Hiking near Toledo, Ohio

Very flat, but quiet walk. High probability of seeing deer, along with many bird species. The trail continues for several miles, but storm clouds were ruling in and I decided to head back down river road which is a pleasant walk itself.

Trying to keep my a new year's resolution to get out more in the winter, I decided to take advantage of the beautifully sunny day to hike some of the trails at Crosswinds Marsh.   Today, I walked the horse trail which skirts the outside perimeter of the park.I knew that the recent thaw would make things muddy and since Tessa, (my golden retriever), needed a bath anyway, I decided to take her along.  Wow...

The girls and I decided to explore a section of Oakwoods Metropark that we have never been to before -- a walk down the old South Huron road.    When the park was created in the early 70's, South Huron road was closed and the homesteads along it were removed, leaving a well packed trail that I expected to find reverting to nature.What I found however, was a well groomed horse riding trail...

This was a fun afternoon hike.  There are lots of different types of terrain here, including some riverfront, a few wetlands, some wildflower-filled plains, and a relatively unusual habitat known as dry sand prairie.Most of the trails are very wide and pretty flat.  The only somewhat hilly sections are the eastern side of the southernmost loop (where you'll find the dry sand prairie) and the western side of the next loop north...