You load the dog into the car on a Saturday morning without thinking too hard about which park you're headed to. Highbanks, Shale Hollow, Alum Creek — they're all close to Lewis Center, all offer plenty of green space, and all seem like reasonable choices for a day outside with a dog.
Then you get to the trailhead and realize the trail you had in mind doesn't allow pets. Or the creek your kids have been talking about all week is part of an area where dogs can't go. The difference seems small until you're standing there with a leash, two kids, and a plan that suddenly doesn't work.
The better question isn't simply which parks allow dogs. It's which part of the park works for the kind of day you're planning.
The Park Closest to Home Isn't Always the Right Park
Three of the most familiar outdoor destinations near Lewis Center — Highbanks Metro Park, Shale Hollow Park, and Alum Creek Dog Park — offer very different experiences, and they don't share a rulebook.
Highbanks is one of Central Ohio's signature Metro Parks, known for its shale bluff above the Olentangy River, wooded ravines, and miles of trails. Shale Hollow is smaller and quieter, with shale cliffs, Big Run creek, and trails through woods and meadow. Alum Creek Dog Park is something else entirely — not a hiking destination where dogs happen to be welcome, but a space built specifically around them.
Part of the confusion comes from the fact that Highbanks and Shale Hollow aren't run by the same organization. Highbanks belongs to Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks; Shale Hollow belongs to Preservation Parks of Delaware County. Two agencies, two approaches, sitting a few miles apart in the same zip code. That's the detail most people miss until they're reading the sign at the trailhead.
Highbanks: Good Options for Dogs — Just Not the Overlook
Highbanks earns its reputation. The park takes its name from the approximately 100-foot shale bluff above the Olentangy State Scenic River, and the 2.3-mile Overlook Trail to the observation deck is one of the park's best-known hikes. It's also home to a resident bald eagle pair, Adena culture burial mounds along the trail, and a sledding hill that draws its own crowd come winter.
The Overlook Trail is not a designated pet trail.
That doesn't mean leaving the dog home. Highbanks has several trails where leashed dogs are welcome — Coyote Run, Big Meadows Path, the Multiuse Trail, Oak Coves Path, and Scenic River Trail — all with a six-foot leash requirement. For a longer outing, Coyote Run covers 3.5 miles through woods and fields. For something shorter, the Scenic River Trail is a 0.6-mile gravel path along the Olentangy, and the paved Multiuse Trail runs 2.1 miles through woods and open fields along Powell Road.
The distinction is simple: hike to the overlook without the dog, walk the dog on one of the designated trails.
Shale Hollow: Quiet Trails Yes, Creek No
A few miles away, Shale Hollow operates under its own set of rules.
The 211-acre Preservation Park is known for its exposed shale, wooded ravines, and Big Run creek. For a leashed hike with a dog, the 1.1-mile Great Horned Owl Trail — a gravel loop through oak woods and meadow — is the easy answer, estimated at about 45 minutes. Dogs are also permitted on the northern loop of the Overlook Trail when accessed from Hyatts Road.
Where dogs cannot go is the southern portion of the Overlook Trail and the park's off-trail exploration and natural play areas around the creek. Those creek areas are often exactly where families are headed when water shoes and nets are packed in the bag.
Same logic as Highbanks, applied to a different feature: the thing that makes the park worth visiting in the first place comes with the tightest restriction. The pattern holds across both parks — the marquee feature is the one carved out.
For a quiet trail walk with a leashed dog, Shale Hollow works beautifully. For a creek day with the kids, leave the dog at home.
Alum Creek: Built for the Dog, Not Around One
Alum Creek Dog Park is the straightforward answer when the outing is really for the dog.
Located on Hollenback Road at Alum Creek State Park, the four-acre park has separate fenced areas for large and small dogs, plus designated water areas where dogs can swim. Inside the fence, the experience is much less about choosing the right trail and much more about letting the dog run. There's no overlook to protect, no creek play area to restrict — the entire space was designed around what a dog needs on a summer afternoon.
For dogs that like the water, the swimming area is the draw. For dogs that would rather run than swim, the land-based fenced areas still make it worth the trip.
Which Park Fits Your Day?
If your plan is... | Try... |
|---|---|
A scenic Highbanks hike without the dog | Highbanks Overlook Trail |
A wooded walk at Highbanks with your dog | Coyote Run or Scenic River Trail |
Creek exploration with the kids | Shale Hollow natural play area — leave the dog home |
A quieter leashed hike with a dog | Shale Hollow Great Horned Owl Trail |
Off-leash running and swimming | Alum Creek Dog Park |
For a shorter neighborhood-scale outing, Lewis Center and the surrounding townships have smaller parks — Walker Wood, Ro, and Glen Oak — that cover a stroller-length loop without the acreage or the drive.
After the Trail
A morning at any of these parks tends to end the same way for a lot of Lewis Center households. Johnson's Real Ice Cream opened its Lewis Center location at 5915 Evans Farm Drive in Evans Farm in March 2026 — close enough to any of the three parks to make it a natural last stop.
Those small things — where you walk, where the kids explore, where the dog can swim, where you stop after — are often what define day-to-day life in a community more than any amenity list does. Knowing Lewis Center means knowing how those pieces fit together, not just the subdivisions and school districts.
When the time comes to think about buying or selling here, Ludwig Real Estate Group approaches this stretch of Delaware County the same way — down to which trail works when the dog is in the back seat. We're glad to talk when you're ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dogs allowed at Highbanks Metro Park?
Yes. Leashed pets are permitted on designated trails including Coyote Run, Big Meadows Path, the Multiuse Trail, Oak Coves Path, and Scenic River Trail. Dogs are not permitted on every trail — the Overlook Trail is off limits to pets.
Can dogs hike the Highbanks Overlook Trail?
No. The Overlook Trail is not a designated pet trail. Choose one of Highbanks' other trails if you're visiting with a dog.
Are dogs allowed at Shale Hollow Park?
Yes, in designated areas. Leashed dogs are permitted on the Great Horned Owl Trail and the northern loop of the Overlook Trail accessed from Hyatts Road.
Can dogs go in the creek at Shale Hollow?
No. The off-trail exploration and natural play areas around Big Run creek are off limits to dogs.
Is Alum Creek Dog Park off leash?
Yes. Alum Creek Dog Park has fenced areas for off-leash play, including separate spaces for large and small dogs and designated water areas for swimming.
