Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Niles, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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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....
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...
Starting in Meadville, known as the home of the zipper, the 7.2-mile Ernst Trail closes the gap between the city and surrounding forests and farms for visitors. The trail is named for Calvin Ernst,...
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...
Fifty years after the last trolley cars ran on the Penn-Ohio Electric System between Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1932, travelers on foot, bikes, and skates began using the...
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The Iron Horse Trail runs along the corridor of a railroad that originally connected Alliance and Minerva. The north section runs from State St, across from the University of Mount Union, to the...
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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...
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Ohio's Nickel Plate Trail runs for 2.5 miles from 5th Street near Ravenna Avenue (Metzger Park) to Swallen Avenue south of town. The wooded corridor follow an old railroad right-of-way through parks,...
The nearly 11-mile MetroParks Bikeway provides a scenic and well-designed link to communities and natural sites in this northeast region of Ohio. The rail-trail follows a corridor between Canfield and...
The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature...
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...
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...
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line 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 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
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...
Keep your eyes open for wildlife when you visit the Allegheny River Trail. This segment of the Allegheny River—once a canoe route for local tribes and French trappers—was designated a national wild...
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...
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...
Located on the abandoned Erie and Pittsburgh branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, this short but intriguing trail runs through Pymatuning State Park, a large and popular two-state recreation area...
The Shenango River Trail once served as a towpath along the Erie Canal Extension. During the mid-1800s, mules pulled boats along the canal, linking goods from the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and beyond....
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...
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line the...
The 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
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....
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 nearly 11-mile MetroParks Bikeway provides a scenic and well-designed link to communities and natural sites in this northeast region of Ohio. The rail-trail follows a corridor between Canfield and...
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...
Fifty years after the last trolley cars ran on the Penn-Ohio Electric System between Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1932, travelers on foot, bikes, and skates began using 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...
The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature...
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...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
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 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 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...
Starting in Meadville, known as the home of the zipper, the 7.2-mile Ernst Trail closes the gap between the city and surrounding forests and farms for visitors. The trail is named for Calvin Ernst,...
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 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 Shenango River Trail once served as a towpath along the Erie Canal Extension. During the mid-1800s, mules pulled boats along the canal, linking goods from the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and beyond....
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...
Starting in Meadville, known as the home of the zipper, the 7.2-mile Ernst Trail closes the gap between the city and surrounding forests and farms for visitors. The trail is named for Calvin Ernst,...
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...
Keep your eyes open for wildlife when you visit the Allegheny River Trail. This segment of the Allegheny River—once a canoe route for local tribes and French trappers—was designated a national wild...
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...
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 Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature...
The Iron Horse Trail runs along the corridor of a railroad that originally connected Alliance and Minerva. The north section runs from State St, across from the University of Mount Union, to 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...
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....
Moraine State Park features a nearly seven mile bike trail, which follows the north shore of Lake Arthur. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful scenery, especially during the fall as trees line the...
The 11.7-mile John C. Oliver Multi-Purpose Loop Trail is a centerpiece of Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which spans 2,856 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mostly shaded, paved, off-road trail...
Located on the abandoned Erie and Pittsburgh branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, this short but intriguing trail runs through Pymatuning State Park, a large and popular two-state recreation area...
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 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...
Fifty years after the last trolley cars ran on the Penn-Ohio Electric System between Youngstown, Ohio, and New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 1932, travelers on foot, bikes, and skates began using the...
You’ll want to pack water, food, and flashlights to travel the Sandy Creek Trail, as it crosses 12 miles of remote, but scenic, countryside in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Named for separate Sandy...
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.
Alliance, Ohio’s Iron Horse Trail is a nice flat crushed limestone trail that runs from the University of Mount Union south through a low traffic residential neighborhood (on road) and then connects to a rail trail that quickly gets into farmland and much more wild open space. There are a couple of 2 car parking lots/trailheads along the route, but signage along the trail suggests parking at the Trailhead at First Christian Church on Beech Street. This is probably because it has a much larger parking lot, bathrooms and a picnic pavilion. I started at the FCC trailhead and headed south first. I then rode back to FCC and then up into Alliance where the trail ends at the university's gates on Clark Avenue. This is a nice little trail that currently seems more popular with joggers and pedestrians rather than cyclists based on my observations during my ride. I think if the trail were to be extended further south beyond the current end at Cenfield Avenue, NW then more people might actually bike this trail.
Parked at the lot in Orwell behind the blue metal building just off Route 322. No restroom at that lot but there is a fix it tool station.
This is at mile 2. Biked North to the Interstate 90 underpass at mile 21, and back. The trail is virtually flat and nice asphalt pavement in good condition. Mostly out in the open you will go through a rural area of farmlands. There are a few parking areas along the trail. In Austinburg there is a convenience store steps away from the trail and a Dollar Store off the trail. Had lunch in Orwell at the Mexican Restaurant, all was good there. Also biked South of Orwell to the Trumbull / Ashtabula County line. There's a rock marker at the county line. Trail has mile markers. There are shaded areas of the trail as well. The day we went it was nearly 90 degrees and full sun so bring your sunscreen. And plenty of water. Great with friendly people on it!
Parked at the lot where the bike rental is and rode out to the end of the trail at the Nature Center. Trail passes picnic areas, several parking lots and a public beach. Park restrooms along the trail.
Trail is asphalt paved in very good condition but has several bends and small hills. Makes for a nice challenge.
On weekends the trail can be a bit crowded the first few miles from the bike rental. Go farther out, less people.
Out and back trail, not a loop. Great state park trail features tree shaded sections and open sections.
bike trail very well maintained! very scenic and relatively flat. parking areas easy to find. we started at the Sunnyside trailhead. would definitely do another section another time.
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.
Did this ride June 2019. Mostly all shaded. Moderate difficulty with a couple of steep hills but most hills are gentle climbs. Restrooms and benches are conveniently placed along trail. Beautiful scenery. Takes roughly 2 hours to complete at a leisurely pace. I recommend highly
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.
I rode the All Purpose Trail in the Cleveland Metroparks’ Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation. This park parallels the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and in fact part of the Towpath runs through the park.
The Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation is a beautiful little park that lies just south of Cleveland’s Industrial Valley. Together with the Cuyahoga River, the northernmost remaining 4.4 miles of watered canal provides wildlife management areas, fishing opportunities and scenic beauty. I find it hard to believe that this beautiful nature preserve can be so close to the heavy industry of steel mills and petroleum tank farms and yet thrive.
TrailLink.com lists the trail length as 7.2 miles but I did not get nearly that milage when I rode just the routes indicated on TrailLink's own map. Perhaps they counted the length of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail through the park as well, but if they did I'm not certain why considering that the Towpath gets its own separate listing on this site.
This is a pretty little park that is a green oasis in the middle of Garfield Heights, Ohio. The loop in the body of the park has one steep climb/descent depending on which direction you decide to ride the loop. Make sure you also ride the Mill Creek Trail out of the park. If you follow this trail along the creek you will be rewarded at the trail’s end by the 48 foot Mill Creek (or Cataract) Falls — the tallest in Cuyahoga County. Whether you walk or ride this trail I think you will like it. However, it is too short for 5 stars in my opinion
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