Cycling, hiking, photography. Take your pick. Stark County area has plenty to do outdoors

Charita M. Goshay, The Repository
·2 min read
Hoover Trail
Hoover Trail

If you love the outdoors, Stark County offers a wide variety of activities for people of all ages and interests. Here are just a few organizations and venues:

Bird watching

The Canton Audubon Society is a local chapter covering Stark, Wayne, Coshocton and Wayne counties. The group host meetings and programs on the third Wednesday of each month at the Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park. For more information, visit CantonAudubon.org.

Cycling

Found in 1968, the Stark County Cycling Club boasts 369 members. In 2021, the club collectively logged more than 200,000 miles over nearly 1,200 rides. To learn more, visit BikeSCBC.com/index.shtml.

More: Canton outlines 2022 road improvement projects

Hiking

Stark County has a large choice of hiking and walking trails. If you’re looking for a group, the Hilltop Hikers embarks on regular, year-around outings. For more information, visit their website at HilltopHikers.org.

Photography

Grab a camera and explore the world around you. Courses in photography are available at area art museums and local universities and colleges. Quail Hollow Park has a camera club at QHCameraClub.org.

Get your camera gear: Van’s Camera offers camera gear, film and video services and more

Astronomy

The Astronomy Cub of Akron is open to anyone who has an interest in astronomy. Visit ACAOH.org to learn more.

The Wilderness Center in Wilmot also regularly hosts astronomy outings as well as educational programs, outings and tours. Visit wildernesscenter.org to learn more and sign up for events.

Boating

Choose from Canal Fulton, Atwood Lake, Berlin Lake, Portage Lakes to spend a day on the water boating. For more information and locations, visit DiscoverBoating.com/where-to-boat-and-fish.

Fishing

Sippo Lake, New Berlin, Walborn Reservoir, and Petros Park are just some of the public venues that welcome recreational boating and/or fishing. A valid fishing license is required. For tournament information, visit each of the location’s websites or StarkParks.com.

Canoeing and kayaking

Trailhead Livery in Massillon and Canal Fulton Livery & Campgrounds have kayaks, canoes and paddleboats for rent. Visit CFCanoe.com for more information.

Quail Hollow Park

With eight miles of walking/hiking and cross-country ski trails, Quail Hollow in Lake Township also features a historic mansion available for programs and rentals. For more information, visit StarkParks.com.

Camping

With spaces for RVs and tents, and a variety of cabin rentals, Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio, has become an enormously popular destination for weekend getaways. Visit TheHockingHills.org for more information.

Stark Parks

Offers a variety of year-around programs and activities. To see the schedule, visit StarkParks.com.

For city-based activities, contact their local parks and recreation department.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County area boasts hiking, biking, astronomy, photography, more