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Prairie Oaks Park: So much to explore
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - January 26, 2012)
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 Approximately 625 people participated in the Jan. 15 Metro Parks winter hike at Prairie Oaks Metro Park near West Jefferson. Routes took visitors over Darby Creek, around lakes and through prairie grasses.
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 Geese take a swim in one of the four lakes that were once quarries at Prairie Oaks Metro Park.
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 Warming up after a hike through the park are: (from left) Joel Throckmorton, Diana Saintignon and Paul Soltesz, all of Columbus; park volunteer Rodger Lynch and park manager Tom Cochran, both of West Jefferson; and Bobby Wassel of Cincinnati.
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 Kile Cochran, 17, a junior at West Jefferson High School, helps to man the hot chocolate and soup table at the Prairie Oaks Metro Park winter hike. Cochran is the son of Tom Cochran, the park manager.
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Temperatures in the 20s, no wind, and plenty of sunshine made Jan. 15 an invigorating day for the third hike in the Metro Parks’ 2012 Winter Hike Series. The featured park: Prairie Oaks Metro Park near West Jefferson.
A total of 625 trekkers chose from one-, three- and five-mile routes. Some, like Rodger Lynch of West Jefferson, are Prairie Oaks regulars. Lynch walks at the park two or three mornings a week. He attended the Jan. 15 hike as a volunteer. Others, like Bobby Wassel of Cincinnati, were first-timers. A microbiology major at The Ohio State University, Wassel hiked with 18 fellow members of an Environment and Natural Resources scholars group.
“We have our committed clientele, but it’s nice to see new faces, too” said West Jefferson resident Tom Cochran, the park’s manager for the last 10 years. “The Winter Hike Series is a great opportunity for people to get out and visit all of the Metro Parks. Every park is unique in itself.”
The Metro Parks system contains 16 parks, 13 of which are included in the hike series. Most are located in and around Franklin County, with some, like Prairie Oaks, reaching into Madison County.
From quarries to lakes
Cochran and his staff, many of whom also hail from West Jefferson, enjoy any opportunity to show off what makes Prairie Oaks unique. Chief among those facets are the park’s four lakes. Each was once a quarry, mined for aggregate for use in residential and commercial construction. Now, park visitors of all ages can go fishing and take kayaks, canoes and non-motorized boats out on the lakes.
“A lot of work has gone into fish restocking and fish habitat improvement,” Cochran said.
Fishermen can expect to catch small- and large-mouth bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish and perch—species native to Darby Creek, which runs through the middle of the 1,800-acre park. Fishing licenses are required; size and bag limits are posted. Starting in the spring, both Prairie Oaks and Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in Galloway offer fishing until midnight the last Saturday of the month.
Prairie Oaks’ lakes are deep; the deepest measuring 140 feet down. For families with small children and people with mobility challenges, the park offers an alternative water experience—a handicap accessible pond located in the park’s Darby Bend Lakes section.
Dogs and horses welcome
Prairie Oaks is one of the system’s parks where four-legged animals are just as welcome as their two-legged owners. Pets are permitted on a leash on all but a couple of the trails. A pet swimming area at Darby Bend Lakes allows pets to go leashless as long their owners maintain verbal control.
Cochran encourages dog lovers to mark their calendars for Wag Fest, an annual event in late August that attracts 12,000 to 15,000 people and 7,000 pets to Prairie Oaks. The one-day affair features demonstrations, interactive activities, and dog-themed vendors.
Horses are welcome at Prairie Oaks, too, on the designated bridle trail, which, when enough snow falls, doubles as a path for cross country skiing.
Prairies and Wetlands
Also unique at Prairie Oaks is the 480 acres of restored prairie grasses and flowers, acreage that once was corn fields. West Jefferson resident and Metro Parks employee Jack McDowell spearheaded the seeding project that made the transformation possible. He did the same at Battelle Darby Creek. According to Cochran, the prairie lands are a sight to behold, especially in spring and summer when the flowers are in bloom.
A new feature going in this year is an enhanced button-bush wetlands along the Hubbard Road portion of the park’s property. The project will cost $835,000, most of which will be covered by grants.
“It’s a great opportunity to rebuild wetlands that will help the environment greatly and attract waterfowl and other wildlife,” Cochran said.
Metro Parks is working on a long-term project to connect the Prairie Oaks and Battelle-Darby Creek parks via the Darby Creek Greenways Trail. When that happens, they also hope to establish satellite trails into the wetlands.
How to get there
Prairie Oaks Metro Park can be accessed from five different points:
• Main Entrance—3225 Plain City-Georgesville Road, West Jefferson (0.8 miles north of the Route 142 exit off of I-70)
• Sycamore Plains Trail Access—2009 Amity Road, Hilliard
• Darby Bend Lakes—2755 Amity Road, Hilliard
• Beaver Lake—8921 Lucas Road, Plain City
• Upper Darby Canoe Access—4275 Amity Road, Hilliard.
For detailed directions and a map of the park, go to www.metroparks.net.
Upcoming programs at Prairie Oaks
Prairie Oaks Metro Park will host the following programs in February. All are free and open to the public.
• Owl Prowl—Search for owls on a one-mile hike around Beaver Lake. Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
• Harrier Hike—Look for northern harriers on a hike through the prairie. Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. Meet at the Prairie View Picnic Area, 3225 Plain City-Georgesville Road.
• Skunk Cabbage Search—Look for the first wildflower of spring on a one-mile, off-trail hike. Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. Meet at the Prairie View Picnic Area, 3225 Plain City-Georgesville Road.
Winter Hike Series
The Metro Parks Winter Hike Series features hikes at 13 of the system’s parks. This year’s series started Jan. 7. The following are the remaining hikes on the schedule. For details, go to www.metroparks.net.
Jan. 28—Clear Creek (Rockbridge)
Feb. 4—Blendon Woods (Westerville)
Feb. 11—Highbanks (Lewis Center)
Feb. 12—Glacier Ridge (Plain City)
Feb. 18—Three Creeks (Groveport)
Feb. 19—Slate Run (Canal Winchester)
Feb. 25—Battelle Darby Creek (Galloway)
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