Explore the best rated trails in Cleveland, 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 47 trails covering 4433 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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Following a portion of the former Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad corridor, the Sippo Valley Trail spans 10 miles between Dalton and Massillon in northwestern Ohio, presenting a mix of rolling farmland,...
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 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...
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...
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...
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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 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...
The Maple Highlands Trail totals more than 20 miles. A majority of the trail follows an abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad corridor through a mostly rural landscape, heavily wooded in places. The...
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 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 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 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 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 Garrett Wonders Bike Trail, formerly the Warren Bikeway, is an integral component of the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway, which will eventually link Lake Erie and the Ohio River via a multiuse,...
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...
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 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 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,...
Hoover Park Connector Trail sits between Applegrove Street to the north and Maple Street to the south in the heart of North Canton, Ohio. The limestone and asphalt trail winds from west from the...
The Newton Falls Trail, built on a former railroad bed, follows the Mahoning River as it winds its way downtown. The route provides pleasant neighborhood views of the quaint township that was...
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...
Hoover Park Connector Trail sits between Applegrove Street to the north and Maple Street to the south in the heart of North Canton, Ohio. The limestone and asphalt trail winds from west from the...
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 Morgana Run Trail runs on a former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway corridor through Cleveland’s historic Slavic Village neighborhood. The paved rail-trail connects residents to Cleveland...
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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...
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 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 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,...
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 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...
Following a portion of the former Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad corridor, the Sippo Valley Trail spans 10 miles between Dalton and Massillon in northwestern Ohio, presenting a mix of rolling farmland,...
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...
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...
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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 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 4.5-mile Mahoning Valley Trail snakes its way south from the Deer Creek Reservoir to the City of Alliance. The reservoir is a popular amenity for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and bird-and-wildlife...
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...
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...
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 4.5-mile Mahoning Valley Trail snakes its way south from the Deer Creek Reservoir to the City of Alliance. The reservoir is a popular amenity for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and bird-and-wildlife...
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...
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...
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...
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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 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 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 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...
Picking up right across the street from the southern end of the Harrison Dillard Bikeway, the Lake-to-Lakes Trail provides a path for cyclists and pedestrians to continue further south out to the...
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 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 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 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,...
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 Maple Highlands Trail totals more than 20 miles. A majority of the trail follows an abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad corridor through a mostly rural landscape, heavily wooded in places. The...
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 Western Reserve Greenway travels 43 miles through a scenic, mostly rural area, cutting a north–south course from Ashtabula to Warren in northeastern Ohio. The route follows much of the...
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 Newton Falls Trail, built on a former railroad bed, follows the Mahoning River as it winds its way downtown. The route provides pleasant neighborhood views of the quaint township that was...
Just as an update, the entire trail was recently repaved and is in great condition.
I rode 8.77 miles on an out-and-back ride on this trail connecting Shaker Heights with the University Circle neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. I started at Horseshoe Lake Park in Shaker Heights and rode down into the Cleveland Museum of Art using this trail and the southern part of the Harrison Dillard Bikeway. The multi-use trail that runs around the southern half of Horseshoe Lake is in good shape with a few spots of tree root uplift. The trail crosses over the spillway of the lake's dam and deposits one near Beaumont School on North Park Boulevard. At this point there is a narrow asphalt pathway that travels west along North Park past Lower Shaker Lake and on to Coventry Road. The path is narrow, pitted and pockmarked, and not very level. I took this path because this trail is listed here in TrailLink as a trail. However, I would recommend using the bike lanes found on North Park Boulevard as the surface of the road is much smoother. On my return trip I rode these bike lanes as the pathway had become pretty busy with runners and pedestrians on this beautiful February day.
Once you cross Coventry Road in Cleveland Hts. You will get to what is a multi-use trail. There is a bike repair stand at the corner of Coventry Rd. and North Park Blvd. From here the multi-use path parallels Fairhill Road which turns into Stokes Blvd on it's way down into the University Circle neighborhood. This trail ends at the Cleveland School of the Arts at the corner of Carnegie Avenue and Stearns Road. From here you connect to the Harrison Dillard Bikeway and can ride down to the museums on Wade Oval. I chose to ride down to the Cleveland Museum of Art before turning around and heading back. If you stay on the Harrison Dillard Bikeway, you will parallel Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd north down to the Lake Erie shoreline.
Two points to note: First, this is not a family friendly route. Most of the roads along this route are heavily trafficked. The bike lanes on North Park Blvd. are fairly wide and traffic doesn't seem to be too busy except during morning and evening rush hour. North Park and Fairhill Road seem to be popular non-freeway routes in and out of downtown Cleveland. If you use caution, obey traffic lights, and crosswalk signals getting into and out of University Circle will be fine. Secondly, there is a bit of a climb if you are heading south from University Circle toward Shaker Lakes. It is not too steep but you will be climbing almost the whole way back to Horseshoe Lake. The steepest part will be from Carnegie Avenue up to Coventry Road.
Love the north inlet trail and a jog around the wetlands. It’s an amazing trail.
