The Dawes Arboretum in Summer

Summary

Just a few days removed from the estival solstice, let's take a long summer stroll through our very own Dawes Arboretum.

Here is a map of the Arboretum (in PDF form).

What the Arboretum Is

Dawes is a nonprofit arboretum that includes nearly 2,000 acres of plant collections, gardens, and natural areas. The site includes approximately 12 miles of hiking trails, and even has roadways enough for a four-mile driving tour.

How To Get In

It costs $10 to get into the Arboretum. You can buy tickets online or at the Arboretum itself; the price is the same either way.

If you're a member of the Columbus Zoo, you get $3 off the admission fee.

The Columbus Library also has a limited number of Culture Passes that will allow you to get into the Arboretum for free. I've never tried to get one of these before, though, so I can't really help you with this.

Where We'll Meet

We'll start at the Visitor Center. It has restrooms and water fountains. Except for a couple of port-a-potties next to a nearby parking lot, these are the only restrooms and water fountains at the Arboretum. You can also buy snacks here (but not coffee!).

My cell service here has always been fine.

Where We'll Go

For this meetup, we will hike/walk the following areas of the Arboretum, which include the most popular areas of the park:

• Sundial
• Japanese Garden
• Holly Hill
• Dawes Lake / Dawes Island
• Dawn Redwood Collection
• Observation Tower
• Conifer Glen
• Magnolia Collection
• Beard-Green Cemetery
• Woodland Garden
• Bald-Cypress Swamp

How Far We're Going

This will be a walk of around 4-5 miles. Dawes is moderately strenuous in a few places, but we won't be in a rush.

Do I Need Hiking Shoes?

The walking paths at the Arboretum are a mix of paved, gravel, and grass trails. I have a personal preference for wearing hiking shoes here, but if you don't, you should be fine.

Afterward

After, for those are who are interested, we will head to Crossroads Pub & Grub for drinks or food. Here is their menu. If you're coming to this event from Columbus, you'll likely drive past this place on your way both to and from the Arboretum.

The actual address of Crossroads is 6811 National Rd SE, 43030. Their food is reasonably priced and pretty good.