Glen Echo Park

I feel guilty writing this review... This park is a little bit of a local secret, hidden in plain sight. The Glen Echo Ravine is a restoration park from a previous industrial complex, service road, and a water run off. I don't know the full history, but I do know the results are a hybrid aesthetic of fairy tale and dystopian future, that results in some unique sights.

There are some shallow lazy streams, small waterfalls, and wild life from squirrels to deer. There's shale everywhere and you can see a ton of layers from eons of sediment. Ancient, cracked roads and dirt paths wind through this forested area, with multiple landscaped gathering areas, and crumbling industrial structures in the process of returning to nature.

This place is probably most known for its Bird Tunnel, a giant tunnel from a bridge that the local art council worked with a local artist to paint a giant bird mural, that has subsequently been accented by years of graffiti.

While we passed plenty of people, we often had space to ourselves. We came across lots of kids running around, people walking their dogs, and retired locals taking in the wild life.

It's not the largest park, but there are some steep trails because it is in a deep ravine in the middle of a neighborhood that provides decent exercise. You can park for free on the streets, one of the few places in Columbus, and there are multiple entrances into the park.

There was some trash that had found it's way from the roads above. Near the train tracks there were tents that looked like someone may have been living there. And, there are houses overlooking the entire place.