2024 Summit Metro Parks Fall Hiking Spree kicks off this weekend. What to know

The Summit Metro Parks' 61st edition of its hiking challenge will begin this weekend and go through Nov. 30, according to a press release from the parks department.

The kick-off event for the Fall Hiking Spree will be held Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Valley View Area of Cascade Valley Metro Park, 1134 Cuyahoga St. in Akron. Hikers will adventure along the new 1.1-mile Missing Link Trail, which will be credited toward the hiking spree challenge.

Spree forms will be available and Fall Hiking Spree T-shirts will be for sale.

During the hiking challenge, participants can sign up to complete eight of the 13 designated hikes between Sept. 1 through Nov. 30 to earn rewards. Rewards are free for Summit County residents, but non-residents will have to pay $5 per shield and $10 for first time hikers receiving a hiking staff and shield.

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What is this year's Fall Hiking Spree theme?

The theme for this year's hiking spree is Honoring Indigenous Culture, where the park district will explore stories of the Indigenous individuals who inhabited park territory. Starting Sept. 1, the beginning point of each of Fall Hiking Spree trail will include signs where hikers can learn more about the past of the Indigenous inhabitants.

The full list of 2024 spree trails and forms are available at summitmetroparks.org .

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Where to get Fall Hiking Spree forms

Hiking forms are available online at www.summitmetroparks.org/fall-hiking-spree , in the September/October issue of Green Islands magazine and at the following locations:

• F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, 1828 Smith Rd., Akron
• Liberty Park Nature Center, 9999 Liberty Rd., Twinsburg
• Summit Lake Nature Center, 411 Ira Ave., Akron
• In a dropbox outside the park district’s Administrative Offices, 975 Treaty Line Rd., Akron
• Park kiosks
• Acme Fresh Market locations

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 2024 Summit Metro Parks Fall Hiking Spree kicks off this weekend. What to know