Wooster Memorial Park

Wooster Memorial Park

Silver Road Wooster, Ohio 44691

Official Website
Wooster Memorial Park map

Also, see all the hotspots at:
Wooster Area Birding Drive

Tips for Birding

There are three parking areas, all on Silver Road, for Wooster Memorial Park. The central parking lot is at the intersection of Silver Road with North Jefferson Road. There is a picnic area and vault toilet at this parking area. The trail down in to the ravine provides access to all the trails in the park.

There is field habitat at the west side of this park, accessible from the Education Area parking lot. This lot is not always open, but you can park near the gate when it is closed. From the picnic pavilion take the trail west (left) and go through the woods on the Education Trail to get to the large field.

The park has an extensive trail system, mostly thorough wooded areas. These can be excellent for woodland birds.

About this Location

The easternmost parking lot on Silver Road is a recently developed section of paved and grass trails with overlook decks. The paved trail is handicap accessible.


Wooster Memorial or “Spangler” Park is found off of US-250 just five miles West of town. Consisting of over three hundred and twenty-plus acres of pristine woodland for hiking. There are over six miles primitive of trails, scenic overlooks, the Rathborn Run, picnic pavilions, and public restrooms Wooster Memorial offers some wonderful educational opportunities or just a place to get back to nature.

Notable Trails

Wooster Memorial Park Trails
Spangler Trail
This 1.5-mile hike begins at the Spangler Trail from the main entrance parking lot on Silver Road. Take the Spangler Trail down into the ravine from the parking lot. When the Spangler Trail divides to form a loop, take the Spangler Trail to the right. You can do this hike entirely on the Spangler Trail by completing the loop and returning to the parking lot. The full loop of the Spangler Trail crosses the Rathborn Run several times without bridges, so be prepared to deal with slippery rocks and a few inches of running water.

An alternative way to end the hike is to take the Old Field Trail to the Education Trail. The Old Fiend Trail takes you through more grassland habitat. Then take the Education Trail to return to the main entrance parking lot.

There are many trails in Wooster Memorial Park which loop and connect with one another, making a longer hike.
Education Trail – .9 mile – yellow
Old Field Trail – .5 mile – white
Hartman Trail – .2 mile – orange
Strock Trail – .4 mile – pink
Sassafras Trail – .6 mile – orange
Kenwood Trail – .8 mile – white
Trillium Trail – .9 mile – green
Spangler Trail – 1.5 miles – blue
Saddleback Trail – 1.3 miles – purple
Outer Trail – 2.2 miles – red

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

Content from Official Website, Ken Ostermiller, and Aaron Morris