Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Strongsville, 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 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 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...
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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 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....
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,...
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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...
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 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 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 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...
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 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...
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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 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 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 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...
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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 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 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...
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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...
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...
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 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...
Holmes County, located in northeastern Ohio, is the heart of the state’s Amish country. Visitors to this rural enclave will find meandering country roads and bucolic natural areas, as well as the...
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 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 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 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...
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 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...
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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...
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 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 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 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 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 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...
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 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 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 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 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...
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 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 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 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 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...
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 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....
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 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 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 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 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...
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...
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...
Holmes County, located in northeastern Ohio, is the heart of the state’s Amish country. Visitors to this rural enclave will find meandering country roads and bucolic natural areas, as well as 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 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...
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 rode The Holmes County Trail as part of my recent southbound cross-state ride on the Ohio to Erie Trail route. This trail is one of the most beautiful trails I have ridden in Ohio. One section runs from Fredericksburg to Holmesville, Millersburg and then Killbuck, Ohio. Another section runs from Glenmont to Brinkhaven/Gann, Ohio. Between Killbuck and Glenmont one must currently ride on OH-520 in order to make the connection to the southern section of the trail. Plans are in the works to complete the rail trail between Glenmont and Killbuck, but it will require an engineering study and plan as the abandoned rail line between these two towns runs through swampy and wet conditions.
What I like about this trail is that in between Fredericksburg and Killbuck it is very wide and flat. One side of the trail is designated for bikes and pedestrians and the other side is designated for Amish horse and buggies. The trail is fairly wide open from Fredericksburg to Holmesville, but after you pass the Holmes County Home south of Holmesville, a canopy of trees engulfs the trail for most of the rest of its length.
From Millersburg to Killbuck the trail is wide and tree-covered. It is surrounded by swamps and Killbuck Creek. I can imagine that at certain times of the day and of the year it can be quite buggy. There are a few spots along the trail in this area where there are wetlands observation decks. Once you reach Killbuck you will road-ride on OH-520 to reach Glenmont, Ohio and the trailhead for the southern section of the trail. Route 520 is a scenic road that meanders and rises and falls on short rolling hills through the Black Creek Valley. There is good driver visibility on this stretch of road but use your head and tail lights as the short hills and curves can create a few blind spots.
Once you reach the Glenmont trailhead the trail climbs over a ridge to get out of the county. The climb is 3.5 miles long but is a very manageable railroad grade slope. The last 500-1000 feet of this climb, get tough as the slope increases quite a bit to get up and over Holmes County Road 75. The next 4.5 miles is a gentle descent on the other side of the ridge which parallels US-62 until it passes through a tunnel under the roadway and connects to the Mohican Valley Trail.
This will be a 5-star trail once the gap between Killbuck and Glenmont is developed.
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.
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.
I rode 3.25 miles from the Script Cleveland Sign located west of Edgewater Beach to West 28th Street and then down into the flats to connect to the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail. This trail is easy to follow, is well signed with directional and historical signs and safely transports a bike rider to a connection with the next link in the chain of trails making up the Ohio to Erie Trail route. Once you reach W. 28th Street you may either take it and Loop Drive or continue on Washington Avenue to W. 25th Street in order to connect to the start of the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail. In either case, you will be travelling around or through Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority low-income housing units. In addition, the roads in this area are a bit rough. Control your speed so that you don't hit a deep pothole and affect your rims.
I rode all of this trail, as shown on the Trail Link map, on a warm Saturday afternoon in September, 2019.
1) Started at the intersection of Edgerton Rd and Valley Parkway at the eastern end of Mill Stream Run Reservation,
2) rode east along (but not on) Valley Parkway, into Brecksville Reservation,
3) rode along Chippewa Road east to the Station Road Bridge in the Cuyahoga Valley National park (CVNP),
4) rode west to Brecksville Village along Chippewa Rd,
5) returned east to Valley Parkway then west to my starting point.
There are long up hill stretches in both directions; so, no easy way to do this trail! The payback is the exhilarating down hill stretches. In general, you have to go up out of, or down into, the East Branch Rocky River and Cuyahoga River valleys at the west and east ends of the trail, respectively. The trail is smoothly paved all along, except for the short segment in the CVNP which is damaged by tree roots. Car traffic on Valley Parkway and Chippewa Road was light, so there wasn't much noise. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the trail was very light. Even though Valley Parkway is not really a park, strips of woodland and a golf course run along it, making it pleasant. In the CVNP, be sure to take in the lovely view from the Station Road Bridge.
Click on "nearby trails" next to the Trail Link map to see the amazing network of paved bike trails to which this trail is linked.
Pretty good for a trail that goes through a completely built-up suburban area. Flat and well-paved along its entire length. The prettiest part is along the shore of Lake Isaac nearly the southern end. Connects to Lake to Lake Trail at Lake Isaac. I recommend doing the 2 trails together. The numerous road crossings are annoying, but the major ones have pedestrian traffic lights, so they are safe.
Started in Akron and went downhill along the trail through the national park and just had a wonderful time. We also enjoyed riding the train back for just $5!
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