Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park is the biggest park in the Metro Parks system, and the one with a bison herd grazing a restored prairie. It sits on the far west side of Franklin County past Galloway, along 13 miles of Big and Little Darby creeks.
This is the one park guide for Battelle Darby Creek, part of the guide to every Columbus Metro Park. It covers where to find the bison, the nature center, all 14 trails, the backpacking sites, paddling, fishing, the kid and dog areas, and what changes with the seasons.
Latest from the park (June 2026): the bison had their spring vet checkup in May, and Metro Parks wrote up how a herd checkup works.
| Battelle Darby Creek at a glance | |
| Address | 1775 Darby Creek Drive, Galloway (Cedar Ridge area). Nature center: 1415 Darby Creek Drive. Indian Ridge area: 2705 Darby Creek Drive. |
| Hours | 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April 1 through September 30; 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. from October 1 through March 31 |
| Cost | Free |
| Size | 7,358 acres, the largest of the Metro Parks |
| Trails | 14 trails from 0.2 to 12.5 miles, plus 10 miles of backpacking trail |
| Nature center | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. April through September; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. October through March. 614-878-7106 |
| Dogs | Leashed on the pet trails (6-foot leash max); dog swimming at Osprey Lake and Pleasant Valley |
| Kids | Playgrounds at Cedar Ridge and Indian Ridge; 9-acre natural play area at Indian Ridge |
| Restrooms | Cedar Ridge, Indian Ridge and Little Darby picnic areas |
| Park phone | 614-370-6254 |
Where to see the bison
Bison had been gone from the Darby Plains for more than 200 years when the first six cows arrived from The Wilds in February 2011. The herd has grown with calves born most years since. Metro Parks counted 12 after a run of five calves in 2021.
The bison live in two fenced pastures, and they move between them with the seasons. The easiest way to see them is the Darby Creek Greenway Trail, a flat 5-mile gravel path that runs right between the two pastures. Park at Cedar Ridge or the nature center and walk the stretch in between. In winter the herd is usually in the pasture behind the nature center, and the center’s overlook deck has binoculars for exactly this reason.
Calves show up in late spring and summer. They’re orange-red at first and stay glued to their mothers, so that’s the best window if you want to see the herd at its most active.
Metro Parks has a short video of the herd in the summer pasture:
The nature center
The nature center at 1415 Darby Creek Drive is the best first stop if you’ve never been. A 53-foot living stream runs through the exhibit hall, stocked with the fish and other creatures that live in Big Darby Creek, and the rest of the exhibits cover the creek’s natural and cultural history. Most of them are hands-on. The bison overlook deck is out back, and a grove of more than 30 black walnut trees nearby is set aside as a hammock nook, so bring one.
The center is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. April through September and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. October through March.
All 14 trails, by difficulty
The park has 14 named trails. The flat gravel ones near the nature center work for strollers and bikes. The creek-side trails at Cedar Ridge and Indian Ridge are hillier and rougher, and Riffle Run is a short, steep scramble down to the water.
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty | Surface | What it does |
| Camp Chase | 12.5 | Easy to moderate | Paved, ADA | West leg of the Ohio to Erie Trail; bikes and leashed dogs allowed |
| Darby Creek Greenway | 5 | Easy | Gravel, ADA | Flat path between the two bison pastures; bikes and leashed dogs allowed |
| Hawthorn | 0.8 | Easy | Gravel | Loop inside the Cedar Ridge picnic area |
| Osprey Lake | 0.5 | Easy | Grass and gravel | Loops around Osprey Lake; leashed dogs allowed |
| Turkey Foot | 0.5 | Easy | Grass | Loop through the prairie |
| Edgewood, Lake and Prairie Way | 2.3 | Easy | Grass | Three linked trails past fields, a lake and Big Darby Creek; leashed dogs allowed |
| Ancient | 1.7 | Easy to moderate | Grass and gravel | Follows Big Darby Creek past a reconstructed Fort Ancient mound |
| Wagtail | 1.9 | Easy to moderate | Grass | Prairie loop; leashed dogs allowed |
| Harrier Loop, Rail Way and Teal | 2.7 | Moderate | Grass | Three linked trails through prairie and wetland |
| Cobshell | 0.9 | Moderate to difficult | Gravel | Hilly woods loop with a deck overlooking Big Darby Creek |
| Indian Ridge | 0.6 | Moderate to difficult | Gravel | Creek-side connector between the Cobshell and Terrace trails |
| Terrace | 2.1 | Moderate to difficult | Gravel | Runs along Big Darby Creek, then loops through forest |
| Dyer Mill | 3 | Moderate to difficult | Grass and gravel | Meadow and woods loop down to Little Darby Creek; cross-country ski trail in winter |
| Riffle Run | 0.2 | Difficult | Gravel | Steep drop to Big Darby Creek |
Trail lengths and ratings are Metro Parks’ own. For fall color, the Terrace and Dyer Mill loops spend the most time under trees.
