Griggs Reservoir Park
The water Upper Arlington backs onto: a long, narrow park strung down Riverside Drive beside the dammed Scioto, with boat ramps, shaded picnic tables, herons, and the best sunset view within ten minutes of the city.
Boat ramp and shoreline picnic tables at Griggs Reservoir Park on the Scioto River
What to expect at Griggs Reservoir Park
Griggs Reservoir Park runs for several miles along the eastern shore of the Scioto River where the water widens behind Griggs Dam, the early twentieth-century structure that turned this stretch of river into a drinking-water reservoir for Columbus. The park is owned and run by Columbus Recreation and Parks rather than by Upper Arlington, but it forms the western edge of the Upper Arlington world and is the water that the city's riverside streets look out over. It is a long, thin park: a strip of grass, mature trees, picnic tables, shelters, boat ramps and shoreline access threaded between Riverside Drive and the reservoir. Anglers fish for saugeye, crappie and catfish from the bank; kayakers and canoeists launch from the ramps; and in the early evening the low sun down the water is genuinely beautiful.
A visit works best as a slow drift down the shoreline. Pull into one of the free lots strung along Riverside Drive, walk the grass to the water and follow the bank; each lot serves a different picnic area with tables, some under old trees and some fully exposed. Boat ramps allow trailered launches, and paddlers slide kayaks in from the same points. Look for great blue herons standing in the shallows, cormorants on the snags, and gulls in winter; bald eagles have become an occasional sight along the Scioto corridor. The mown strip is easy walking and mostly flat, and there are long views across the water to the wooded far bank. It is a picnic and paddling park rather than a hiking one, and the road is always audible.
Plan it around the light and the boats. Late afternoon into sunset is the standout window, especially from September through November when the far bank turns colour and the water goes still. Summer weekends bring motorboats, jet skis and busy ramps, so if you want quiet water for a paddle, come on a weekday morning. Bring your own kayak or arrange a rental in advance if paddling matters to you, as availability on the reservoir varies by season and operator. Take a picnic; there is no cafe in the park. If you want a shelter for a group, they are reservable through Columbus Recreation and Parks rather than the Upper Arlington system, which catches people out.
From Upper Arlington this is the easiest of all the water access points. From Tremont Center, drive west on Fishinger Road to Riverside Drive, then turn north or south along the shore; the trip is about two and a half miles and six to eight minutes. Riverside Drive is signed as SR-33 along this stretch and the lots are frequent, small and free. From downtown Columbus, follow SR-315 north to Fishinger or Lane Avenue and head west, roughly eighteen to twenty minutes. There is no bus: COTA does not run Riverside Drive here, and its nearest services on the arterial corridors leave you well over a mile away at a $2.00 local fare or a $4.50 day pass. Cyclists use Riverside Drive with care, as traffic moves fast.
Entry and parking cost nothing. The reservoir and park are free public facilities, and bank fishing is free as long as you hold a current Ohio fishing licence, which for a non-resident annual runs to a few tens of dollars and is bought online or from tackle shops; short-term non-resident permits are cheaper and worth checking before you cast. Boat launching is free at the public ramps for suitable craft. Rentals, when available, are the main variable cost and typically run in the region of $20 to $40 an hour for a kayak or canoe from operators on the reservoir. Shelter reservations go through Columbus Recreation and Parks on their fee schedule. There is nothing else to buy inside.
Time it carefully. Weekday mornings from March to May are close to empty and full of birds; summer weekends between eleven and five are the busiest hours of the year with ramps queuing and every shaded table taken by ten; autumn weekday afternoons are the sweet spot for colour and calm. Winter is stark but rewarding for waterbirds, and hard freezes bring anglers onto the ice at their own considerable risk, which nobody should copy. The park keeps long daily hours under Columbus Recreation and Parks, typically from 6:00 until 23:00, and closes no day of the week. High water after storms can flood low sections of grass and close ramps temporarily.
