Explore the best rated trails in Avon Lake, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Maple Highlands Trail and Lake-to-Lakes Trail. With more than 43 trails covering 4396 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_150855_st.jpg)
_186536_st.jpg)
Cleveland Metroparks’ Lake to Lake Trail links Lake Isaac and Lake Abram in Middleburg Heights via an asphalt- and boardwalk-surfaced path. The two lakes are the largest remaining glacial wetlands in...
The Heartland Trail is a developing rail-trail project that will one day connect the northeastern Ohio communities of Orrville and Clinton. A mile of the pathway is already on the ground in Orrville,...
The Chippewa Inlet Trail runs for nearly 4 miles between Lafayette Road/State Route 42 and the Chippewa Nature Area. The trail traverses an open, pastoral landscape along the Chippewa Inlet, which...
_150855_sc.jpg)
The County Line Trail travels the path of the former Erie Lackawanna Railroad between Rittman and Creston. A highlight of the trail is a former Baltimore & Ohio freight station located just west of...
Big Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail provides a paved pathway connecting the Mill Stream Run Reservation, Big Creek Reservation, and the Fern Hill Picnic Area. At its southern end, you can connect...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a colossal project, not just for the state of Ohio but also nationally. Dreamed up more than 25 years ago, this route will eventually connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to...
The Brideway Trail is found within the Black River Reservation, a park in Lorain County, where you can walk, jog, inline skate, cross-country ski or bike. The trail runs between Day's Dam in Lorain...
_175944_sc.jpg)
The North Coast Inland Trail is a series of trails across multiple northern Ohio counties that, as they expand and connect, are emerging as an impressive long-distance trail between Cleveland and...
When completed, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail will make a critical connection between Cleveland's downtown neighborhoods and the vast Lake Erie. As of August 2015, the first phase of the...
Cleveland's latest link in the city's growing trail network is the Red Line Greenway, a two-mile rail-with-trail project that opened to the public in May 2021. The trail runs along the tracks of the...
The Garfield Park Reservation All Purpose Trail is located in Garfield Heights, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland. The paved pathway spans nearly four miles through the Garfield Park Reservation,...
Decades in the making, at long last the Hemlock Creek Trail opened to the public in September 2019, giving residents of the Ohio community of Independence a convenient and scenic trail connection to...
The Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway extends 17 miles along the city's Lake Erie shoreline, between the suburbs of Euclid and Lakewood. The bikeway has on-road sections, and the route is signed. The...
The Olde Muskingum Trail parallels the Tuscarawas River and the Ohio & Erie Canalway between Cherry Street in Canal Fulton and Forty Corners Road just north of Massillon. The 6-mile scenic trail has a...
The Lake Metroparks Greenway Corridor runs for more than 5 miles through Painesville, Painesville Township and Concord Township. The elevation rises a little more than 200 feet from Painesville (north...
_185152_sc.jpg)
The North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT) represents a regional collaboration among park districts across the Buckeye State to connect trails linking Ohio to Indiana and Pennsylvania. Begin this section...
The Huron River Greenway MetroPark Trail has two separate segments, each just under 1 mile long. The northern (Huron) segment runs from DuPont Marsh State Nature Preserve off River Road and heads...
The Steel Mill Trail is a 2-mile continuation of the Bridgeway Trail, which lies within the Black River Reservation, a scenic wooded park in Lorain. The Steel Mill Trail picks up at the north end of...
Euclid Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a paved, scenic excursion in the northeastern Ohio community of Euclid, a suburb of Cleveland. The trail is currently divided into two disconnected...
The short North Olmsted Walking & Bike Trail parallels Interstate 480 and provides an alternate, non-motorized route linking neighborhoods with green spaces and business districts.
Big Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail provides a paved pathway connecting the Mill Stream Run Reservation, Big Creek Reservation, and the Fern Hill Picnic Area. At its southern end, you can connect...
The Chippewa Rail Trail runs for 2.4 miles between Chippewa Road (SR 50) in Chippewa Lake to suburban Wycliffe Drive southwest of Medina (Lafayette Township). The trail is mostly rural in feel,...
The Huron River Greenway MetroPark Trail has two separate segments, each just under 1 mile long. The northern (Huron) segment runs from DuPont Marsh State Nature Preserve off River Road and heads...
