Darby Bend Lake

I love bringing my kayak here. Nice and quiet and the park rangers are friendly and know the area very well. The three mile creek runs through the park and is also kayak accessible down the road. Great place to fish too! I come here at least twice a week always a great time

I am so glad we moved a few minutes away from here! Nice, quiet, clean park. The dog area is clean too. I have brought my fur-kid here to play many times, to walk the paths and I went kayaking for the first time this past weekend.

My beautiful escape and occasional fishin' hole......This is also part of Prairie Oaks Metro park.

This is a great little enclosed area for kayaking! Its nice open spaces and calm waters are great for beginners like me to get their bearings.

What an amazing new (to me) Metropark in Columbus! The water is incredibly clear, there are birds and flowers to see, and several trails to hike. You can canoe or kayak on some, but not all of the lakes. Fishing is permitted. One of the smaller lakes has a fishing area that is adapted for children and folks with disabilities. There's even an area for off-leash AND dog swimming!

You can walk for hours, so many trails
My yorkie loves it too

Beautiful place to relax....

This is my favorite place in the world, no doubt in my mind. It's so peaceful here, and the lake scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Plenty of trails that lead out to the rest of Prairie Oaks Metro Park for all the hiking you might ever want to do. Good lakes for fishing, or just sitting out in a boat. A small dog park right by the water, and two picnic shelters for any get-togethers. But for me, it's all about the natural beauty this park has (more than most) and how peaceful it is, feeling so removed from the city. Don't believe me? I highly recommend you see this place for yourself.

This is one of the better parks to go to in the central Ohio area. The trails aren't exactly difficult but they do provide a lot of walking if you want to walk fairly far like a couple miles or whatever. They offer a gravel Trail it's pretty easy however there is some nature trails also connected to the park as well so it's nice to have the option. The main attraction of the park is the huge Lakes they have. I'm not much of a kayaker but it is kind of cool just for the scenery aspect of it and my dog likes the dog swimming area. I will say I stop taking her there simply because she was trying to drink and getting water in her mouth and she was getting sick from it. For a dog she has a pretty weak stomach so I'm not going to deduct points for that.

Love this place. Love to fish it, kayaking here is a blast also. Plenty of wildlife to look at and that is only the areas around the water I'm speaking of. There is even more opportunity along the paths that go away from the ponds/lakes.

My whole family loves Prairie Oaks. The kids love taking our dog to the dog beach and I like taking my kayak out on the lake. There are great spots for fishing and trails for walking.

My dog, Huckleberry, and I love going to parks! Prairie Oaks/Darby Bend Lake is our favorite place to hike and Huck loves cooling off in the lake and playing with other dogs! Best Metro Park in our opinion! Something to do for everyone!

Beautiful lakes! Cleanest water I've been on anywhere around here. We paddled our kayaks there and you can see at least 6 ft down.

Wonderful natural resource in the area. Great walking trails, a lake that can be fished and canoed/kayaked on, and good facilities. They also run occasional programs by the park rangers.

Loved the Darby lakes section of Prairie Oaks Metro Park. Nice paths and kayaking. There is a nice dog swimming beach here too.

Great place to kayak or bring the hound........or both.

Beautiful trails, 3 beautiful lakes with a pond with big fishes in them, dog beach, benches so much great things the Wildlife officers are really cool. Love coming here.

Beautiful, quiet, peaceful metro park with easy access to the lake for fishing & kayaking. There's also a really nice area to bring pets!

Awesome place for fishing, walking and pets

Nice place to enjoy the outdoors , just wish dog people would be more respectful and pick up after Fido , and keep them leashed regardless of how much of a good boy or or girl they think their dog is .