Hike the Adirondack Trail at Hills & Dales MetroPark

Hills & Dales MetroPark is surprisingly large, spanning 63 acres and nestled between two golf courses. When hiking here, it is quite easy to forget that it is surrounded by a city and is just a couple miles south of Dayton. The Adirondack Trail is the most prominent trail in the park, winding around to run through or adjacent to most of the main features of the park. These include the serene Dogwood Pond, the "Staged Gates" sculpture, White Oak Camp nature play area, Paw Paw Camp, the stoic Patterson sculpture, and a stone tower dubbed Frankenstein's Castle. The trail itself is just under 1.5 miles and has moderate elevation change, but you can start at various points along the way to adjust the difficulty to your liking. You can also grab a couple geocaches while at the park!

There is free parking at various lots throughout the park, and most have bathrooms of some sort (modern or porta-john). There are also reservable shelters to use for events. The park offers public programs, events, and volunteer opportunities; for the complete schedule visit their website: 

https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/hills-dales/