MEDINA, Ohio -- Dozens of visitors find their way to Lake Medina each day to fish, walk or just enjoy the scenery -- especially beautiful now with the leaves turning color.
To make those visits more enjoyable, the Medina County Park District recently completed a two-and-a-half-month project that significantly changed the entrance to the park from Granger Road.
What used to be a small gravel parking area has been replaced by a 40-space asphalt lot, plus a roundabout, a sidewalk and a new entrance to the walking trails. The formerly natural-surface connector trail to the park’s Lower Trail has been paved, providing access to strollers and wheelchairs.
In partnership with a neighboring property owner, vegetation was cleared along Granger Road, making the park entrance more visible and safer to access.
The new Granger Road parking lot at Lake Medina features 40 parking spaces and an asphalt surface. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)
Almost half of the funding for the $313,000 project was provided by a $150,000 reimbursable grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trails Program.
Lake Medina served as Medina’s municipal water source from the early 1960s until 2002, when the 197-acre site was leased to the park district. The park features a 1.1-mile natural surface Upper Trail along the lake and a 1.35-mile asphalt Lower Trail that follows the West Branch of the Rocky River and connects to the City of Medina’s multipurpose trail along Reagan Parkway.
Lake Medina is popular for hiking, fishing, biking, kayaking and cross-country skiing. According to Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell, "Lake Medina is a treasured asset in our community and is frequently visited by those in our city, county and region. This is another positive collaboration between the city and the Medina County Park District.
For more information, visit www.MedinaCountyParks.com.
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