ASHLAND — Yes, when the leaves turn in New England it’s pretty special.

A cabin in the Smoky Mountains overlooking rounded peaks of glorious rust and maroon hues is a sight to behold, too.

But let’s be real — most of us have jobs, and lives, and budgets and kids and well, most of us aren’t going to be cruising along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, hugging Lake Superior, anytime soon.

Fortunately, we don’t have to.

Now and for the next couple of weeks the fall leaves will be in full-color force. You can experience it all around the city limits of Ashland. Sure, there’s always Mohican and Malabar Farm and county parks in the north by Sullivan and Ruggles, but we’re talking about right around the corner from your house.

Most Ashland residents are familiar with Freer Field because of the Ballonfest activities that happen every 4th of July. But have you walked and witnessed the woods, with wooden bridges where dying yellow leaves float down and fill the creek beds like foam?

Local residents Suzanne and Len Salvo have.

“We come here quite often; it’s really nice to walk here and Ashland has the advantage of having a great park district,” Len said.

The 78-acres of Freer Field breaks down into: 2 miles of hiking trails, a one-mile paved loop, 30 acres of woods and plenty of blank field space in-between.

The Freer Family gave the land to the county for general use back in 1902 and then the county donated the track to the Ashland Parks Department in 2008.

“Having my dog here makes it even better. Ashland has a lot of nice places like this,” Suzanne said.

Heading to Wal-Mart or McDonalds on 250 anytime soon? Do you know there’s a 215-acre wetland park right behind those places? Wooden boardwalks of the Audubon Wetlands Preserve allow for total emersion in the atmosphere of the fall colors. Oak trees must be lazy because they take forever to turn and fall, but you can experience maple, birch, cedar, hemlock, elm, poplar and other northern Ohio hardwoods.

But don’t be surprised if the scenery doesn’t look the same as before.

“The colors this year are unpredictable. I think because in most areas the mini drought has caused early leaf drop and browning of leaves on some trees. The warm temperatures probably don’t help either,” said City of Ashland Arborist Brian Blessing.

If you’re looking for chestnuts to roast on an open fire, don’t get your hopes up.

Disease has all but obliterated the species from our Ohio forests. Replanting efforts are in full force, though, and you can even order Chestnuts seedlings and other varieties on the cheap through the Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District starting early next year.

Off the beaten track/secret spots: Looking for a good place to drop a body? Wait, I mean, to take a romantic and secluded hike?

Who is old enough to remember the days when Davis Road went all the way through and wasn’t chopped in half by Rt. 42? Where Davis dead-ends (off of Hillcrest) is now a parking area for a little pathway along the Jamison Creek. You can take that path all the way to the Hillcrest/Club Dr. intersection where the Jamison Creek Nature Preserve begins.

Another low-key spot is behind Edison Elementary. You can park there or at the end of Mowry Street, the road that is across from Brookside Golf Course on Sandusky.

The area is mostly woods and is a great spot for trail runners as you can cruise on the outside of neighboring fields that are part of the Sandusky Hollow nature area.

“We are seeing bright reds in some of the red maple cultivars. Some of the scarlet oaks are showing nice color. Hopefully, the sugar maples will show nice orange also,” Blessing said.

Running/Biking

There are only so many routes you can run in the city, so why not branch out and hit Brookside West, Baney Road and the rolling hills of east Ashland?

There’s low car volume on the streets, ample berm space and plenty of views of fall foliage mixed with ready-to- harvest feed corn and bean plants. Plenty of good routes along CR 1600 and the offshoots of that road as well.

Driving

Have you experienced Ashland’s premier haunted bridge tunnel?

Depending on which year you graduated or the decade in which you’ve heard the story, the urban legend may have changed.

Over the years I’ve heard: “It was used in the Underground Railroad, and bounty hunters caught escaped slaves and hanged them there.”

“If you drive through the bridge at night, if you go one way, you can see blood on the road from a horrific and deadly car crash. But if you drive back through the other way, the blood disappears.”

“It’s just a train bridge you morons.”

“If you put your car in neutral, ghosts will push your car, defying gravity.”

The stories keep changing, but here’s a grainy video from 2011. If you take 42 south out of town, heading towards Mansfield, before Ohio 603, turn right on CR 1536. Within a couple of minutes you will go through the “haunted” tunnel.

But will you come out alive on the other side?

If you want pure fall foliage, you don’t have to travel—at all—local Ashland has you covered (in leaves).

For further exploring, here’s the map of all the parks maintained by the Ashland County Parks district.