The Steel Mill Trail is a 2-mile continuation of the Bridgeway Trail, which lies within the Black River Reservation, a scenic wooded park in Lorain. The Steel Mill Trail picks up at the north end of...
South of Cleveland, the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation All Purpose Trail offers an outdoor excursion of just over 7 miles in Cuyahoga Heights. A good place to begin your journey is at the CanalWay...
The Shaker Median Trail provides three miles of paved, multi-use trail in the streetcar suburb of Shaker Heights, to the east of Cleveland, Ohio. Connecting to various schools, parks, and...
The Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway extends 17 miles along the city's Lake Erie shoreline, between the suburbs of Euclid and Lakewood. The bikeway has on-road sections, and the route is signed. The...
When completed, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail will make a critical connection between Cleveland's downtown neighborhoods and the vast Lake Erie. As of August 2015, the first phase of the...
_186536_sc.jpg)
Northern Ohio's Freedom Trail currently offers more than 7 miles of tree-lined pathway along the former Freedom Secondary Railroad. From Eastwood Avenue in eastern Akron, the paved trail follows a...
The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is an amazing trail journey that takes users from the heart of this country’s industrial might in cities like Cleveland and Akron, to some of the most beautiful...
The North Chagrin Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a 4.2-mile route traversing its namesake park, which lies on the northeastern outskirts of Cleveland. Beginning just south of US 6 (Chardon...
Cleveland's latest link in the city's growing trail network is the Red Line Greenway, a two-mile rail-with-trail project that opened to the public in May 2021. The trail runs along the tracks of the...
The North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT) represents a regional collaboration among park districts across the Buckeye State to connect trails linking Ohio to Indiana and Pennsylvania. Begin this section...
The Gates Mills Interurban Bridge, known locally as simply The Walking Bridge, offers a pedestrian-only route over the scenic Chagrin River. The steel truss bridge was built in 1899 for the Eastern...
The Lester Rail Trail in Ohio's Medina County runs 3 miles between Abbeyville Road and Lester Road in York Township. The trail passes through bucolic farmland with scattered remnants of prairie, where...
Though not far from two of Ohio’s largest cities, Cleveland and Akron, the Bike and Hike Trail passes alongside beautiful natural areas, including the 65-foot Brandywine Falls, a stunning cascading...
The Harrison-Dillard Bikeway is a north-south urban path that not only connects the Lake Erie shoreline with the University Circle district, but connects trail users with Cleveland’s cultural past....
The short North Olmsted Walking & Bike Trail parallels Interstate 480 and provides an alternate, non-motorized route linking neighborhoods with green spaces and business districts.
The South Chagrin Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a paved route just over 7 miles through its namesake park in northeastern Ohio. From its western end on Richmond Road, the trail follows Hawthorn...
Less than 20 miles from Cleveland, the Bedford Reservation offers a scenic, natural oasis with many amenities and attractions, including opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and...
Euclid Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a paved, scenic excursion in the northeastern Ohio community of Euclid, a suburb of Cleveland. The trail is currently divided into two disconnected...
The Shaker Median Trail provides three miles of paved, multi-use trail in the streetcar suburb of Shaker Heights, to the east of Cleveland, Ohio. Connecting to various schools, parks, and...
For nearly 9 miles, the Mill Stream Run Reservation All Purpose Trail runs through a wooded park in Berea, a western suburb of Cleveland. Though the trail loosely parallels Valley Parkway, you will...
The North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT) represents a regional collaboration among park districts across the Buckeye State to connect trails linking Ohio to Indiana and Pennsylvania. Begin this section...
When completed, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail will make a critical connection between Cleveland's downtown neighborhoods and the vast Lake Erie. As of August 2015, the first phase of the...
The Chippewa Rail Trail runs for 2.4 miles between Chippewa Road (SR 50) in Chippewa Lake to suburban Wycliffe Drive southwest of Medina (Lafayette Township). The trail is mostly rural in feel,...
The Huron River Greenway MetroPark Trail has two separate segments, each just under 1 mile long. The northern (Huron) segment runs from DuPont Marsh State Nature Preserve off River Road and heads...
The Lake Metroparks Greenway Corridor runs for more than 5 miles through Painesville, Painesville Township and Concord Township. The elevation rises a little more than 200 feet from Painesville (north...
