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 Euclid Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail. With more than 39 trails covering 4383 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.
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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...
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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 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....
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The North Coast Inland Trail will one day stretch across northern Ohio from Indiana to Pennsylvania on a network of connecting off-road trails. Today, large sections of the trail, especially from the...
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...
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 Rocky River Reservation All Purpose Trail parallels Valley Parkway through several western suburbs of Cleveland, but this is no traditional suburban side path. Instead, the winding trail through...
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 Portage Hike and Bike Trail stretches nearly 10 miles between Kent and Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland and the southern shores of Lake Erie. As of December 2015, its entire length...
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 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 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...
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 Bruce G. Rinker Greenway offers a north-south walking and biking route through Mayfield Village, a suburb of Cleveland. The paved pathway connects Mayfield Center Elementary School, the...
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 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...
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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...
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,...
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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 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 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 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 Rocky River Reservation All Purpose Trail parallels Valley Parkway through several western suburbs of Cleveland, but this is no traditional suburban side path. Instead, the winding trail through...
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...
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...
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 North Coast Inland Trail will one day stretch across northern Ohio from Indiana to Pennsylvania on a network of connecting off-road trails. Today, large sections of the trail, especially from the...
The Portage Hike and Bike Trail stretches nearly 10 miles between Kent and Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland and the southern shores of Lake Erie. As of December 2015, its entire length...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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 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,...
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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...
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...
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 Bruce G. Rinker Greenway offers a north-south walking and biking route through Mayfield Village, a suburb of Cleveland. The paved pathway connects Mayfield Center Elementary School, the...
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 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 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 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 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 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...
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 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 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...
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 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...
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....
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Rocky River Reservation All Purpose Trail parallels Valley Parkway through several western suburbs of Cleveland, but this is no traditional suburban side path. Instead, the winding trail through...
I biked this a few years ago for my birthday. We started in Peninsula, Ohio and took the train up about fourteen miles up the Cuyahoga River to Rockside Station and biked back to Peninsula. It was probably one of my favorite birthdays I can remember. They even had beer on the train. What a delight. Along the way we stopped at the Canal Exploration Center, had Ice cream at Trail Mix in Boston, peaked in the Boston Visitors Center, and watched the Steelers game at Winking Lizard Tavern. It was a great little adventure. There's so much to do and see in Cuyahoga National Park. I strongly recommend Hale Farm and Village.
I rode what I will call the northern and southern sections of the trail. On the northern segment the trail runs from the Erie County water tower to River View Drive. The southern segment runs for about a mile along the old Wheeling & Lake Erie rail corridor from North Main Street in Milan, Ohio. So, the lawsuit mentioned in other reviews here must have been favorable to the abutting landowners as the trail certainly does not cover the same distances as mentioned in zars 2010 review.
The northern section has a grass surface that covers a solid crushed gravel under layer. The DuPont Marsh is pretty with many types of aquatic birds to be seen. Where the trail ends you get a good opportunity to see the Huron River. The southern section is very similar to the northern section of the trail in that it has a grass surface covering a crushed gravel under layer. However, the surface is softer than what you find in the northern portion of the trail and probably difficult to ride after a prolonged rain. Definitely, not a trail for skinny tired street bikes.
At this point the Huron River Greenway is probably best left to the local communities as the grass surface and several mile gap between segments do not make it attractive to people looking for new trails to ride. Until local property owners decide to reopen their portions of the rail corridor to the public I would imagine that improvements to the trail surface and additional amenities probably are not in the picture for Erie MetroParks. There are a few pretty sights on these two trail segments but until they are connected to each other or to some other nearby trail I would not go out of my way to ride this trail.
I waited for the rain to pass and still had to deal with sprinkles to check this short little trail off my list of TrailLink.com’s Ohio listed trails. The Heartland trail is under development and will achieve two major goals. First, it will fill in an on-road section of the Ohio to Erie Trail route and move it on to trail from Fredericksburg to Clinton and connect the Holmes County Trail with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Secondly, this trail when completed will also be a piece of the RTC’s nationwide rail trail route, The Great American Rail Trail, as it makes its way through Ohio.
