers.
4. Do not eat raw dairy products.

Hand-feeding chickadees is a popular activity at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm (1828 Smith Rd., Akron). The park district advises visitors to refrain from hand-feeding at this time to reduce the spread of bird flu. As a precaution, Summit Metro Parks has also suspended the sale of bird seed from Maple Leaf Gifts, located inside F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm Visitors Center.

For more information, visit the CDC website or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website.

Weather Reports

Weather stations located across Summit Metro Parks provide real-time weather data, including temperature, rain fall, humidity and wind speed. Visit the links below to view data from different areas of the county and plan your upcoming trip to the parks.

• Firestone Metro Park
• Sand Run Metro Park
• Liberty Park Metro Park
• Furnace Run Metro Park

Paddling

Please note that the paddling access point at the Oxbow Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park has moved to the Valley View Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park.

Boundary Surveys

The park district is conducting boundary surveys to identify property boundary lines. In this type of survey, the surveyor sets (or recovers) property corners and produces a detailed plat or map. To accomplish this, the surveyor researches public records and conducts field research by taking measurements and performing calculations. The areas being surveyed are as follows:

• Freedom Trail (Akron)
• Munroe Falls Metro Park, entire park boundary (Munroe Falls, Tallmadge)
• Silver Creek Metro Park (Norton)
• Wood Hollow Metro Park, northern portion of park (Hudson)

Freedom Trail

3/3/25: The next phase of the Freedom Trail is under construction from Mill Street south to Buchtel Avenue in downtown Akron. This project will extend the trail south behind The University of Akron, near EJ Thomas Hall and across the University Avenue bridge, ending at Buchtel Avenue. Construction is expected to continue throughout 2025. During this time, the Mill Street connection for the Freedom Trail will be unavailable. Visitors traveling south from Arlington Road should turn around at the Mill Street bridge and return on the same trail.

9/25/24: Construction of the Middlebury bridge and trail connector between the Freedom Trail and Portage County Bike & Hike Trail has begun. Visitors to the Middlebury Trailhead are encouraged to use caution near construction equipment and vehicular traffic.

Towpath Trail

1/27/25: A section of the Towpath Trail between the Magic Mile Trailhead (at Robinson Avenue) and Wolf Creek Trailhead (at Snyder Avenue) is closed for construction.

Parks

Cascade Valley Metro Park 

Ongoing: The Chuckery Area is closed for site preparation associated with the removal of the Gorge Dam. Following this work, the City of Akron will begin preparations for the Northside Interceptor Tunnel (NSIT) in the same area. The Chuckery Area will continue to be closed as necessary for public safety throughout the Gorge Dam and NSIT construction work, with closures expected to last through mid-2027.  

F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm

4/15/25: The Visitors Center will be closed April 30 for scheduled floor maintenance. It will reopen May 1.

4/18/25: Beginning April 21, the park district will be paving the service drive and adding parking to the employee parking lot behind the Visitors Center. Visitors may experience some short term delays entering and exiting the main visitor parking lot. Some of the parking lot will be unavailable during this time due to staging of construction equipment. Seneca Trail can be accessed from the Rock & Herb Garden. The project is expected to be complete by early June.

Firestone Metro Park

4/7/25: Due to heavy rain, the majority of low spots on Willow Trail are flooded and will be closed until the water recedes.

Gorge Metro Park

4/21/25: Restrooms are closed for maintenance.

4/28/25: Visitors to should avoid the area of the T-dock, which is being removed by park district staff to prepare for the sediment remediation project and will require heavy machinery to be operating in the area.

6/2/25: The Highbridge Trail Area will close while a U.S. EPA contractor prepares to remove the built-up sediment behind the dam as part of the project to remove the Gorge Dam. Other remaining areas of Gorge Metro Park are expected to close later this summer and will remain closed for several years during the project. The city of Akron’s sewer construction project will continue concurrently. 

Hampton Hills Metro Park

11/14/24: The lot at the Top O’ the World Area is closed.

Mountain Bike Trails will be closed during wet or dangerous conditions. Status updates are shared via Bluesky. Please check before you ride: @smpmountainbike.bsky.social. Please note: You do not need a Bluesky account to view updates. The Mountain Bike Trail status is also displayed at the Hampton Hills Metro Park Mountain Bike Area lot.

Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park

Ongoing: To align with the park district’s mission to protect natural resources, Summit Metro Parks biologists increased the protective buffer around the reed beds used by purple martins at Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park. We understand that this decision may be disappointing to some visitors. Unfortunately, in recent years kayakers and boaters have encroached into the birds’ space, discouraging them from using this valuable habitat on their seasonal journey to South America.

Sand Run Metro Park

11/25/24: A portion of the Jogging Trail is closed to provide necessary repairs to a failing retaining wall. The trail is closed from Chestnut Drive (the entrance to Chestnut Lodge off Sand Run Parkway) to the Shadowfield Area. Please obey the signage for the safety of construction crews and park visitors.

Sand Run Parkway is closed Monday through Friday between the Shadowfield Parking Lot and Sand Run Road. The parkway will open on the weekends and for lodge rentals as needed, with a portion of the road at the construction site converted to one-way traffic. Please obey the traffic signal for the safety of construction crews and park visitors.

Repairs are expected to be complete in summer 2025.