Hiking with Doc

20210501 – Liberty Park – Twinsburg Ledges Area

docscape
Support This Site

Doc approves these ads.

My Affiliations

Doc approves these ads.

Doc approves these ads.

Date: 05/01/2021 – Distance: 3.6 mi – Elapsed Time: 2.0 hr – Ascent: 512 ft – Descent: 492 ft – Difficulty: Medium

This time I was exploring the Twinsburg Ledges Area of Liberty Park in Twinsburg, Ohio. Liberty Park has several areas and is managed by Summit Metro Parks. It is a diverse area with both wetlands, woodlands, prairies, and this area which has some dramatic rock cliffs. There are several trail options here including a nature center.

Sign at the entrance.
Trailhead is just off the parking lot.
Summit Metro Parks does a great job with their parks with both maintenance and education.
Map of the trails.
It’s little things like this that always impress me about Summit Metro Parks.
The people before us.
The Ledges Trail has these great signs about the various wildflowers you encounter.
The Nature Center.
The trails are well marked. This one corresponds to the Ledges Trail on the map.
Violets are so diverse.
Blue Violets. There are also white and yellow ones, as well as multicolored ones of various sizes.
Please stay on the trail.
The Trout Lilies are past their prime.
Trout Lilies with seed heads.
Ramps are wild leeks.
Wood Poppy.
The Spring Beauties are so delicate and can be found all over the state.
The Ledges Trail goes left.
Ants harvest the seeds of the poppy flowers for a snack, which helps spread the seeds.
Starting to see some larger rocks.
Then the ledges appear.
There are several types of red flowers.
Red Nodding Trillium.
False Solomon’s Seal.
The rocks have great colors.
And are quite dramatic.
They’re not huge ledges, but cool none the less.
They are very old.
There are a few caves here.
The trail continues along the bottom of the ledges.
It’s inviting, but please stay on the main trail.
Some slump blocks have fallen away from the cliff.
The trees tower above.
Trail turns left.
I thought the lines on this rock were cool. It’s how the sand laid and solidified after many years.
Some of the caves are off limits to protect the endangered bats which live here.
This side trail leads to a cave which is open.
It’s a slump block cave, but is cool. Defacing like this is vandalism.
You can go inside if you wish.
A smaller slump cave nearby.
Foam Flower.
Back on the Ledges Trail it curves away from the cliff into a wetland area.
Again, stay on the trail.
Alder tree flowers.
I believe this is Parsley Hawthorn.
Squirrel Corn.
Dutchman’s Breeches.
These three species are very similar.
I climbed back up the hill and took the Maple Loop Trail for a bit.
Ramps are a wild garlic flavored leek.
Jack in the Pulpit.
I went left onto the Black Bear Trail.
Red Trillium.
These are all Trout Lilies.
The loop goes either way.
A side trail goes back out to the road. Go left.
There were several of these springs coming right out of the ground.
And the forest was intense on this trail.
This deer scared me.
A large Black Cherry tree.
Black Cherry flowers.
About the rocks here.
Back on the Maple Loop Trail heading back toward the Nature Center.
Lupine, I believe.
Kiosk about harvesting Maple Syrup.
The Nature Center was closed due to Covid.
There is a nice picnic shelter here too.
There are bears in the area.
The Bluebird and Coyote Run Trails cover a prairie area.
Another view of the prairie.

Waypoints:

Links:

My Affiliations

Doc approves these ads.

Doc approves these ads.

2 responses to “20210501 – Liberty Park – Twinsburg Ledges Area”

  1. Matt D. Avatar
    Matt D.

    I grew up exploring these ledges, before it was a Metropark, as did my dad in the 50’s and 60’s. I agree that the vandalism is upsetting in the Glacier cave, it even upset me as a kid. But… One interesting bit of it, as you enter the cave, on your right side, is a carving in beautifully stenciled letters reading “IN GOD WE TRUST” and signed EHB 1887. I’ve been curious about who EHB was, because throughout the ledges, there are a few spots where he has carved his initials, dating from the 1880’s and 1890’s. Another spot, which I think is further along the ledges than the trail goes now (Again, I was back there a lot before it ever became a park) Is a beautiful carving for “Camp Ledge 1899” I’ve not been able to find any information on it either, aside from the carving on the wall.

    The ledges there will always be one of my favorite places here in Ohio, and I will be forever grateful to the Summit Metro Parks for preserving it, and making it more accessible to everyone.

    https://imgur.com/gallery/some-old-pics-of-twinsburg-ledges-ePhhRAa

    This link is to a small gallery of photos i took in 2008 and 2010. Long ago while adventuring back there before the trails had been built.

    Reply
    1. docscape Avatar
      docscape

      Thanks for the info, Matt. Locals are always full of additional information we don’t know from just a first visit.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Trending