Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Park - Geauga Park District

BESSIE BENNER METZENBAUM PARK is a65-acre park located in Chester Townshipadjacent to the Bessie Benner MetzenbaumSheltered Industries and Opportunity School.Wildlife is attracted to its diverse habitatswhere people with a wide variety of interestsand abilities will find activities to enjoy. It isGeauga Park District’s intent to protect thisnatural area in perpetuity.AMENITIESThe Wisteria Hill picnic area offers a shelter,restrooms and a playground designed to beenjoyed by people of all abilities.Bessie Benner Metzenbaum ParkTRAILSThe bridge on the Summit TrailThree trails totaling one mile in length are availableto nature lovers of all abilities. The Summit Trailascends the sandstone knoll to an overlook thatoffers a canopy view of the surrounding forest.GEAUGA PARK DISTRICTTHISTORYJewelweedJames Metzenbaum, while out driving onesleepless night during the 1940s, discovereda 100-acre parcel in Chester Township whichhe purchased as a memorial to his wife, whohad died several years earlier, Bessie BennerMetzenbaum.NATURAL HABITATSA mature beech-maple woods covers the majorityof the property, including the sandstone knoll atthe western edge of the park, which rises 140 feetabove Griswold Creek. Wildflowers and small rockoutcroppings grace the hillside. The remains of anold orchard are located in the meadow at the footof the hill where the old homestead once stood;two conifer plantations add greenery year-round.The paved Evergreen Trail loops through beechwoods and a pine plantation, while the boardwalkon the Griswold Creek Trail takes visitors across thestream and through the wetlands.GEAUGA PARK DISTRICT9160 Robinson Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-9148(440) 286-9516 or (800) 536-4006 (Geauga toll free)info@geaugaparkdistrict.orgwww.geaugaparkdistrict.orgPrinted onRecycled PaperBASS LAKEPRESERVEParkPreserveEntranceMaple Highlands TrailProposed TrailWOODINROAD PARKMOUNTAINRUN STATIONPLANKWHITNEYOBSERVATORYPARKHe named the land Wisteria Hill after thebeautiful blossoms that adorned his home inEuclid, and later deeded it to the Bessie BennerMetzenbaum Foundation to be used by suchchildren’s organizations as the Girl Scouts andthe YMCA. Later, in 1965, the Metzenbaumschool was constructed.In 1991, the Metzenbaum Foundation donated65 acres of wooded land, including a formerhomestead, to Geauga Park District. After someimprovements, the park opened to the publicin 1992.Boardwalk over wetlands, Griswold Creek TrailA majority of the area surrounding GriswoldCreek and its tributaries is a wetland providingmany benefits for both people and wildlife. Densethicket provides cover to a variety of birds andother critters in the lowlands surrounding thecreek. Beavers have constructed a dam whichattracts even more aquatic activity.Summit TrailSUNNYBROOKPRESERVETAVERNCHICKAGAMIPARKBessie Benner Metzenbaum Park Lat: N 41 30.474 Long: W 081 21.422 5M-10/11

MAP KEYPark EntranceWoodlandAMENITIESWisteria Hill ShelterBessie Benner Metzenbaum Park ▪ 7940 Cedar Road ▪ Chester TownshipMowed AreasWetlandsConifer Forest (evergreens)Restroom LocationObservation DeckTRAILSMILESGriswold Creek Trail (paved) 0.2Evergreen Trail (paved) 0.3Summit Trail 0.5Griswold CreekCaves RoadCedar RoadTo Bessie BennerMetzenbaumSheltered IndustriesOpportunities School