Natural Ohio Adventures

Side Cut Metropark

As the oldest Metropark in the Toledo area, Side Cut has a long and detailed history. “Side Cut” was named after the canal locks in the park that connected the Miami and Erie Canal to the City of Maumee. Although no longer in use, 3 of the 6 initial locks have been preserved and can be seen in the park. The park is a great place for fishing, has 6.7 miles of trails (not including the Wabash Cannonball Trail) and contains one of the best sledding hills in all of Northwest Ohio.

1025 West River Road, Maumee, Ohio

Trails:
Locks Trail
.6 miles, Easy
Marked with blue blazes, this trail connects all 3 of the side cut locks, and offers information and history on the canals that once ran through them.

Fallen Timbers Trail
3.9 miles, Moderate
Marked with red blazes, this is the longest trail in the park, beginning at the Silver Lake Area and heading through a pine plantation. After the plantation, the trail opens up into a prairie and then runs through a floodplain. The trail exits the floodplain and takes you up to the Fallen Timbers Monument, which gives views of the Maumee River.

Riverview Trail
1.3 miles, Easy
Marked with orange blazes, the Riverview Trail runs alongside the Maumee River and passes by a lagoon. The trail then loops back to the trailhead.

Wood Duck Trail
.9 miles, Easy
The Wood Duck Trail passes through a dense floodplain forest and passes by a lagoon formed by the rocky bed of the Side Cut Canal. Trail is marked with green blazes​​.

Wabash Cannonball Trail
64 miles, Easy
One of the longest trails in the state, the Wabash Cannonball Trail runs from Liberty Center, Ohio, to Montpelier, Ohio. A portion of this trail runs through Side Cut Metro Park and the trail also goes through the nearby Oak Openings Preserve Metropark.

Sources: http://metroparkstoledo.com/explore-your-parks/side-cut/

Photo by Taylor Weills