With just two parks left, Tom and I headed for Emily Traphagen Preservation Park to conquer its 2.2 miles of trails. Emily Traphagen park is a natural oasis in the midst of the growing suburb of Powell. The park borders the Scioto River, but it also borders many new subdivisions. Tom and I spend a considerable amount of time in Powell and we had never seen Emily Traphagen Park. One reason for that might be its location on Seldom Seen Road.
Preservation Parks purchased 72 acres of land from Dr. Donald Traphagen in 2000. Dr. Traphagen offered a generous price reduction in tribute to his wife Emily and her love for the land. Emily Traphagen Preservation Park opened three years later with amenities being added over time. A playground was installed in 2004 and a picnic shelter was constructed in 2009. In response to a growing number of visitors, the parking lot was enlarged in 2010 and a restroom was constructed in 2011.
A natural play area was created near the playground in 2016. In the following years, wetlands were restored nearby, followed by the construction of an impressive 100-foot boardwalk across this new aquatic habitat. Over the past decade, Emily Traphagen Park has continued to expand, with approximately 28 acres of agricultural land purchased from John Campbell in 2017. The following year, park staff began restoring these fields with native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees.
A walk along the trails at Emily Traphagen Park takes visitors through shady woodland, sunny prairie, wetland, and pond habitats. The park contains exceptional Karst geology. Characterized by sinkholes, caves, and hidden waterways, it is one of few such areas of central Ohio that contains these fascinating geologic features.
The three hiking loops at the park all start at the central parking area. Tom and I chose the Whitetail loop first and hiked the short Pond Overlook Trail when we came to it. Then we hiked the Tanager loop and finished with the Meadow loop. The Meadow loop had a nice view of the Scioto River at the bottom of the hill. The trail went down to Riverside Drive and had a short connector to a parking lot along the river. We enjoyed seeing the pond, especially all the ducks on the pond. There was a photography club taking pictures along the pond as well.
It was a beautiful day to explore a place we had never been before. We enjoyed the trails very much. The only other people we saw were the folks from the photography club. Nine parks down, only one to go!