SUNBURY — To help those who have committed to getting healthier in 2021, Preservation Parks of Delaware County is offering a winter walking program.
“The Winter 100 is a walking/hiking program that challenges you to walk 100 miles or 100 kilometers (62 miles), your preference, between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2021,” states the Preservation Parks website.
The idea is to walk a mile or a kilometer (or more) a day a couple times a week to get to the distance goal. Participants can log their progress on a tracking form. Once completed, it can be emailed to [email protected].
For those individuals who complete either distance, they’ll receive a decal from Preservation Parks, but there’s more to it than that.
“Keeping active and spending time outdoors is vital for our mental and physical well-being, especially as we cope with the pandemic through the challenging winter months ahead,” the Preservation Parks website states.
The following are Preservation Parks locations that have walking trails (some of the Parks’ trails connect to other communities’ trails:
• Blues Creek Park, 9627 Fontanelle Road, Ostrander: Shagbark Loop (1.1 miles, gravel); Fox Run (0.5 miles, grass); Meadowlark (0.5 miles, grass); Bluestem (0.3 miles, grass)
• Char-Mar Ridge Park, 7741 Lewis Center Road, Westerville: Glacier Ridge (1.7 miles, gravel)
• Deer Haven Park, 4183 Liberty Road, Delaware: Tree Swallow (0.6 miles, gravel); Bent Tree Ridge (0.5 miles, gravel); Grass Trail (0.4 miles, grass)
• Emily Traphagen Park, 5094 Seldom Seen Road, Powell: Whitetail Loop (0.6 miles, gravel); Meadow Trail (0.5 miles, grass); Pond Overlook (0.1 miles, gravel)
• Gallant Woods Park, 2151 Buttermilk Hill Road, Delaware: Primitive Trail (1.3 miles, dirt); Pheasant Run (1.1 miles, grass and gravel); Tree-Frog Trail (0.3 miles, gravel); Farm Connector (0.25 miles, gravel)
• Hogback Ridge Park, 2656 Hogback Road, Sunbury: Pinegrove Trail (0.4 miles, gravel); Woodland Ridge (0.4 miles, gravel)
• Shale Hollow Park, 6320 Artesian Run, Lewis Center: Great Horned Owl Trail (1.1 miles, gravel); Overlook Trail (1 mile, gravel)
Preservation Parks also administers the following segments of the Ohio-to-Erie Trail:
• Hoover Scenic Trail, 8405 Plumb Road, Galena (0.6 miles, paved)
• Meredith State Road Trail, 5769 N. County Line Road, Centerburg (1.6 miles from Condit to Licking County line, paved, but no parking available)
• Sandel Legacy Trail, 168 S. Vernon St., Sunbury (0.6 miles, paved)
To date, Preservation Parks said 1,092 people have already signed up for the Winter 100 program.
Preservation Parks is based at Hogback Ridge Park in Sunbury. For more information, visit preservationparks.com.
