SPRINGFIELD TWP.: Springfield Bog Metro Park offers long-distance vistas over rolling grasslands.But there are spots along its dirt and grass Prairie Trail where the vegetation towers 7 feet tall and the trail is claustrophobic and narrow.The 1.6-mile loop trail at Springfield Bog will be a highlight on the upcoming 48th annual Fall Hiking Spree sponsored by Metro Parks, Serving Summit County.The grasslands at the 265-acre park that opened last January are surprisingly colorful. Green is the dominant color. The yellow is provided in recent weeks by blossoming partridge pea. White is Queen Anne’s lace. There are flowery splashes of purple and blue, but they are less common.Even the birds fluttering from stalk to stalk are colorful: yellow-and-black goldfinches and eye-popping indigo buntings. Butterflies and dragonflies abound.The trail runs through 165 acres of grasslands and along the edge of woodlots and bogs. There is little shade and the Prairie Trail can get muddy when wet.The trail off Portage Line Road is already a favorite of Hannah Reed, 20, of Springfield Township. “I love it,” she said after an early morning run with Chris Powell, 21, also of Springfield Township. “I’ve got no complaints with it.”The park district’s fledgling prairie will improve and change as 40 species of prairie plants take root and spread. The prairie is perhaps 60 to 65 percent of what it will be in time, said Michael Johnson, chief of resource management for the park district.The Prairie Trail is one of two new trails that are part of the popular hiking series, along with the Tallmadge Meadow Trail at Munroe Falls Metro Park.The spree officially begins Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 30.The event typically draws 50,000 people into the parks and last year 12,944 people completed the hikes.Park officials call the Fall Hiking Spree the largest and longest-running event of its kind in the United States.The park district will hold a kickoff event from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Chuckery Area at Cascade Valley Metro park off Cuyahoga Street in North Akron.You can hike the 2.4-mile Chuckery Trail that day and get a spree credit. Hiking forms will be available, along with Fall Hiking Spree T-shirts.To earn rewards, participants must hike at least eight of the 15 trails.This year’s other trails are:• Chuckery, Cascade Valley, 2.4 miles, strenuous.• Quarry, Deep Lock Quarry, 1.2 miles, moderate.• Redwing, Firestone, 1.1 miles, easy.• Old Mill, Furnace Run, 1 mile, easy.• Alder, Goodyear Heights, 1.4 miles, easy.• Glens, Gorge, 1.8 miles, moderate.• Spring Hollow, Hampton Hills, 1.6 miles, strenuous.• Buttonbush, Liberty Park, 1.6 miles, easy.• Meadow, Munroe Falls, 2 miles, easy.• Seneca, Nature Realm, 1.4 miles, moderate.• Deer Run, O’Neil Woods, 1.8 miles, strenuous.• Dogwood, Sand Run, 1.8 miles, strenuous.• Chippewa, Silver Creek, 2 miles, easy.• Hiker’s choice: Pick any trail in the Metro Park district.If you hiked all 14 designated trails, you would log nearly 22 miles.The parks are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., unless otherwise posted.First-year hikers earn a hiking staff and shield. Veteran hikers get shields.The fee for out-of-county hikers is $10 for first timers and $5 for veterans.Completed forms can be returned to the park office at 975 Treaty Line Road, Akron, 44313, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through March 31.You can also visit the Seiberling Nature Realm at 1828 Smith Road, Akron, from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.Directions to the parks and trailheads are available online at http://www.summit
metroparks.org. Spree forms are available online and at all Acme Fresh Markets in Summit County.The park district is also offering Trail of the Week videos at http://www.youtube.com/summitmetroparks.For information, call 330-865-8065.