It suits paddlers, anglers, picnickers, photographers and anyone wanting a water view within ten minutes of Upper Arlington. Wheelchair users will find the lots close to the water with mown, flat approaches at several points, though not every table is on a firm surface. Families do well here with a picnic and a fishing rod, less well if the children need play equipment, which is thin on the ground compared with the Upper Arlington parks. It is a poor rainy-day option, being almost entirely exposed. Anyone expecting a beach should skip it: this is a drinking-water reservoir and swimming is not the activity here.
Nearby, you can build a good half-day. The Upper Arlington parks are all within ten minutes east, with Fancyburg and Thompson closest; Kingsdale Shopping Center handles supplies and lunch about eight minutes away; and the Old Arlington historic streets are ten minutes east if you want architecture afterwards. Further afield, the Scioto and Olentangy corridors link to longer riverside trails. The honest caveats are three: Riverside Drive traffic noise carries the whole length of the park, so this is not silent nature; summer weekend crowding at the ramps is worse than any guidebook suggests; and the shoreline, while long, is narrow, so anyone imagining a broad lakeside park with facilities will find a grass verge with tables and a very good view.
Questions about Griggs Reservoir Park
Entry and parking are free, as this is a Columbus Recreation and Parks facility with open lots along Riverside Drive. Launching your own boat at the public ramps costs nothing. Costs appear only if you rent or fish: kayak and canoe hire from reservoir operators typically runs about $20 to $40 an hour when available, and bank fishing requires a current Ohio licence bought online, with short-term non-resident options costing less than an annual.
The park is free throughout its opening hours, typically 6:00 to 23:00 daily under Columbus Recreation and Parks rules, so there is no paid window to avoid. Reserved picnic shelters are the only spaces that can be closed to general use, and those are booked through Columbus Recreation and Parks on their published fee schedule. Everything else, including the shoreline, the ramps and the picnic tables, is first-come and costs nothing.
Two to three hours. A walk along one section of shoreline with a coffee takes forty-five minutes; a picnic with a stroll fills two hours; a paddle on the reservoir easily takes three or more once you have loaded and launched. Sunset watchers should allow an hour before dark. If you are staying in Upper Arlington, this pairs neatly with Fancyburg or Thompson Park a few minutes east for a full morning outdoors.
There is no closed day; the park operates daily on long Columbus Recreation and Parks hours, roughly 6:00 to 23:00. Temporary closures happen with high water, when storm run-off floods the low grass and ramps become unusable, and occasionally for maintenance on the ramps or shelters. Winter ice does not close the park, but ramps may be unusable and nobody should walk out onto the reservoir surface regardless of what local anglers do.
Not for a normal visit, a walk, a picnic at an open table or a launch from a public ramp. Booking matters for reserved picnic shelters, which go through Columbus Recreation and Parks rather than Upper Arlington, and for boat or kayak rentals, which have limited stock and seasonal operating windows and are worth arranging in advance for a summer weekend. Fishing needs a licence rather than a booking.
Free lots run the length of the park along Riverside Drive, signed as SR-33, and are rarely full except on summer weekends. There is no COTA service on this stretch, and the nearest bus corridors leave a walk of well over a mile at a $2.00 local fare or $4.50 day pass. Drive six to eight minutes west from Tremont Center via Fishinger Road, or about eighteen to twenty minutes from downtown Columbus via SR-315.
Hotels near Griggs Reservoir Park
Every hotel we cover in Riverside Bend
- AC Hotel by Marriott Columbus Dublin 3★ · 4.6/5 · 9420 km away
More things to do
All things to do
From the journal
All posts
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with pools near Upper Arlington, ranked
Upper Arlington packs three city pools and almost no hotel rooms into 9.8 square miles, so every swimmable stay sits a 5 to 20 minute drive out — here are seven clusters ranked, at $95 to $280 a night.
Comparisons & rankings
Pet-friendly hotels near Upper Arlington
Pet fees around Upper Arlington run from $0 to $150 per stay depending on which of the six hotel clusters you pick — here is what each one charges, and the four parks worth the drive once you have checked in.
Comparisons & rankings
Family-friendly hotels near Upper Arlington, ranked
A family of four can sleep near Upper Arlington for $110 a night in Hilliard or $260 in Dublin — here are six clusters ranked on the four things that actually matter with kids, plus what to do with them once you are here.