Backpacking and overnight camping
Overnight camping is rare in the Metro Parks. Battelle Darby Creek has it, and so does Scioto Grove. Here, 10 miles of primitive backpacking trail follow Big and Little Darby creeks, with four backcountry sites along the way. The sites are reservation only and the permit is free. They’re rustic, with no water or facilities, so pack in everything you need and carry it all back out. The trailhead is at the Little Darby Day Use Area, and you check in with a ranger there before you head out. Reserve through Metro Parks’ SignUpGenius page.
Biking
The Camp Chase Trail runs 12.5 paved miles through the park as the west leg of the Ohio to Erie Trail, the route that links Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. The 5-mile Darby Creek Greenway is gravel and open to bikes too, and it’s the one that passes the bison.
Canoeing and kayaking
Big Darby Creek is one of the better paddles in central Ohio, a State and National Scenic River with clear water and gravel riffles. Put in at the main launch at 8465 Alkire Road in Galloway or at the Osprey Lake launch at 5800 Harrisburg-Georgesville Road in Darbydale. No boat? Trapper John’s Canoe Livery, right next to the park on London-Groveport Road, rents canoes and kayaks, and the ride back is included.
Fishing and hunting
You can fish anywhere along Big and Little Darby creeks, at Osprey Lake (5800 Harrisburg-Georgesville Road, Darbydale) and at the Pleasant Valley Area lake (9137 US Route 62, Orient). An 800-acre section of the park is open to small game, deer and waterfowl hunting under Ohio DNR and Metro Parks rules, with access off State Route 665, Harrisburg-Georgesville Road and Biggart Road. Metro Parks posts the hunting area map and rules.
Bringing kids
The 9-acre natural play area is at the Indian Ridge Picnic Area, in the last parking lot at the end of the road. It’s a wooded ravine with a creek running through it, and the point is that there’s no equipment. Kids climb and get muddy. Both Cedar Ridge and Indian Ridge also have regular playgrounds, and the living stream at the nature center is the exhibit kids stay in front of longest.
Bringing dogs
Dogs can swim in Osprey Lake and in the lake at the Pleasant Valley Area. On land they’re allowed on the Darby Creek Greenway, Camp Chase, Wagtail, Osprey Lake and the Edgewood, Lake and Prairie Way trails, plus the picnic areas, on a leash no longer than 6 feet. The other trails are people only.
Picnic areas and shelters
Cedar Ridge (1775 Darby Creek Drive), Indian Ridge (2705 Darby Creek Drive) and the Little Darby Day Use Area all have grills, tables and restrooms, and the shelters there are free on a first-come basis from the 6:30 a.m. opening. Cedar Ridge and Indian Ridge also have playfields and horseshoe pits. Metro Parks also rents a lodge and a few reservable shelters in the park; email reservations@metroparks.net for those.
What to do here by season
Spring and summer. Bison calves arrive in late spring and summer. The creek is the draw once it warms up: wading at the Indian Ridge play area, paddling from the Alkire Road launch, dog swims at Osprey Lake. The hammock nook by the nature center is the shady option.
Fall. Darby Creek Day is the park’s fall festival. It celebrates the anniversary of the creek’s Scenic River designation with seining in the creek, live animals, archery, crafts and food trucks along Big Darby Creek. In 2025 it ran on October 5 from 2 to 5 p.m.; check the Metro Parks events calendar for this year’s date. For leaves, walk the Terrace or Dyer Mill loops.
Winter. The sledding hill is at 8465 Alkire Road, the same lot as the canoe launch. The skating pond in the Little Darby Day Use Area (3711 Gardner Road) is a half acre and only 16 inches deep, and it opens when the ice is thick enough. When there’s snow, the 3-mile Dyer Mill trail is set aside for cross-country skiing. The bison are easiest to find in winter, too, since the herd is in the pasture behind the nature center.
Getting there
The park has several separate entrances, and the one Google Maps picks for “Battelle Darby Creek” won’t always be the one you want. Use 1775 Darby Creek Drive in Galloway for Cedar Ridge and the main trails, 1415 Darby Creek Drive for the nature center and bison overlook, 2705 Darby Creek Drive for Indian Ridge and the natural play area, and 8465 Alkire Road for the canoe launch and sledding hill. Osprey Lake and Pleasant Valley are separate areas to the south, off Harrisburg-Georgesville Road and US 62.
For programs and the current park map, see the Metro Parks page for Battelle Darby Creek.
