Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve

The lake itself has gone thru significant changes over the years. Best Sand has a pump spillway back there, which creates sediment influxes and discoloration (Modern day Best Sand is a total money grub of a company). Sadly, the lake will never again contain its crystal clear waters of old. Aside from that, It’s too bad a mandatory catch and release wasn’t put on bass. Turned into a small catfish/pickerel haven, if that’s your thing. Great place that I’ll always visit, excellent paved trail which contains a cool bird sanctuary…but seriously, the sand plant is nefarious and will continue to ruin water quality with every passing year. It’s over-nutrifying the vegetation as well, causing excessive plant growth underwater. Really sad. You could see 8+ feet straight to the bottom on a sunny day 10 years ago, now you’re downright lucky to see anything. Visibility is maybe a foot or 2 during peak pumping of their disgusting slurry. This slurry coats the leaves of every plant in the bowl as well, creating unstable habitat for wildlife.

We only discovered this beautiful park 2 yrs ago. Picnic area to eat lunch, Lots of flowers in the summer. Love the pond with a paved path around it, but be careful of all the LAZY people who don’t pick up after their dogs even though the park provides bags & garbage cans!

Very calming, but exciting. Has fishing, and multiple places to sit. Very photogenic , family and pet friendly. There are snakes and turtles and fish of coarse and nice long scenic trails to walk. I would recommend this to anyone, trails are paved too great for biking as well. Very relaxing. There's frogs too. Very natural.

Well taken care of. Need or should trim back all the poison plants. Other than that great park.

Beautiful little park. Pave trail that goes around the lake. At least half a dozen platforms for people to fish from

Absolutely gorgeous place! Wonderful trails, one of which wraps around a small lake.

A gorgeous little park with a great loop about a mile in distance. All sorts of wildlife to see and hear as you make your way around the lake. Take the small trek to the gazebo for some views closer to the water! Plenty of parking in multiple different lots. Make sure to visit!

Nice place for a leisurely walk and some very nice scenery . Nice park to bring the family or just to walk the dog.

Nice paved trail around a pond. It's fairly flat so makes for an easy jogging loop with the benefit of lots of benches and a beautiful view.

This park is very popular for people seeking a place for a quick walk outdoors. It's close to the City of Chardon and there is convenient parking. The main trail is paved and is a one mile loop around the big pond. People can be seen making vigorous laps around the pond. One can bring your dogs for a walk too, but they must remain on a leash. Fishing is allowed too. The large pond attracts migrating waterfowl and the preserve is also popular with birdwatchers during the spring and fall months. As for what I like, I often take walks there. I noticed that the Geauga Park District has been systematically attempting to control invasive plant species here. Buckthorn and teasel seem to be the latest targets. Bravo!

This park is like a hidden gem. A beautiful area to take a walk on an asphalt path around a scenic lake. If you're looking for an easy walk near Chardon, check this place out.

Stopped in to fish for a few minutes before breakfast. Nice place!

Really big place, nice walking paths. Nice views. Small book library for reading and relaxing. Trade books.

Great walking trails! Beautiful setting. Bathrooms. Duck blind. Nice sunsets

Best place to walk. So peaceful.

Good park with well maintained loop to take family for a quick walk in the evening.

Very nice place to visit, only got to check it out for a few minutes but it very relaxing and a nice place to walk around.

Very nice nature park including multiple loops around the small lake. Great for dog walking, kids and the like.

I was appalled, however at the dozens and dozens of places along the trail that had fresh dog feces that were left in the new snow. This must have been just since the snow fell in the last week or so. This place will be a mess when everything melts.

I can't believe so many irresponsible pet owners would deface the park in this manner. Such a shame.

It's a lovely little trail around a pond to walk around. There's always a decent amount of people fishing there. We also got our wedding pictures done here in the field and they turned out amazing.

It's a beautiful Park. There's tons of wildlife (butterflies, bees, praying mantis, etc.) & lots of fish & birds. There's a cute little nature center hidden away with pictures & descriptions of different waterfowl (geese, ducks, swans). My kids love it here even though there isn't a playground. It would be nice if there was a playground here, or even a swing set. Anyway it is still a great park to visit!