Fry Family Park

Open Daily: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This 360-acre property has beautiful rolling topography with a mixture of grasslands, hardwood forests, a pond, wetlands, and significant stream and wooded riparian corridor.  It provides habitat for an array of songbirds, game birds, raptors, and small mammals.  A catch and release fishing pond is a .30 mile walk from the parking area next to the barn.  Use the access drive on the left traveling up the main driveway.

The park will eventually serve as a trailhead for the Sandy Valley Trail, a major southeast trail system currently under development. Upgrades to the park and new shelter have been made with funds from the Stark Community Foundation.

Fry Family Park honors the memory of Stark Parks’ first director, Richard Fry, and his family.

Read the Fry Family Park Master Plan

Harold S. Fry Visitor Center

The Harold S. Fry Visitor Center at Fry Family Park is open Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.    A $600,000 grant from Ohio Public Works Commission will allow Stark Parks to complete habitat restoration work in addition to a new woodland trail, currently in progress.

The center includes a science lab, library, classroom and multi-purpose room, and outdoor gathering spaces available for rent.  The building is a hub to begin your adventures and a place to meet for scheduled public and requested programs.  Exploration Backpacks include plant and animal guides and bug and specimen collectors. These can be checked out during regular open hours for free.  Driver’s License or ID will be held during borrowing period.  Park maps and pollinator scavenger hunts are also available to use and keep at no charge.

The Visitor Center was originally the home of the Fry Family.  The home is in its original location and underwent renovation in 2019 to its present state.  Harold worked with Stark Parks to transfer the property with the vision of creating a park everyone could enjoy.  He loved the idea that the family home could be used as a community gathering place where others could learn to appreciate nature.

Harold Fry’s son, Richard, was Stark Parks first Park Director from 1977 to 1994.  Richard guided the district during the evolving years of the Park District’s history and worked incredibly hard to create and preserve a county-wide park system.  The Fry Family’s love of the outdoors and wildlife show during a visit to this park through water, land, and sky.

Watersheds
The park is a perfect place to explore watersheds due to the high ridge that splits the water run-off to either the Tuscarawas or Nimishillen Creek watersheds and is the basis for a future Nature Play Area.  The flow of water in this park provides an excellent real-world example of how watersheds work: Where does water surface flow depending on where it lands, how does the land control where the water goes next, and why is it important that our ground water “recharges”? The property also boasts a variety of water features including springs, an “oxbow” separated from the original flow of the Nimishillen Creek, streams, a pond, and wetlands.

Pollinators
Pollinators buzzing around this park have an important job to do and need areas like this to survive.  Through a Feed a Bee grant, pollinator plants will continue to be planted and maintained in several areas.  During the last bee survey, several Golden Northern Bumble bee, including queens, were identified here.  They are currently considered a vulnerable species.  Over 120 species of birds have been confirmed during Bioblitz surveys over the last several years and we look forward to more citizen scientists (like all of you) helping with future counts.

Dark Sky Initiative

Fry Family Park has been awarded an Urban Night Sky Place Certification from the International Dark Sky Association making it the first park in Ohio to achieve this designation and one of only two Dark Sky certified parks in Ohio!

An Urban Night Sky Place certification is awarded to a park, open space, observation site, or other similar property in or near a large urban environment. To become certified, parks must demonstrate planning and design that actively promotes an authentic nighttime experience in the midst of significant artificial light.

During Fry Park’s planning, special light fixtures that emit a dark-sky friendly light were installed throughout the park. These low color-temperature lights produce less light pollution and preserve the natural nighttime darkness. Artificial light pollution can impact the natural environment, from prematurely budding trees and plants, to disrupting native wildlife, and the circadian rhythms of humans.  Due to the park’s rural location and limited commercial enterprise in the area, Fry Park benefits from having little light pollution in the surrounding area as well.

The shelter area parking lot lights are turned off on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for stargazing and provides the best 360° view in the park.  While the shelter lights are still turned on for rental groups, there is an override switch to temporarily turn them off during your stargazing visit.

Although the shelter area provides the best view, here are other viewing areas in the park.

1.  The barn area (gravel driveway to left of driveway) is the darkest area in the park.  The rolling hills cover up the glowing lights from the north, giving you the perfect amount of darkness to see the Milky Way.  This spot is best if you have a telescope/equipment.

2.  Park at the Westbrook Trailhead and hike up the Sandy Valley Trail towards the pond or North Trail.  This spot is best for hiking under the stars, but not ideal for carrying equipment.

3.  Park by the “S Curve” near the driveway entrance.  This location gives you a beautiful view of the southern skies. There may be some light from the neighboring houses and vehicles, this spot is ideal for telescopes/equipment.

Park Trails (5)

North Trail

Trail Length: 0.6 Miles

Pond Access

Trail Length: 0.3 Miles

A short mowed grass and natural surface trail from the parking area at the barn to the catch and release fishing pond.

Sandy Valley Trail

Trail Length: 1.5 Miles

This natural surface trail travels from the Westbrook Trailhead through the park connecting to the North, South, and Shelter Trails.

Shelter Trail

Trail Length: 0.8 Miles

 

South Trail

Trail Length: 1 Miles