The trail is so short right now it probably is unfair to evaluate it. Presently, it travels through Orrville, Ohio’s Dog Park and parallels Main Street as a widened sidewalk up to a parking lot just south of Hostetler Road. I believe that the current map on TrailLink.com is incorrect as it shows the southern part of the trail in Orrville as an on-road route down N. Ella Street to W. Market Street. However, Sterling Avenue coming out of the Dog Park is signed as a bike route and is marked with sharrows. Once you reach W. Market Street, if you turn left and ride one block down to Depot Street you will arrive at Orville’s Union Station and a new trailhead for the Heartland Trail. In addition, the present map here at TrailLink.com doesn’t show what appears to be a fairly new trailhead with bathroom facilities.
There's great potential in this trail already, I can't wait until it begins connecting to nearby towns. Only two stars for now because of its current length.
I like to ride the Olde Muskingum one way and then cross over to the towpath at Canal Fulton and Forty Corners and ride it back. Doing it this way you create a nice loop that is mostly shaded. If you want to shorten the loop, you also have the option of crossing over High Mill or Butterbridge. I live in the area and do this often. If you ride on weekdays it isn't very busy, the towpath gets more traffic. However, weekends and evenings you can get a lot of dog walkers near Canal Fulton on this trail. Because of recent flooding in the area both trails have some rough spots. Both surfaces are crushed limestone.
We rode two parts of this trail on separate occasions. First, we rode the entirety of Cuyahoga Valley National Park from Lock 39 to Botzum. Second, we rode from Massillon (Ernie's Bike Shop) to the outskirts of Akron.
Cuyahoga Park: If you're trying to decide between your mountain bike or road bike, pick the mountain bike. This trail is mostly dirt / crushed limestone, and it's quite bumpy. There are paved portions, but they're equally bumpy. Plus, if it's busy, you're not going to get up to speed anyways.
The path itself, on a Saturday afternoon, was full of cyclists and joggers. The trail meandered through the park and was quite scenic. It's northern Ohio, so there's very little elevation to tackle. Overall, if you don't mind a leisurely pace, a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Massillion to Akron: Starting from Ernie's Bike shop going North, the trail is pretty beat up. Whatever gravel was there is gone, and there's exposed concrete mixed with gravel. Which, is a rough ride. However, the closer you get to Canal Fulton, the nicer the trail becomes. From that point, North to Akron, our road bikes did just fine on the mix of paved and crushed limestone surfaces.
Outside of the surface in the start of the trail, this was an excellent ride. Great scenery, interesting things to explore off the trail, not too much traffic (on a Saturday afternoon), and the trail was well cared for. Definitely our favorite out of the two portions.
I've ridden it several times and there are very coarse rocks in places where trail parallels road. I was riding an urban bike with larger tires so I handled it ok. You people with road bikes will blow a tire. Be careful!
The Chippewa Inlet Trail follows a creek simply known as the Inlet that flows into nearby Chippewa Lake. The trail is very flat and since it is only 4 miles long it does not take long to cover the entire route. The Inlet is in the middle of a wetlands nature preserve which makes the trail prone to flooding. So this may not be a trail to ride after several days of rain. You also may want to wear mosquito repellant.
The trail runs by and connects to Buckeye Woods Park as well. This is a recreational park that includes sports fields, picnic pavilions, playgrounds and a fishing pond. There are several small loops that you can ride in the park, but be aware of pedestrians as you ride in Buckeye Woods.
In addition, you can combine this trail with the nearby Chippewa Rail Trail, which starts just .8 miles east on Chippewa Road for an even longer ride.
This trail is a nature lovers delight and I would recommend riding it either in the early morning or late evening to maximize seeing what wild creatures may be paying a visit. This morning I saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree across Chippewa Road from the southern end of the trail.
