Battelle Darby Creek is the largest Metro Park with more than 7,000 acres of prairies, fields and forests, and more than 20 miles of riparian forest along the Big and Little Darby Creeks. The Darby creeks are noted nationally for their tremendous diversity and abundance of both aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals.

Designated state and national scenic rivers, the creeks are home to around 100 species of fish, five of which are endangered in Ohio. Forty-four species of freshwater mussels live in these waters, eight of which are on the Ohio endangered list.

Metro Parks has restored about 500 acres of wetlands, 500 acres of wet prairies and more than 500 acres of lush flowering prairies using only seeds native to the Darby Plains. The entrance road to the Indian Ridge Picnic Area is a great place to enjoy the splendor of such beauties as purple coneflower, royal catchfly, prairie dock, big bluestem and other wildflowers and grasses.

The park features more than 18 miles of trails and several scenic areas for picnicking.

Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park Trails
Teal and Harrier Trails
The Teal and Harrier Trails are connected trails through prairies and wetlands in the Wet Prairie Restoration. The trails provide a 3-mile, moderate hike on grass.

The Columbus Audubon Society often holds guided bird walks on these trails. Often seen are Sedge Wren, Marsh Wren, Henslow’s Sparrow, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Sora and Virginia Rail, and King Rail. The trails can be quite wet and muddy; waterproof footwear are highly recommended.

Other Trails
There are many miles of trails at Battelle Darby Metro Park. See the Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park Trails webpage for more information about all the trails in the park.
Ancient Trail – 1.7 miles – easy to moderate
Camp Chase Trail – 12.5 miles – easy to moderate
Cobshell Trail – .8 miles – moderate to difficult
Darby Creek Greenway Trail – 8.3 miles – easy
Dyer Mill Trail – 3 miles – moderate to difficult
Edgewood, Lake and Prairie Way Trails – 2.3 miles
Harrier Loop, Rail Way and Teal Trails – 3 miles – moderate
Hawthorn – .8 miles – easy
Indian Ridge Trail – .6 miles – moderate to difficult
Osprey Lake Trail – .5 miles – easy
Riffle Run Trail – .2 miles – difficult
Terrace Trail – 2.1 miles – moderate to difficult
Turkey Foot Trail – .5 miles – easy
Wagtail Trail – 1.9 miles – easy

The AllTrails website has descriptions and maps of hikes in the Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.