The City of Columbus Metro Parks developed portages along the 8.6 mile Olentangy River Water Trail providing additional recreational access to City residents wishing to traverse the Olentangy River by canoe or kayak. Four launch sites and several boat portage trails were developed to allow boaters to traverse around lowhead dams in a safe manner. The boat launch areas also included informational kiosks equipped with Olentangy River Water Trail brochures, and gravel paths to provide better footing for boaters to launch from or get out of their boat to the next launch spot.
The Olentangy River Water Trail runs through naturalized areas to more urban environments featuring views of the Ohio Stadium and the Columbus city skyline. Removal of a dam along the Olentangy River, as part of a separate project, allows users to travel from Tuttle Park, located near the Ohio State University, to downtown without a portage around a dam.
Williams Creek Management, through our extensive understanding of hydrology and natural systems, provided site design to Metro Parks by revising existing design drawings to better address undercutting of the landings. Williams Creek delivered on the project by providing specialty construction of the portage trail features and refurbished informational kiosks.
