Portage Park District Calendar

If you’re a new hiker, maneuvering trails can be daunting. Our rangers offer monthly hikes to help people get acquainted with our beautiful parks! Already familiar? Come anyway for a hike with a friendly face.

Zoologist Bill Schutt sets the record straight, debunking common myths and investigating
our new understanding of cannibalism’s role in biology, anthropology, and history in the most
fascinating account yet written on this complex topic.

Explore a high-quality headwater stream with our staff and meet some of the aquatic creatures up close and personal! We will be using nets to gently sample the stream and learn how we determine water quality based on the macroinvertebrates we find.

Summer is for swimming and gardening, but these activities put us in contact with some interesting pathogens. Portage County Health District’s epidemiologist Oliva Artman joins us to discuss some of the potential germs we might encounter this summer and how to keep ourselves safe.

These slower paced, group hikes offer a chance for all ages to enjoy a hike on a smooth, level surface whether you want to learn about nature or chat with friends.

The Headwaters Trail is a flat, crushed limestone path. 

Take the pledge to protect and conserve Portage Park District's natural areas then learn about the activities you can complete in your booklet all summer long!

Moths rarely get the credit they deserve because they come out after dark. We will literally be shining a light on these incredible night-time creatures to see all the forms that we miss out on during the day.

Walk and talk with a UH Portage Nutritionist on how to stay fueled during this busy season. We’ll cover summer snacks, eating on the go, and easy summer meals.

Morgan Park has crushed limestone and natural surface trails.

Come be part of our citizen science team that is actively monitoring butterfly populations at Trail Lake Park. We’ll teach you how to identify these winged masterpieces on the fly.

This monthly program allows you to check off part of the Wild Hikes Challenge in the company of people that love hiking and nature as much as you do. Get one step closer to earning your medallion!

The Headwaters Trail has a crushed limestone surface.

Growing up can come with some big emotions! Join us to better understand our emotions, develop empathy and resilience, and learn effective coping skills from our NAMI partner! Designed for children in grades K-2. 

Immerse yourself in the sounds of nature to celebrate the solstice as an instructor leads you through a beginner friendly yoga routine.

Celebrate the summer solstice and nature’s beauty with an outdoor sound bath.  Bring a chair, mat, or blanket and enjoy a relaxing guided meditation and sounds of the forest along with crystal bowls and other instruments of healing.  No experience necessary, all are welcome.

How do you make an oak tree laugh? Tell it acorn-y joke. Walk and share your favorite family-friendly nature puns just in time for Father’s Day, because the only thing better than dad jokes are nature dad jokes – you better beleaf it.

This Happy Hour Hike with the Portage Park District Foundation is actually a Yappy Hour Hike! North Water Brewing is dog friendly, so bring your pup along! Meet at North Water Brewing for a hike on the PORTAGE Hike & Bike Trail, then back for a beverage.

How many of the 11 turtles found in Ohio have you encountered? Whether is all 11 or just 1, join us to learn all about these incredible creatures.

This is an indoor program. 

Learn how to read the landscape with Natural Areas Steward Chris Poling as he teaches how to do a plant survey with conservation in mind while sharing general field botany tips and tricks.

Join us for a generational hike to bring the Junior Rangers and Seniors together!

The Morgan Park meadow trail is a flat, crushed limestone path. 

HOO! Wants to learn more about Ohio’s incredible owls? Join friends at Dix Park to engage in nature play while discovering fun adaptations that owls use to survive.

Insects are abuzz at Morgan Park and our challenge this month is to capture their hard work in photographs. All skill levels welcome!

The Morgan Park meadow trail is a flat, crushed limestone path. 

The big migration wave is over but summer is a great time to learn about fledglings and molting. New to birding? Binoculars will be available to borrow.

Seneca Ponds has natural surface trails.

Portage County Health District will join us to give registrants new helmets so they can make the most of their summer adventures safely. Giveaway will be followed by a family friendly bike ride.

Pollinator Specialist and former Kent State Professor Bob Heath will guide us around Morgan Park to net, identify, and learn about all of the wonderful species that play a role in the health of the meadow.

As America celebrates its 250^th, we’ll shine a spotlight on our national symbol of freedom.