Ohio's Chapin Forest provides scenic trails and outdoor activities for all seasons

Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) - Chapin Forest is not big, but it offers some giant vistas of Northeast Ohio, big cliffs, tall trees and it is a prime winter sports center.

On clear days, you can see Lake Erie and far-distant Cleveland 18 miles away from its flat-topped sandstone summit in Kirtland in Lake County.

The best long-distance vistas are found off the Lucky Stone Loop Trail in Lake Metroparks' Chapin Forest Reservation. You are atop the ledges of pebbly Sharon conglomerate (sandstone embedded with white quartz pebbles) that were formed 320 million years ago.

Access to the ledges and outcroppings is restricted to guided walks for safety reasons and to protect sensitive vegetation.

That ridge, the first major land barrier to winter storms sweeping in off Lake Erie, results in lots of snow at the 390-acre park.

The park has six miles of trails and rents both cross-country skis and snowshoes at its Pine Lodge Ski Center off Hobart Road.

The groomed trails are designed for beginners to intermediate skiers.

The park often gets 100 inches of snow in a season, so it's a popular place for winter sports, said Brian Davidson, chief of recreational services for the park district.

"It's something we're committed to," he said of the winter sports. "It's something we love doing and people come out. We get the snow, so we might as well use it."

About a mile of those trails is lighted for after-dark use, too.

Ski rental fees are $5 an hour or $15 a day. For children 12 and under, the fee is $3 an hour or $9 per day. Ski rental includes boots, skis and poles. Snowshoes are $3 an hour or $12 per day for adults, and $1.50 an hour or $6 per day for children 12 and under.

The center also rents skate skis, a cross-country ski that performs like roller blades.

The rentals are on a first-come, first-served basis. You need to provide a driver's license for rentals. Instruction is also offered.

The center is open when there are at least 4 inches of snow on the ground. If there's enough snow, it is typically open from noon to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends. It will be open to about March 15.

It will also host a big cross-country event, the Nordic Flurry Cross-Country Ski Race, on Jan. 24. There will be a 5-kilometer race (3.1 miles) at 9 a.m. and a 10-kilometer race (6.2 miles) at 10 a.m.

In addition, there will be a special 2-kilometer race for youth 16 and under after the 10-kilometer race is completed.

The fee is $12 per race in advance and $15 the day of the race. You can enter both races for an additional $5. Call 440-358-7275 or 800-669-9226 for registration and information.

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For ski center information, call 440-256-3810 or 440-358-7275. You can check out http://www.lakemetroparks.com/programs/activities/cross-country.shtml#pine. For ski conditions, call the park's Winter Sports Hotline at 440-954-4178.

Lake Metroparks grooms cross-country ski trails at the Girdled Road Reservation in Concord Township. There are also ungroomed trails and snowshoe rental at the Penitentiary Glen Reservation in Kirtland.

Chapin Forest is a gift from local resident Frederic H. Chapin. In 1949, he purchased the tract to keep the majestic beeches, maples, oaks, tulips and hemlocks from being logged, and donated it to the state of Ohio.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Forestry used Chapin Forest as a research site in the late 1950s to study growth rates for trees for possible commercial timber production. The land was leased in 1974 to Lake Metroparks for 99 years.

The park is traversed by the blue-blazed Buckeye Trail that circles Ohio.

The Ruffed Grouse Trail covers 1.25 miles; the Lucky Stone Trail is 1.5 miles. The Parcours Trail is 1 mile and the Quarry Trail is 1 mile. The Turkey Trail is 0.4 miles and the Whispering Pines Trail is 0.25 miles.

The Lucky Stone Trail gets its name from the white quartz pebbles, called Lucky Stones by some, that dominate the Sharon conglomerate.

That trail also provides the best looks from atop the 100-foot-high cliffs and of the park's distinctive outcroppings. Rock climbing and rappelling are prohibited at Chapin Forest. But the park district regularly offers guided hikes that really explore the cliffs and outcroppings.

There is also a lot of history to discover at Chapin Forest: two old quarries.

Berea sandstone was quarried from the bed of a small stream, a tributary of the nearby Chagrin River, at the Quarry Pond Picnic Area off Chillicothe Road (state Route 306). It was called the Stannard Quarry after an early owner who leased the quarry to members of the growing Mormon Church.

The Berea sandstone, formed about 360 million years ago, was easily cut and aesthetically pleasing. It was used in monuments, sidewalks, curbs, bridge abutments and numerous local buildings.

The stone was used to build and develop Kirtland, including the Church of the Latter Day Saints' historic Kirtland Temple, completed in 1836 under the direction of church founder Joseph Smith. The quarried stone was used for the church's foundation block and stone quoins, as well as the smooth white walls, after attempts to build a brick temple failed.

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The church, thanks to craftsman Artemus Millet, used a rubblestone technique, with chunks of sandstone mortared together and fitted into place. The walls were then coated with stucco to give the smooth appearance.

Church members were required to work one day a week in the Stannard Quarry.

That quarry was used throughout the 19th century and briefly in the early 20th century. The stone went to the building of what is now the Kirtland Country Club and the old Mooreland house on what is now the Lakeland Community College campus in Kirtland.

From the Lucky Stone Trail you can look down on a pond-dotted area that was quarried in the last century.

From 1959 to 1972, the Sperry Sand and Gravel Co. excavated into what is known locally at Gildersleeve Knob to remove the Sharon conglomerate. The stone was then crushed to extract sand and gravel.

The area was essentially a biological desert when the sand-and-gravel removal was done, but the area is being returned to a more natural state by the park district.

Beaver live in the ponds near rusting mining equipment. The park features four picnic areas, a playground, pond fishing, ballfields, and limited bridle trails. Park hours: sunrise to sunset.

For more information, contact Lake Metroparks at 440-639-7275. You can also check out the Web site at http://www.lakemetroparks.com.

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Bob Downing: bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com

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© 2009, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).