When you’re looking for a place to live, you’re not just looking for an apartment or a townhome. You’re looking for an entire living experience. The Estates at New Albany offers luxury-style apartments for rent that are complete with a pool, a playground, and even a dog park for your furry friends.
Perhaps the most exciting part about living at The Estates at New Albany is the 653 acres of nature right in your backyard, just 20 minutes from downtown Columbus. This green gem is called Blendon Woods Metro Park, and it lies at the doorsteps of The Estates at New Albany.
Hikers rejoice! 7 trails for the nature lover
Whether you’re up for all-day hiking or you just want a short interlude, Blendon Woods is just the ticket for a day hike. The shortest hike is a mere 0.3 miles around the lake, which is an easily-accessible paved trail that leads to the Walden Waterfowl Refuge and Thoreau Lake.
The longest trail, The Sugarbush Trail, is 2 miles, and is rated “moderate to difficult”. It passes through a beautiful forest that opens into a meadow. Tread softly and bring your binoculars! This area is full of many different bird species, including waterfowl, wild turkeys, cardinals, robins, red-tail hawks, and much more. Keep an eye out for other wildlife as well, such as albino squirrels, deer, and more.
What’s great about the Blendon Woods trail system is that all the shorter hikes merge together to create a longer hike. Begin your hike on the Brookside trail, which passes through the woods and crosses Ripple Rock creek. That trail will take you to the Hickory Ridge Trail, which eventually takes you over to the Ripple Rock Trail, a steep trail with beautiful vista-like views. Even though the trails seem short, at only a half-mile here and a quarter-mile there, they merge together and add up quickly.
A great day for a picnic
Throughout the years, there’s always so much to celebrate! Blendon Woods has seven free shelters that are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. They include picnic tables, grills, play equipment, and restrooms. Many reviewers consider Blendon Woods Metro Park a perfect place to gather family and friends for a barbecue, cookout, or celebratory picnic on a beautiful summer day.
If you have a large gathering and don’t want to worry about whether you’ll be able to find a place, there are four shelters available for reservations. Visitors can reserve the Dogwood Shelter, which holds up to 110 people (80 under cover) with 44 parking spaces, a large grill, electricity, drinking water, a field, a horseshoe pit, and restrooms. Perfect for graduation parties, birthdays, and family reunions!
The Hickory Grove shelter also holds 110 people with 60 under cover, and includes a wood burning fireplace, a play area, and a volleyball court complete with a net and ball. This shelter also comes with disc golf! The Hickory Grove shelter is the perfect spot if you have a family gathering with lots of kids.
Then of course, there’s the Sycamore. The Sycamore holds 130 people and even includes a kitchen with a sink and serving counters. Is your crew full of amazing chefs or are you having a potluck? This one’s for you.
When we think “metro parks”, we think of hiking and wildlife, but Blendon Woods is a perfect place for a party. Reserve your shelter for your next outdoor picnic!
A great place for kids to learn about nature
All year round, kids can come to Blendon Woods Metro Park to learn about local Ohio nature and wildlife. The nature center features educational displays meant to educate children about the animals and plants that live in the forests and streams right by their home. They can study taxidermy animals, diagrams, and watch birds from the large observation windows. The nature center even has arts and crafts activities to encourage children to learn more about the wildlife around them.
That’s not the only spot in the park that will get kids excited. In 2017, Blendon Woods added a 10-acre Natural Play Area. This wooded hillside and ravine is a safe spot set aside for kids, where children of all ages can enjoy playing in nature by climbing trees, playing in the dirt, and partaking in other fun outdoor adventures.
Kiddos of all ages can enjoy the zipline, the teeter-totter, the basket swing, the cargo climbing net, a tether-ball game, and various logs over ravines and streams, thanks to donations from REI and Michelle Zugaro.
Great for pets!
A huge reason why residents love living at The Estates at New Albany is that we’re a pet-friendly community. We love our fur babies! Blendon Woods is a great place to bring a leashed dog or cat.
The Goldenrod Trail, which is 1.25 miles of easy breezy hiking, passes through meadows that fill with wildflowers in the spring. This makes for a perfect after-work or weekend morning hike with your dog.
Cats and dogs are also allowed in picnic areas, parking lots, and on roadways. Remember – for the safety of your pets, keep them on a leash no longer than 6 feet!
So many activities to enjoy the outdoors
Blendon Woods visitors should remember to bring their frisbees! Disc-golf lovers can hit up the 18-hole par-63 golf course with 9 holes! And the best part about it is that playing disc golf here is free.
In the wintertime, ice skating is a favorite among park-goers as the 0.4 acre pond turns to ice, making it a perfect opportunity to ice skate. And the 2-mile sugarbush trail, while conditions persist, is reserved as a cross-country ski trail. Blendon Woods Metro Park is beautiful on sunny summer days, but it has so much to offer in the winter as well.
Blendon Woods is a favorite for many and is a huge reason many families choose to live at The Estates at New Albany. But Blendon Woods isn’t the only beautiful place nearby! Explore Hoover Reservoir, a popular place for sailing, hiking, and fishing. Explore Inniswood Metro Gardens, a nature preserve nearby featuring formal gardens and lawns for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.
Live in luxury, right next to Blendon Woods Metro Park
This is your chance to rent a beautiful New Albany apartment with 653 acres of nature right in your backyard. At the Estates at New Albany, you have the convenience and excitement of the city with the peace and relaxation of nature right at your doorstep.
Moving to Columbus? Looking for a new place to call home? The Estates at New Albany are luxury apartments for rent that offer a resort-like experience. Click here to explore everything there is to discover. We’d love to have you as a neighbor.