Hike F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm's Seneca Trail

2 hours ago

4 min read

The Seneca Trail at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm is a scenic 1.4-mile loop that combines hiking, nature, and a surprising amount of Akron history. The trail winds through hardwood forest, towering pines, and open prairie while passing remnants of the farmland that once occupied the property. With rolling terrain, diverse habitats, and an old barn foundation hidden along the route, Seneca is one of the most interesting hikes in Summit Metro Parks.

Trail Info

Length 1.4 miles

Elevation gain 120 feet

Route Loop

Permit required No

Dogs allowed No

Trailhead elevation 1,028'

Water None filterable

Don't miss the old barn foundation remnants

Hiking the Seneca Trail

Of the three primary hiking trails at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, the Seneca Trail offers perhaps the best opportunity to see just how diverse the park really is. The 1.4-mile loop travels through deciduous forest and stands of pine, crosses rolling terrain and passes prairie and gardens along the way. But hidden among all that nature are reminders of an earlier chapter in the property's history, when portions of today's forest were working farmland.

Long before hikers arrived, the land that became F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm was divided between two farms. The larger property, once associated with the Laughlin family, occupied higher ground near the top of Smith Road around the present-day visitors center and arboretum. Open fields covered areas that are now filled with trees and other vegetation.

The property eventually came into the possession of Franklin Augustus Seiberling, better known as F.A. Seiberling. Along with his brother Charles, Seiberling founded the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron in 1898 and became one of the most influential figures in the city's industrial history. He was also a major advocate for preserving natural areas around Akron and helped guide the young Akron Metropolitan Park District during its formative years.

Seiberling owned the future Nature Realm property between 1920 and 1948. Summit Metro Parks later purchased the land in 1964, and F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm was dedicated in 1966. It became home to the park district's first nature center, where naturalists initially conducted educational programs from the old farmhouse and barn already standing on the property.

Although those buildings are gone, hikers on the Seneca Trail can still encounter a physical reminder of the property's farming days. Near the trail are the remains of an old barn foundation, one of the few obvious clues that the quiet forest surrounding the path was once part of an agricultural landscape. The current Summit Metro Parks trail map still specifically identifies the barn foundation as a feature along the Seneca route.

That makes the Seneca Trail particularly interesting for anyone who enjoys a little history with their hike. Trees have reclaimed former fields, and natural areas have replaced much of the working landscape, but the stone foundation provides a tangible link between the two eras.

At roughly 1.4 miles, Seneca is the longest of the three main trails originating around the Nature Realm Visitors Center and is rated moderate by Summit Metro Parks. While hardly a strenuous hike, the trail has more elevation change than Cherry Lane or Fernwood, repeatedly climbing and descending through the rolling terrain.

The constantly changing surroundings are what make Seneca stand out. One stretch may pass beneath deciduous hardwoods while another travels through a stand of pines, giving portions of the trail an entirely different character. Elsewhere, the woods give way to more open habitat around the prairie and landscaped areas.

Eventually, hikers reach the Rock and Herb Garden near the visitors center. The gardens are part of a much larger collection of habitats packed into the Nature Realm, which also includes two ponds, wetlands, observation decks, a tall-grass prairie and an arboretum. Together, these areas help fulfill the purpose for which the Nature Realm was created: providing a place where people can experience, study and learn about the natural world.

One of the Nature Realm's most unusual traditions involves its smallest residents. Black-capped chickadees have become accustomed to taking seed directly from visitors' hands, particularly during the colder months. Summit Metro Parks permits hand-feeding chickadees outside the Nature Realm Visitors Center, offering visitors the chance to watch the tiny birds land only inches away.

The Nature Realm is also an excellent destination for birding and wildlife watching. The unusual concentration of forest, wetlands, ponds, prairie and gardens provides habitat for a wide variety of species within a relatively compact property. Those different environments also mean that the experience along the Seneca Trail can change considerably throughout the seasons.

There are several rules worth knowing before visiting. Most importantly, dogs are not permitted at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm. The property is designated as a special-use area specifically set aside for the study and enjoyment of nature, making it different from many of the other parks within the Summit Metro Parks system. Visitors are expected to remain on designated trails and walkways and leave plants and other natural features undisturbed.

For hikers interested in both nature and local history, Seneca may be the most rewarding trail at the Nature Realm. What initially appears to be an ordinary walk through the woods gradually reveals a much larger story—one involving Akron's industrial rise, F.A. Seiberling's conservation legacy, old farms slowly reclaimed by forest and a park deliberately created to teach future generations about the natural world. The old barn foundation may be easy to walk past, but it is a fitting reminder that the forest surrounding the trail is younger than it looks.