Tom and I recently spent an afternoon exploring some Westerville parks, including Boyer Nature Preserve. After our “Step into Fall, Hike them all” adventure, we wanted to see some of the other parks around us. The parts of Westerville in Franklin County have several interesting parks.
The first one we checked out was Boyer Nature Preserve. This is a tiny pocket park set in the midst of a residential neighborhood. The Preserve has an interesting history because it is a remnant of the Ice Age. The Preserve is only nine acres, and most of it is a kettle. In geology, a kettle is a pond or bog created by a retreating glacier. A retreating glacier deposits sand and gravel in a low place. When the glacial ice breaks, it fills the depression with water. Kettles are generally small. Many kettle ponds have no source of freshwater other than rain. Dry weather can change a kettle pond into a kettle bog.
Boyer Nature Preserve was never developed. The kettle served as an outdoor laboratory for nearby elementary schools. In 1975, when the city of Westerville decided to run a sewer line through the kettle, elementary school students led the fight to save it. The City of Westerville moved the sewer line and the kettle was designated a preserve. A tiny parking lot was built, and a path with a boardwalk was developed around the kettle.
Today Boyer Nature Preserve remains an relic of the ice age in the middle of urban development. Tom and I parked in the parking lot and had a leisurely stroll around the kettle. We were amazed at the number of ducks on the pond. There were so many ducks, we could hear their webbed feet churning the water. Despite the drought, the kettle was still full of water, and the ducks were taking full advantage of the wetland.
After enjoying Boyer Nature Preserve, Tom and I headed for a hidden metro park, Highlands Wetlands Metro Park. We could see it on Google Maps, but it wasn’t on any map or list of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. Intriguing. Supposedly the Highlands Wetlands Metro Park is located just north of the Highlands Aquatic Center which is part of the Westerville Parks system. We drove to the place where we expected the park to be and found a locked gate. No fence around it, just a gate, like an entrance to a mansion or estate. There were several rural homes along the street with “No trespassing” signs.
We chose to pay attention to the signs and not look further for the park, although it raises some interesting questions. Is it a metro park to be? Was it a metro park that was decommissioned? I couldn’t find any historical references to it online. One person posted some pictures of Highlands Wetlands at the address we had and said it was inside the Highlands Aquatic Center. But the Aquatic Center doesn’t say anything about hiking or wetlands on its website. We may have to try checking it out more boldly another time. We love solving a mystery!
Tom and I finished our afternoon in the Westerville parks by walking around Inniswood Metro Gardens. We have been there several times at different times of the year and always find it peaceful and beautiful. There weren’t many flowers, but the trees still had some amazing color. Lots of people were taking advantage of a warm afternoon to get out and walk around.
Tom and I love exploring new things. One of the things we brought back from our trip to Europe was a desire to find the hidden gems around us.