Who doesn’t love going to parks? In this case, I am not talking about amusement parks, but regular parks where you can take a walk, relax and listen to the sounds of nature. For many people that live in big cities, finding a decent park away from city noises can be hard, but I can say that I have been pretty lucky so far. Because in every city that I have lived, there was at least one nice park where I could go after school (or after work) and just relax. Dayton, which is where I currently live, has many nice parks, and one of my favourites is definitely the one called Hills and dales. And why do I like it so much? Feel free to read more about it below.
One of the cool features of this park are benches, which are strategically situated after steeper hills.
How to get there?
Hills and dales is situated between the cities of Oakwood and Kettering and it is bigger than it might seem from the first impression. Hills and dales have several entry points throughout the park, so if you are not sure where exactly you would like to go, there is a pretty detailed map on the Hills and dales website (https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/hills-dales/), where you can see the park orientation.
The good thing about Hills and dales (other than the awesome nature) is that you do not have to pay for the parking, or for entering the park, for that matter. The only problem can sometimes be a full parking lot, but in case that happens, you can just drive to the next one.
By the way, unlike most nature parks in Europe, parks in the United states of America, including Hills and Dales, are not open twenty four hours a day. Hills and dales park is open from eight in the morning to eight in the evening, so do not plan to go there too late. It is also prohibited to bring alcohol to the park. Just so you know.
What to do at Hills and dales?
Hills and dales is not just about hiking. Of course for me hiking is the main reason for going there, but on the way through the woods, you will discover several surprises. Below, I listed some of them. And while exploring Hills and dales, you will notice several maps with a list of trails and other things to see, so you will (hopefully) not get lost.
First of all, the swings. At every parking lot, you will find a few wooden chairs and some swings. I used to love to swing there, until one day a big spider landed on my leg from the top of the swing. Yes, I have a phobia of spiders, so needless to say I did not sit in those swings again after that event.
One of the swings. In fact, this is the one where I encountered the spider!
Then, the golf course. The city of Oakwood is a home of a big (and super expensive) country club, that has an enormous golf course, and one of the trails in fact goes all around that golf course. And while exercising, I really enjoy looking at people, hitting the golf balls. And I sometimes wish I had a golf cart so I would not have to run all the way around the course. But then I remember I need to exercise to be able to eat all the delicious foods here.
A small part of the golf course.
Picnic areas are another awesome feature of Hills and dales. Sometimes after work, I call a couple of friends to bring some snacks and meet here in the park. There is never a lot of people at Hills and dales, so you will definitely find a spot for yourself in the picnic area. You will be with your friends, in the heart of nature, and eat snacks. I cannot imagine a better way to end the long working day.
This is one of the picnic areas. As you can see, it offers shade, which is perfect for hot summer days.
If you decide to take the steep trail up to the main road, you will encounter a big statue of a man on a horse. The statue honors a guy Patterson who contributed a lot to Hills and dales park. The way up to the statue is very steep, which makes the way back very tricky (because the ground is always muddy and slippery), so the safest way to get back is just to follow the main road back to the parking lot. There will be a lot of cars passing you, so you should walk at the very side of the road, but in my opinion, this way is still safer than climbing back down the steep hill.
The back of the statue, as seen before the steep climb.
The tower is another cool sight that I always like to stop at. In the past, this place served as a lookout tower, and nowadays it is sadly abandoned. In the past, you were allowed to go all the way to the top and admire the view, but sadly, since nobody takes care of the tower, you are not allowed to go inside anymore because it is too dangerous. The view of the golf course from the bottom of the tower is still pretty cool, though.
The Indian village is the most remote part of the Hills and dales park, but it is definitely worth visiting. it is basically a recreation of a Native American village with a few buildings and a lot of informative sighs. And the best part? You can go inside the buildings! Well, there are spiders inside, so if you are like me, you might want to stay outside.
A few words for the end…
I love nature and hiking, because it allows me to relax and exercise at the same time. And the variety of different difficulty level trails at Hills and dales is perfect for me. For example, some days I just feel like leisurely strolling, but on some days I feel like hiking up a very steep hill, and luckily, Hills and dales offers both. So if you are in Dayton and feel like you need to escape to mother nature for a few hours, this is a perfect place for you.
You will even find a small pond at Hills and dales!