The Shaker Median Trail is a nice little park trail. It is located between the eastbound and westbound roadways of Shaker Boulevard in the cities of Beachwood and Shaker Heights, Ohio. The trail runs from Friendship Circle in Pepper Pike to Warrensville Center Road in Shaker Heights. This is not a destination trail, nor a trail that is a link to other trails. It simply serves the recreational needs of local residents in Beachwood and Shaker Heights. The path is narrow particularly in the Beachwood City Parks. Despite it being a chilly day there were a number of people out walking on the trail or walking with their dogs. On warmer days, I would imagine that the park would be much busier, so a crowded narrow pathway could be a bit of problem for a cyclist. Signs in the park directed toward cyclists limit your speed to 10 mph. The trail is listed as 3 miles long and I rode an out and back ride trying to incorporate all of the loops within the Beachwood City Parks so my total distance traveled was 7.3 miles.
I enjoyed riding this trail. Due to the chilly weather I think that I did not encounter as many pedestrians as I would have on a warmer day. This left this narrow trail more wide open than it may have been otherwise, so I was able to ride pretty much unimpeded. One thing that I did not enjoy about this trail were the numerous dog droppings that had not been cleaned up by pet's owners. That was disappointing because there were a number of signs posted within the park reminding pet owners of this responsibility. Otherwise this was a nice little ride.
I've ridden the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) three times; first in July of 2013, again in May 2016, and most recently in October of 2019. It is interesting to note the progress that has been made in filling in the on-road gaps in the trail between each ride. However, it is frustrating to witness the glacial pace at which this trail is being completed.
Currently, the largest on-road gaps in the OTET exist between the end of the Sippo Valley Trail in Dalton and the beginning of the Holmes County Trail in Fredericksburg; between Killbuck and Glenmont on the Holmes County Trail, and between the end of the Heart of Ohio Trail southwest of Centerburg and the beginning of the Sandel Legacy Trail in Sunbury. There are a few smaller gaps in the OTET among which include, the bike lane in the Ohio River Trail in Cincinnati, the missing bridge over Little Miami River at the end of the Little Miami Scenic Trail needed to connect to the Lunken Airport Bike Path and a less than 1 mile gap between the Prairie Grass Trail and the Roberts Pass Trail in London.
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a paved trail except for the portion of the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail that runs through northeast Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is unlikely that the National Park Service will pave this portion of the trail due to the canal's historical significance in developing the Ohio territory and helping to expand our nation from the original 13 colonies.
This trail links the three C's of Ohio -- Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. These are Ohio's 3 largest cities. In between you will encounter a variety of cities and towns; rivers, wetlands, and forests; industrial, commercial, and agricultural areas; and different types of topographies. This variety makes the Ohio to Erie Trail unique when compared to the nation's other long-distance trails.
It is important to understand that the OTET is still a work in progress. While some locations have embraced being a part of the trail, others seem to have completely ignored it. Communities that embrace the trail offer bike friendly establishments whether they be bike shops, hotels, Bnb's, restaurants, or trailheads. There just are not enough of them. The state of Ohio should be looking into promoting such businesses along the trail. One thing that is certainly needed are more official, recognized campsites along the trail. Whereas riders of C&O/GAP Trail, or Missouri's Katy Trail can expect to see a campsite roughly every 8 to 12 miles, the OTET has some areas where such campsites are 60 miles apart. Such distances don't make the trail appealing those that would prefer to camp. It also doesn't give riders much wiggle room in their itineraries to explore around the trail or deal with the unexpected such as a flat tire. Perhaps more campsites and other amenities will become a priority once the trail is fully completed.
My complaints are not intended to be a trashing of this trail but rather constructive criticism designed to help improve this into one of America's great trails. With the Rails to Trails Conservancy designating much of the OTET as part of its route for the Great American Rail-Trail through Ohio, I'm hoping that improvement and completion of the trail will become more of a state priority. If you are considering riding the Ohio to Erie Trail, don't hesitate. It is worth every pedal stroke.
The end of October we had some really warm days in a row. Took advantage of one of them and biked the Western Reserve Trail. Parked in Orwell and biked a little beyond Rock Creek, and back. Then went South for a few miles. Total trip for the day was 24 miles.
Trail is virtually flat and nicely asphalt paved. Though covered with leaves in a lot of places, they were leaf blowing out there that day and doing a great job!
Gorgeous fall foliage along the trail.
On September 30, 2019 I rode the Sippo Valley Trail as part of my southbound ride on the Ohio to Erie Trail. This is a 10 mile trail that essentially runs westward from Massillon to Dalton, OH. The Sippo Valley Trail is weird. The ends of the trail in Massillon and Dalton are paved for the city residents but the middle which travels between quite a few farms remains crushed stone. This crushed limestone surface gets softer when it rains a lot, which it did on September 30th. The wet stone surface was passable with my 26 x 2.0 Schwalbe Marathon tires, but the wet stone surface on this day certainly ended up providing increased rolling resistance.
