While this little space is nestled in the middle of Ashland, it was surprisingly quiet and made me feel like I was not in town. This park is mostly a field but there is a bit of woods on the south side with this little creek running through. I went to explore in the forenoon on a Saturday in June and was pleasantly surprised at how few people I saw. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it as the forecast had rain and thunderstorms in the forecast and it was raining by the time I left.
Along the trails you could see the back yards of people’s houses and trails leading to them as though some would regularly go walking on the trails. There were a number of small animals like squirrels and chipmunks and a number of different kinds of birds as well. The mosquitoes weren’t too bad.
It definitely looked like children have had fun there over the years. I would expect that when there are events on the field or nearby that it would have more traffic on the trails, especially if the weather is nice. My suggestion would be to visit when the weather isn’t the greatest or in the early morning to enjoy the most peace and quiet.
Quietness: 5/10 (Depends on nearby events and time of day)
Crowds: Medium (Depends on nearby events and time of day)
Accessibility: Easy (Trails are mostly flat with a few ups and downs)
Photography: Excellent (Depends on the season)
Solitude Potential: Low – Medium
Time Needed: 1–2 Hours (Depends on whether you walk fast or look at everything)
The trail map, GPS coordinates, address, and other park details can be found here: https://www.ashlandcountyparks.com/parks/freer-field/
Here is a video I created of the beauty I saw while I explored this wild little patch of woods…