The Brecksville Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a pleasant paved pathway connecting the community of Brecksville with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, a well-loved 81-mile route from...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The bucolic Headwaters Trail is a pleasant 8-mile journey through the rural landscape between Mantua and Garrettsville. The path has a crushed-stone surface and is mostly shaded. It follows the route...
The Heartland Trail is a developing rail-trail project that will one day connect the northeastern Ohio communities of Orrville and Clinton. A mile of the pathway is already on the ground in Orrville,...
South of Cleveland, the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation All Purpose Trail offers an outdoor excursion of just over 7 miles in Cuyahoga Heights. A good place to begin your journey is at the CanalWay...
Northern Ohio's Freedom Trail currently offers more than 7 miles of tree-lined pathway along the former Freedom Secondary Railroad. From Eastwood Avenue in eastern Akron, the paved trail follows a...
The Garfield Park Reservation All Purpose Trail is located in Garfield Heights, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland. The paved pathway spans nearly four miles through the Garfield Park Reservation,...
Cleveland's latest link in the city's growing trail network is the Red Line Greenway, a two-mile rail-with-trail project that opened to the public in May 2021. The trail runs along the tracks of the...
The Brideway Trail is found within the Black River Reservation, a park in Lorain County, where you can walk, jog, inline skate, cross-country ski or bike. The trail runs between Day's Dam in Lorain...
The Gates Mills Interurban Bridge, known locally as simply The Walking Bridge, offers a pedestrian-only route over the scenic Chagrin River. The steel truss bridge was built in 1899 for the Eastern...
Though not far from two of Ohio’s largest cities, Cleveland and Akron, the Bike and Hike Trail passes alongside beautiful natural areas, including the 65-foot Brandywine Falls, a stunning cascading...
The North Coast Inland Trail is a series of trails across multiple northern Ohio counties that, as they expand and connect, are emerging as an impressive long-distance trail between Cleveland and...
Total distance is 10 miles. New mile markers every 1/2 mile. It ends at Lake Erie. The new section is 4 miles and has a combination of wooded, parks, street and city. It is definitely not boring.
I rode this trail on an exceptionally warm December day back in 2019 long before it was listed here on the TrailLink.com website. As stated in this website's trail description, this trail is at present, the most prominent piece of the planned 25 mile West Creek Greenway trail loop which will connect the Cleveland Metroparks West Creek Reservation in Parma and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the communities of Valley View, Independence, Seven Hills, Brooklyn Heights, and Cuyahoga Heights.
I parked and started at the Cleveland Clinic Business Operations Center off of Brecksville Road in Independence, Ohio. From here I headed east and downhill toward the Towpath Trail in Valley View. Unlike the trail description listed by TrailLink, I would not characterize the trail as running slightly downhill. You will drop 227 feet in elevation over the course of the first 1.5 miles, with 204 feet of that in a single half mile stretch. I mention this for two reasons. First, while many will find this type of drop exhilarating, it is unlikely that you will be able to completely cut loose as you will probably encounter quite a few pedestrians out using the trail just as I did. Secondly, since the West Creek Greenway loop is far from being completed, returning to your starting point will require that you climb back up out of the Cuyahoga Valley where the grade will reach 11% at points. Thus, in my opinion the trail is not for novice, or out-of-shape cyclists, or for young children on bikes.
When you head east out of Cleveland Clinic Business Operations parking lot, you enter wooded terrain that follows Hemlock Creek as it descends toward the Cuyahoga River. The trail surface is predominantly asphalt with concrete on many of the bridge surfaces. Since the trail opened in September 2019, the surface was smooth as glass when I rode in December of that year. The trail passes through the remnants of the millionaire William H. Hunt's estate, Terraced Lakes, which was created out of a historic mining landscape that created the foundation stones for many of Cleveland's first buildings. On your way you will cross over five bridges including a 200 foot span over the Cuyahoga before you reach the Towpath Trail at the eastern end of the trail. On the western end, the trail continues past the Cleveland Clinic Business Center and crosses over Brecksville Road, where it runs along Selig Boulevard passing Independence City Hall and then ends in Elmwood Park. In the future, this western end of the Hemlock Creek Trail will connect further westward toward the Seven Hills Recreation Center as some part of the West Creek Greenway.