After reaching the end of the Sippo Valley Trail in Dalton, you must currently road-ride to the start of the Holmes County Trail in Fredericksburg, by riding from Dalton to Apple Creek and then Fredericksburg. This on-road section is the toughest section of the entire Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) Route. It is also the largest continuous gap in the OTET. The abandoned rail lines between Fredericksburg, Apple Creek, Dalton, and Orrville certainly exist, but they need to be developed. This may be the area you want to skip if you are riding the OTET. This road route is fairly well signed with Ohio bike route #1 signs at most intersections or change in directions. However, I would suggest that anyone attempting to ride the Ohio to Erie Trail should purchase a set of maps from the Ohio to Erie Trail website.
Finally, a word of warning to all you potential OTET riders. If you are looking to reserve a room in Amish country make sure you make the call before you get into Amish country. Since the Amish don’t use cell phones there are very few cell towers, if any. In addition, the hills in this area can create dead zones, if you are below the tops of the hills. I had hoped that this situation had improved in the 3 years since I last came through this area on a cross-state ride but, alas, no such luck.
This is a short trail that connects the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail along the Cuyahoga River in an area of downtown Cleveland known as the Flats. There are currently two gaps in this trail. The first gap is between the current end of the trail on Whiskey Island and Wendy Park and the old U.S. Coast Guard Station at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River on Lake Erie. The reason this is not yet complete is because a bridge needs to be built over a very busy rail line that runs between the current end of the trail and Wendy Park. Cleveland Metroparks has completed plans for this bridge but construction has not yet started. The second gap exists between old Detroit Avenue/Riverbed Street and the lift bridge on Columbus Road. There is an old roadbed in this gap which I believe was once Riverbed Street. You can use this old roadbed to connect to the trail at Columbus Road. The reason this is not "open" is because the hillside along Riverbed Street is unstable. This hill sits above a turn in the Cuyahoga River that is known as Irish Town Bend. There are plans to redo this hillside, make a park out of this land, and fill in the trail gap here. The roadbed is currently passable, but this is an area where the homeless bed down at night. They tend to exist in the brush between the roadway and the river. I have ridden through here a couple of times and have not had any problems. When the hillside is rebuilt I'm sure that the brush along the river will be removed and the homeless encouraged to move on. If this sounds like an uncomfortable riding choice for you, an alternative route to reach the Towpath Trail would be to ride down old Detroit Avenue and cross the Cuyahoga River at the Center Street Swing Bridge and then pick up the Towpath Trail at Scranton Flats.
The Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway is a 17 mile trail that stretches from just West of Edgewater Beach Park on Cleveland's west side to the Wildwood Marina in Euclid Creek Reservation Metropark on the east side. This month, I rode just 3.25 miles of the Cleveland Lakefront Trail as the start of a weeklong southbound ride on the Ohio to Erie Trail. I rode between the Script Cleveland sign overlooking Edgewater Beach to West 28th Street and Washington Avenue, where I chose to ride to West 25th Street and then down to the start of the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail at the corner of Mulberry Avenue and River Road.
This west side portion of the Cleveland Lakefront Trail is in good shape. The asphalt in this section is fairly new and smooth and the signage, both directional and historical, are all noticeable and graffiti-free. I am hoping that these signs are something that will be continued throughout the entire length of the trail but as of June 2019 when I last rode the entire length of this trail they were not in place, particularly on the east side of Cleveland. In addition, there have been bike pathways added to this route that lead into the flats with the intention of connecting the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The intention is to have the Towpath end at the planned Canal Basin Park. However, for those riders that want to dip their tires in both the Ohio River and Lake Erie, Edgewater Beach will remain the best place for your bike to touch the waters of Lake Erie.
Great trail with plenty of shade. Majority of trail is in the woods and very scenic. There are a few areas where tree roots have caused some pretty rough bumps,mostly towards the Champion side. Lacking proper signage at Rock Creek area where you leave the trail for a short time. Very level trail with no hill climbing needed.
I rode 66 miles from the northern most part of this trail starting in Scranton Flats in downtown Cleveland to the the start of the Sippo Valley Trail in Massillon, Ohio. The trail does continue further south to Bolivar, Ohio but the trail south of Massillon is not a part of the Ohio to Erie Trail route. The scenery along this trail is spectacular. You get the tall buildings of downtown Cleveland and Akron, the industrial might of Cleveland's steelyards, chemical, and manufacturing valley, the peacefulness of Ohio's only national park, and the bucolic farms south of Akron. The trail surface varies depending on your location. The trail is paved in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County north of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Inside the National Park the trail surface is primarily crushed limestone, with treated lumber boardwalks in wetter areas. In some spots the trail may be paved for a stretch in areas were erosion of the trail surface has been evident. Outside of the CVNP you will find the trail paved once again through the city of Akron, only to return to crushed limestone/gravel until you reach it's end.
My only complaint relates to the condition of the crushed limestone when it rains heavily or over an extended period of time. The rain softens up this trail surface. I had to work harder to peddle through the the wet limestone. It was pretty soft -- not so soft as to sink into the trail but soft enough to give noticeable additional resistance.
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