In 2009, a generous yet unexpected gift of 150 acres was made to Summit Metro Parks.

That gift of land by a man whose family “loves the parks and the Fall Hiking Spree, but wants to remain anonymous,” was the catalyst behind Wood Hollow Metro Park.

Purchases of several adjacent properties brought the park’s current size to a little more than 300 acres. It includes the 1.2-mile Downy Loop, with several bridges and boardwalks. The trail’s name is a nod to the small woodpeckers that are among the species inhabiting “wood hollows” in the area’s beech-maple woods and wetlands.