Sand Run Metropark - Big Bend Area

Sand Run Metro Park is a 998-acre park located in Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1929 and is one of the oldest parks in the Summit Metro Parks system. The Big Bend Area is a specific section within Sand Run Metro Park.

The park features a variety of natural landscapes, including forests, streams, and wetlands. Sand Run, the park's namesake stream, flows through the area and is crossed by a ford on Sand Run Parkway, which has become a local landmark. The park's diverse ecosystem supports a range of flora and fauna, including hemlocks, ferns, skunk cabbage, and large colonies of horsetails in the cool, shady ravines.

Sand Run Metro Park offers numerous recreational opportunities for visitors. The park contains over 15 miles of trails suitable for hiking, jogging, and in some areas, cross-country skiing. The Parkway Jogging Trail is particularly popular, attracting thousands of users daily across all seasons.

The park has historical significance as well. The land surrounding the park was once a campsite for Indigenous peoples, and the Portage Path, which runs through the park, was an important Indigenous trail between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers. Later, it served as the western boundary of the United States.

In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed Sand Run Parkway and many of the surrounding shelters and structures, adding to the park's historical interest.