Ohio: Walking Among the Trees

Destinations
Written By Joy

A random post on IG led me to research the Holden Arboretum. I knew I wanted to take a trip north to check it out. Autumn was shortly around the corner and I was waiting for the first real color change. It’s been a weird Autumn and seems to be slowly changing. A few other trips have been taken and new ones planned, hoping that it lasts through November before the snow starts.

The Holden Arboretum is 3500 acres and is the 12th largest public garden in the country.   It is made up of two of Northeast Ohio’s most important environmental and cultural institutions — The Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Why the Arboretum?

What intrigued me was the canopy walk they have that allows you to walk among the trees. I have been excited to experience Autumn again. I arrived last year just at the end. I wanted to spend some serious time photographing the changing season and was originally going to be traveling up the coast to capture the trees changing colors. It is a photographic bucket-list I want to check off.

To be honest, I was hoping Holden’s canopy walk was going to be more like Anakeesta in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but it's not. It's a triangle of connected steel and wood that make up the suspension bridge. It's not very big and you start and end at the same place. 

It’s a great place for those that may be afraid of heights to start with. However, because they use steel and wood. It creaks. It makes loud sounds as you cross over it. It is very safe and at one point the entrance to the one section reminded me of the beginning of Jurassic Park... and yes I say the line in the vlog.

While it's an experience to walk among the trees, needless to say, I was a bit disappointed. The park and arboretum are beautiful and the 3500 acres will have you getting your 10,000 steps in for the day. I do love exploring but my knee that day was not happy and the lack of clear signage had me walking a bit more than I had intended.

details to know:

  • Parking is free.

  • It is wheelchair accessible 

  • Very dog friendly.

Timed-ticket entry is required to visit the Arboretum. Tickets will not be sold on-site.

Adult tickets are $15; children (3-12 years) are $10.

Arboretum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry is at 4 p.m.

Please take the weather forecast into account when making reservations, as guest services staff are unable to transfer or refund tickets after your timed-entry reservation has passed.

Other places to Visit in Ohio

I imagine that if you lived around Kirkland, Ohio area having seasonal passes would be fantastic. However, for me, it was a one-time visit. I think my time is better spent at the one National Park we have in Ohio or visiting the other multiple locations around the state. 

  • The Ledges at Cuyahoga

  • Nelson Ledges

  • Salt Fork

  • Quail Hollow State Park

  • Portage Lakes

  • Mohican State Park

  • Berlin Lake

These are just the closest options. I could spend the next year traveling in Ohio filming areas to visit. I just wish I had the knees that would allow me to do it. As it goes right now, if I take an adventure, my knee can only handle one a week. I am more than happy to do until my scheduled surgery date for my other knee replacement.

If you get the chance I do recommend adding this to your stop but it can get costly for a large family. Look at it this way, the cost of movie theater tickets, snacks, etc, would be about the same - just remember to pack a picnic!! There is no food service (other than vending)

It is a beautiful area, if you enjoy walking (have great knees) and love spending time exploring all aspects of Ohio’s natural environments, I highly recommend it. If you have a large family, I would recommend heading towards the Cuyahoga National Park, it’s free to enter with a variety of activities throughout the almost 33,000 acres.

↟ M U S I C ↟ - Epidemic Sound

“Beauty In The Mundane” by Bird Of Figment feat. Cody Francis

“You X You” by Ooyy

↟ C A M E R A G E A R ↟ 

  • GoPro 7

  • iPhone 8

  • Nikon D800 / D500

↟ R E F E R R A L P R O G R A M S ↟ 

Joy

Photographer, graphic designer, dog mom to Sawyer, Etsy shop owner, and solo traveler trying to make the most of the life I've been given. Life is too short to live in a cubicle. I get lost on backroads and share visual stories of the destinations I discover.

https://joynewcomb.com
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