I rode almost 18 miles on an out-and-back on the Headwaters Trail between Mantua and Garrettsville, Ohio. The Headwaters Trail is so named as it covers some of the area that is considered some of the source of the waters that eventually make up the Cuyahoga River. It is a nice shaded trail that is very flat. This trail is about a 20 minute car ride from where I live and I usually ride it several times a year. The trail impressed me today because it was in the best condition I’ve ever seen it in, especially considering that it is a crushed stone surface. There are a number of interesting sights along the way including a few historical markers that I had not seen before.
If you decide to ride this trail consider riding The Esker Trail which is accessible from the Headwaters Trail west of St. Rte. 44 in Mantua. This short trail runs atop a glacial ridge or esker south of the town of Mantua. This ridge ran between the Cuyahoga River and the a large swamp in Marsh Wetlands State Nature Preserve. This trail was passable but I would not recommend it for a street bike. The nature preserve that this short trail runs in is pretty and there are several observation decks with benches to enable one to take in the scenery. If you have a mountain bike or a bike with wider tires this short diversion would be worth a look.
Currently, the Headwaters Trail is sort of in the middle of no where, but if Portage County would move to extend this trail in both directions it could attract a lot of riders. On this Sunday morning there were a number of cyclists, runners, pedestrians and dog walkers out on what turned out to be a beautiful day.
The Cleveland Metroparks' Euclid Creek Reservation and it's All Purpose Trail consists of two sections. The first section is on the Lake Erie lakefront where Euclid Creek empties into Lake Erie. The second section is further upstream south of Euclid Avenue where the creek drops over 250 feet over the course of the 2.5 mile trail.
The lakefront section of the trail is a circuitous route that will take you around the mouth of Euclid Creek as it empties into Lake Erie. This part of the park is also referred as Wildwood Park, after the Wildwood Marina located in the park. The trail gives you access to this marina as well as Euclid Beach Park, a public beach, located on the site of a defunct longtime local amusement park in the adjacent Lakefront Reservation. There is very little change in elevation here as we are on the shore of Lake Erie. I enjoyed this section of the trail because there is a lot to see. I think I spent more time taking pictures here than I did riding the 2.8 miles I put on the bike while in this section of the park.
The southern section of this park and trail are located further upstream on Euclid Creek south of Euclid Avenue. I rode almost 5.5 miles on an out-and-back ride on this section of the Euclid Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail. I started at the Highland Picnic Area Trailhead just off of Highland Road in Euclid, Ohio. The trail follows Euclid Creek as it runs through the park. Starting at Highland Road you climb almost the entire distance through the park until you reach the end of the trail at East Green Road. The slope is not severe but would prove to be a challenge for young and out of shape riders. The reward for climbing along side Euclid Creek in this direction is the ability to coast the entire way back through the park to where you started. However, you really can’t cut loose on the downhill because of the numerous pedestrians walking the trail.
I would recommend checking out both sections of this trail because of the abundant wildlife and the natural beauty of the surroundings. Will the two sections of the park ever be connected? I don't know, but there are a number of obstacles that would have to be overcome to do so -- numerous active rail lines, an interstate highway, several heavily trafficked roadways and quite a bit of residential and commercial development.
The North Olmsted Walking and Bike Trail runs roughly 2.5 miles along Interstate 480 from Great Northern Boulevard to Stearns Road. The trail is quite flat. It is surrounded by chain link fence on both sides for almost its entire length. The surface is asphalt which shows signs of significant root uplifting in several areas. One of the recurring complaints in the reviews for this trail is a lack of maintenance, particularly regarding weeds growing along the inside of the fencing. I will confirm that it is pretty overgrown in some places.
The trail provides walking and riding access for neighborhood residents to North Olmsted High School, an elementary school, and the district administration building as well as Great Northern Mall. This leads me to believe that perhaps the building of this trail was part of the deal to develop the land that became the mall. Definitely not a destination trail for people outside of the community, but probably useful to local residents.
Very smooth, goes thru farms, small towns and some factories. Going east to west subtle down hill so a bit slower on the way back. Saw some nice summer birds. The trail crosses a number of country roads where vehicles travel at speed so be aware.
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