Drive south on US-23 through Lewis Center and you will pass a small brown sign for Shale Hollow Park that most people never turn toward. It sits about two-tenths of a mile off the highway, tucked behind a boating supply store, and it is easy to write off as the kind of pocket park you drive by for years before you ever stop. Meanwhile Highbanks Metro Park, a few miles north along the Olentangy River, gets the crowds, the school field trips, and the reputation as "the park" in this part of Delaware County.
That reputation is not wrong. Highbanks earns it. But treating the two as interchangeable, or worse, not knowing the second one exists, means missing a genuinely different outdoor experience that this particular season is built for. These are not two entrances to the same system. They are run by two different park districts, operate under different rules for dogs and hours, and reward completely different kinds of fall afternoons.
Two Parks, One Short Drive, Two Different Rulebooks
Highbanks is a Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks property. Shale Hollow belongs to Preservation Parks of Delaware County, a separate agency with its own funding, its own staff, and its own policies. That distinction explains a lot of the friction residents run into when they assume the two parks work the same way.
Here is what actually separates them:
| Highbanks Metro Park | Shale Hollow Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Managed by | Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks | Preservation Parks of Delaware County |
| Size | 1,204 acres | 211 acres |
| Trail network | Ten trails ranging from 0.3 to 3.5 miles | One primary loop, the Great Horned Owl Trail, around 2.1 miles |
| Signature feature | A 100-foot shale bluff overlooking the Olentangy River | 20 to 40-foot shale cliffs lining Big Run creek |
| Dogs | Leashed dogs permitted throughout most trails and grounds | Leashed dogs allowed on the main trail only, prohibited in the Natural Play Area and on the primitive trail |
| Hours this fall | Standard year-round metro park hours | 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through October 31, then 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting November 1 |
| Wildlife draw | A nesting pair of bald eagles that has hatched eaglets since 2010 | Songbirds, salamanders, deer, and coyotes along the creek corridor |
Highbanks also holds the 206-acre Edward F. Hutchins State Nature Preserve within its boundaries, where off-trail activity is not permitted at all. That preserve is part of why Highbanks feels bigger and more managed even when you are only using a fraction of it. Shale Hollow has no equivalent zone. Almost the entire park invites you to leave the trail, which is the point.
What Shale Hollow Does That the Bigger Park Can't
The defining feature at Shale Hollow is the creek itself. Big Run winds through a twisting corridor lined with shale cliffs, and the shale there is soft enough that locals call it "potato chip shale" because it flakes and erodes so easily. That erosion is what produces the park's other signature detail: round rock formations called concretions, some visible right in the cliff walls and creek bed. You will not find that geology replicated at Highbanks.
The park also builds its Natural Play Area directly around the creek, which is why it draws families for what regulars call creeking, wading into the shallow water to look for shale pieces and small wildlife. One visitor who hiked the trail on a quiet weekday described having the trail to ourselves almost the whole time, a contrast to how crowded Highbanks can feel on a Saturday afternoon near the Overlook Trail. Shale Hollow was also acquired gradually between 2004 and 2015 through park levy funds, grants, and loans, and only opened to the public in 2013, which is part of why it still reads as a discovery to people who have lived in the area for years.
None of this makes Shale Hollow better. It makes it a genuinely different kind of outing, one built around a small, close-up encounter with a creek rather than a longer walk through varied terrain.
Where Highbanks Still Wins
Highbanks earns its reputation for a reason. If you want mileage, the Coyote Run Trail alone covers 3.5 miles, and the park's ten trails combined let a hiker cover close to nine miles without repeating a route. The Overlook Trail leads to a deck perched 100 feet above the Olentangy River, a view Shale Hollow has no equivalent for. The park also runs a nature center near the entrance with displays on local fossils and wildlife, and a sledding hill that becomes the default winter spot once the ground finally freezes.
The bald eagles are the detail most casual visitors miss entirely. Highbanks has hosted a nesting pair since 2010, and they have hatched eaglets there in the years since. That is not a seasonal event tied to fall, but it is a reason regulars keep circling back to the park across every season rather than treating it as a one-time visit.
The Fall Detail Most People Miss
The timing question that actually matters this month is the hours change at Shale Hollow. Right now, in late September, the park is open until 9 p.m., which gives commuters enough daylight to squeeze in an after-work walk. Starting November 1, that closes two hours earlier, dropping to 7 p.m. as Preservation Parks of Delaware County shifts to winter hours through the end of February. Highbanks does not carry that same seasonal cutoff, which is one more reason the two parks feel like they operate on different clocks even though they sit minutes apart.
The leash distinction matters just as much if you are planning a dog walk rather than a family creek trip. At Highbanks, leashed dogs are welcome across most of the park, including picnic areas and roadways. At Shale Hollow, that leash only gets you onto the main trail. Dogs are not permitted in the Natural Play Area or on the primitive trail at all, which catches people off guard if they assumed the two parks shared a single pet policy.
A short checklist for anyone planning a fall visit to either park:
- If you want mileage or a river overlook, Highbanks is the better call, and the Coyote Run Trail or Overlook Trail are the two worth prioritizing.
- If you want a creek walk with kids, head to Shale Hollow's Great Horned Owl Trail and plan around the Natural Play Area, but leave the dog leash at home for that section.
- Visit Shale Hollow before November 1 if you want the later 9 p.m. closing time. After that, plan around a 7 p.m. cutoff.
- Bring water shoes if creeking is the plan. The shale bed and shallow water make it one of the more accessible spots in the area for that kind of exploring.
- If birdwatching is the goal, Highbanks is the stronger bet given its established eagle nest, though Shale Hollow's meadow areas are worth a slower look for smaller songbirds.
What This Actually Tells a Lewis Center Resident
The two parks are not competing for the same trip. Highbanks is the destination when you want distance, elevation, and a view that makes the drive worth it. Shale Hollow is the answer when you want something closer, quieter, and built around a creek instead of a bluff. Knowing which park solves which afternoon, rather than defaulting to whichever one you have already heard of, is the difference between treating Lewis Center's outdoor access as a single amenity and actually using both parts of it.
That kind of local detail, the small operational differences that only show up once you have spent real time in a place, is what our team tries to bring to every conversation about Lewis Center, whether someone is planning a weekend or planning a move. The Agency Real Estate Group works this market every day, and if you are ever curious what your Lewis Center home is worth in today's market, you can get your instant home valuation whenever you're ready to take that next step.
