Spree For All, the annual two-month hiking series for visitors of all abilities on flat, easy trails, begins Tuesday, May 1.
Sixteen different hikes are included, with six sections of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail on the list. “Spree participants can enjoy the towpath and celebrate its 2012 completion in Summit County,” Metro Parks spokesman Nathan Eppink said.
One of the towpath sections offered is managed by Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which has two other trails that count for spree credit, Eppink added.
All of the trails, good for hikers on foot and those with strollers, wheelchairs, walkers and canes, have been tested by clients from Akron’s United Disability Services.
To participate, download a hiking form at summitmetroparks.org or pick one up at any Acme Fresh Market store. Then enjoy five hikes on five different trails, the same trail or any combination of trails to earn hiking rewards. First-year hikers earn a neck lanyard and commemorative pin; veteran hikers earn a pin. Hikes are FREE for all participants, but non-Summit County residents pay to receive their rewards ($10 for first-year hikers, $5 for veteran hikers).
Since the event’s 2004 inception, 20,454 rewards have been earned. Last year, 957 hikers who earned Spree For All rewards were new to the series.
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