Do you have the Winter Blues? A visit to Boardman Park may lift your spirits and ease the mid-winter doldrums.
      A 2005 study from Harvard University suggests walking fast for about 35 minutes a day five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week improved symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Just getting outdoors and enjoying nature can improve focus, reduce symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, and lower stress levels.
      Boardman Park provides over four miles of trails to walk, jog, or just enjoy the beauty of nature in the winter.
      The park’s trail system consists of the North Trail, with its Eisenhower Branch and Maag Theatre Walk. The trail located on the east side of the main drive of the park, starts at the Boardman Park Lariccia Family Community Center and travels north to the bicentennial rock of Boardman, which is across from St. James Meeting House. The trail provides a safe and accessible pathway to park facilities and to a variety of recreational opportunities. Via the Eisenhower Branch, Trail Users will be able to enjoy the natural areas of the park. The Eisenhower Branch connects the North Trail to the park’s nature trail system located within the 167 acres of natural habitat, as well as the Hike and Bike Trail.
      The surface of the North Trail is asphalt pavement, with the Eisenhower Branch constructed of recycled asphalt. The trail is 8 feet wide and is approximately one mile in length, and is ADA accessible. The Nature Trail system consists of eight (8) trails, with a total length of 2.7 miles; thereby, making the total for all trails in the park over four miles in length.
      The North Trail was recognized by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and awarded Recreational Trail grant, because of its design, purpose and function. The design of the trail includes two relatively new concepts: 1) Meandering: The trail winds between and around trees, while staying outside of the drip line of the trees. The purpose of this concept is twofold: first, to prevent root damage during construction, and secondly, to enhance the aesthetics of the Trail. 2) Elevated Walks: The Trail is constructed above grade. The benefit of this concept is also twofold: first and similar to meandering, to prevent tree root damage, except it is used where meandering is not possible, and secondly, to keep the trail above areas that are wet, which will help prevent water damage.
      Benefits of Trails
       •Trails connect people to nature, to each other, and to our shared histories and cultures.
       •Trails bring peace, solace and joy.
       •Trails promote fitness and outdoor activity.
       •They make our people healthy and our communities more livable.
       •They showcase preservation of open space and wildlife habitat.
       •They bring nature to persons with disabilities.
       •They help our kids develop life-long habits of good health and promote stewardship of the land
      For winter fun, the Park provides a 9-hole disc golf course. Disc golf is a social sport that permits people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy nature while playing a competitive game. One of the many positive aspects of disc golf is that the course has been integrated into the Boardman Park landscape, while not disrupting other activities. The course utilizes existing trees, landscaping, and terrain to create a unique playing experience. Disc golf is a relatively inexpensive sport to play; the cost involves the purchasing of one or more discs that are approximately $10 each (not available at the park).
      Disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc. Similar to ball golf, the object of completing each hole in the fewest strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest throws). A disc is thrown from a tee area to the hole, which is an elevated metal basket. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive throw from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs, and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. Finally, the ‘putt’ lands in the basket and the hole is completed. Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether it is sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway. However, there are few differences.
      It has been said by some Disc Golfers, “Neither snow, nor sleet, nor dark of night shall keep disc golfers from their appointed rounds.” Winter is a great season for disc golf. Walking from hole to hole allows participants to savor the beauty of winter, which can be hard to appreciate from behind a pane of glass.
      Plus, winter play helps highly competitive golfers rediscover the fun factor. Chilly temperatures, wind, snow—none of these elements promotes top performance, and so winter rounds become less about setting records and more about simply enjoying the game.
      Common sense cold-weather adjustments apply to winter disc golfing: “Warm socks, waterproof boots, gators to keep the snow out. Also, it is best to dress in layers, with thicker layers at the core to keep the torso warm and the arms free to move.”
      Boardman Park also provides an ice skating rink when the weather permits, and a beautiful landscape for cross-country skiing.