This is a beautiful trail, and a great start to the larger West Creek Greenway. It's worthy of at least 4 stars but the climb out of the Cuyahoga Valley isn't a friendly one for everyone. Perhaps as this trail connects to future links in the West Creek Greenway then my rating of 3 stars will need to be re-evaluated.
We have rode this trail on our bikes from start to finish multiple times this year and love it! Great path with great scenery! Plenty of parking on either end.
May 10 2021. My ride started at the Greenway Corridor on Girdled Rd. Went down 18.6 miles to downtown Middlefield and back. I cannot speak for anything south of Kinsman Rd/ SR 87. This entire stretch is well paved the entire way. If you're planning your trip via Google Maps, take comfort in knowing the section cutting through Chardon is fully complete. There is no road riding required detours from Girdled to Kinsman. About 2 miles in, the trail runs next SR 44 and it isn't great here. It's a rather long steep climb in the wind and sun with not much pleasant to look at with traffic going by. Don't let that discourage you though. Think of the ride back and how much easier it will be on the return. Stop at any of the many benches for a breather if need be. Get past this hill, and back into the wooded area, and you're rewarded with shade and a decline to get your groove back. This one section you will not like upon your return, but it's not going to ruin your day. From here on, it's smooth sailing and mostly flat for most of the trail. A natural setting for a minute until you get closer to downtown Chardon. A couple road crossings in downtown may be busy depending on the time of day. Some crosswalks have lights. If you need last minute supplies of any kind, get them here before you get past the baseball field. Of which does have working water fountains and restrooms. There's fast food, small stores, and taverns if need be. Last you will see for a while. Once past the city, it's the heart of the trail. Good long stretches of scenery, wilderness, and some covered bridges. Some interesting parks like Claridon Woodlands, and Headwaters Park along the route. Still plenty of benches along the entire way for pitstops. Not many sources of water that I saw, but enough restrooms or port-a-pots. South of Headwaters park, you may end up sharing the trail with horse and buggies. Mind trail etiquette and right of ways. Watch out for road apples. Arrive in downtown Middlefield and back into civilization, taverns, & stores. This trail is a gem. What's great is it's length and long, (mostly flat) stretches of quiet nature. I drove about an hour to visit this trail, and It's worth it. This was on a Monday afternoon in May. 55 degrees, partly cloudy. Not much foot traffic. At some points miles between seeing anyone at all.
I really love doing this trail with my road bike, although it is quite hilly and a bit of work if that's what you're looking for! It is nicely paved and roomy for biking. It's hilly regardless of which end you start at (in other words it's not just one incline). I prefer to start at the Richmond Road end because I find that direction a little more difficult (then loop around and head back). Although if you start at the other end you can get the REALLY big hill out of the way first and enjoy coasting down it when you're done.
Anyway, great exercise trail - not one that I would bike if I were looking for a "stroll" so to speak.
This is an awesome scenic ride (very flat), but very short. It is fantastic for scenic exercise (went back and forth a few times)
I had the chance to ride the whole NCIT from Genoa (newest part of trail) to Elyria. So many great restored train stops, bridges, and even railroad museum right on the trail. Active rail line next to trail for about 10 miles.
Most of trail is paved now but with some sections of loose gravel or even large ballast I would recommend at least a gravel or cross bike/tires.
Dedicated trail now goes through Chardon. Looks like it opened very recently. A great addition to an all-around terrific trail. Among the best ib NE Ohio.
Very nice trail. 15 miles round trip. We started in Garrettsville and rode toward Mantua. Beautiful, especially in the fall with all the leaves falling. The trail is primarily flat; however, there is the slightest uphill grade going toward Mantua. Parking easy to find and both towns at each end of trail are very quaint. I would definitely recommend this trail to all levels of bike riders, along with families with small kids.
Great trail. We broke this trail up into three sections. Did the south section a few years ago. Completed the central section in September. We parked at Headwaters Park to start. Along this section of the trail is a nice little rope course along with a small walking trail around a pond. There is a building with very nice bathrooms accessible. There are a few hills, but nothing extreme. We completed the north section in October. This section has the potential to continue on through a busy town but at the time we rode, part of the trail was still under construction. This portion of the trail does have some larger hills. The entire trail is very well maintained and travels through some beautiful areas.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy
(a non-profit) and we need your support!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_175944_st.jpg)
_187931_st.jpg)
_185152_st.jpg)
