One of the best parts of living in Northeast Ohio is enjoying all of the beautiful nature preserves around, from the Metroparks to state parks to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Whether you already take full advantage of all the outdoor trails we have to offer or have been putting it off, there are always new ones to discover. These are 27 of the our favorite hikes around town.

Sagamore Hills Bike and Hike Trail Gorge Parkway, Walton Hills Where: Bedford Reservation Distance: 13.1 Miles One of the longest trails in the Metropark system can be found at the Bedford Reservation. These 13 miles of trails go through Brandywine Falls, the Tinker’s Creek lookout and many more awesome sites. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Cultural Gardens Trail 750 E. 88th St.., Cleveland Where: Rockefeller Park Distance: 4.9 Miles If you’re close to the city, Rockefeller Park is a great city trail. You can see all of the Cultural Gardens and all of the historical sites in the park. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Lake to Lake Trail Big Creek Trail, Middleburg Heights Where: Big Creek Reservation Distance: 5 Miles At Big Creek Reservation, there’s the Lake to Lake Trail, which goes from Lake Isaac to Fowles Marsh. It’s in Middleburg Heights and takes about an hour and a half. Credit: Steve/Flickr
Towpath: Frazee House to Brecksville Station 7733 Canal Rd., Valley View Where: Cuyahoga Valley National Park Distance: 6.2 Miles This hike, that goes through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, is just a part of the Towpath and takes around 2 hours to complete. Frazee House is an historic pioneer home and Brecksville Station is a railroad station and one of the stops on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Credit: TDE1973/Flickr
Brookside Loop 3900 John Nagy Blvd., Cleveland Where: Brookside Reservation Distance: 2 Miles Brookside Reservation was purchased as a park in 1894 and was acquired by the Metroparks in 1993. There’s 132 acres at the Reservation and it connects to the Cleveland Zoo. Credit: Heather McLaughlin/Flickr
Canalway Center Loop 4524 East 49th St., Cuyahoga Heights Where: Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation Distance: 1.6 Miles In the Cuyahoga River Valley, you’ll find the Canalway Center and the Canalway Center Loop. At the Center, you can explore the history of the area and see a bird viewing room, live animal species and more. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Edgewater Beach Trail 6500 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland Where: Edgewater Park Distance: 1.4 Miles This shorter hike runs through Edgewater Beach, right along Lake Erie. It’s also a popular trail for fishing and other lake activities. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Garfield Park Trail 11350 Broadway Ave., Garfield Heights Where: Garfield Park Reservation Distance: 2 Miles One of the oldest Metroparks, Garfield Park, originally called Newburgh Park, dates back to 1894. Close to the city, this Metropark contains a good amount of wildlife, picnic shelters and forest trails. Credit: @CleMetroparks/Instagram
Hickory Fox Trail 3037 SOM Center Rd., Willoughby Hills Where: North Chagrin Reservation Distance: 1.6 Miles Known mostly for Squires’ Castle, the North Chagrin Reservation also boasts hiking trails to go through the woods. Sunset Pond and Sanctuary Marsh are two other popular sites. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Woodpecker and Lake Trails Loop 26899 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst Where: Acacia Reservation Distance: 2.2 Miles The beautiful Acacia Reservation and nature preserve was formerly a golf course and was turned into a reservation in 2012. It runs through Beachwood and Lyndhurst. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Euclid Creek Greenway and Eastern Ledge Trail 850 Euclid Creek, Cleveland Where: Euclid Creek Reservation Distance: 4.7 Miles These two trails in the Euclid Creek Reservation are some of the newest Metropark trails. They opened just in 2022 and go through Euclid Creek in the Richmond Heights area. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Lake View Cemetery Loop 12316 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Where: Lake View Cemetery Distance: 2 Miles Yes, you can hike a trail through a cemetery. After all, it is amongst the most famous cemeteries in the country with the graves of President James Garfield, John Rockefeller and many more well known folks. Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliemaynor/
Bridle, Castle Valley and Hemlock Trail Loop 3037 SOM Center Rd., Willoughby Hills Where: North Chagrin Reservation Distance: 5.6 Miles Known mostly for Squires’ Castle, the North Chagrin Reservation also boasts hiking trails to go through the woods. Sunset Pond and Sanctuary Marsh are two other popular sites. Credit: Scene Archives
McIntosh Loop Trail 11340 Caves Rd., Chester Twp. Where: Orchard Hills Park Distance: 2.3 Miles Part of the Geauga Park District, you’ll find Orchard Hills Park in Chester Township. This 237 acre park was formerly Orchard Hills Golf Course and has six trails totaling 3.6 miles of trail with the Mcintosh Loop being the longest. Credit: Orchard Hills Park
Lookout Ridge Loop and Skyline Overlook 1969 West Ridgewood Dr., Parma Where: West Creek Reservation Distance: 1.5 Miles Boasting beautiful views, this trail, part of the West Creek Metroparks Reservation, is a shorter trail and takes usually just around 30 minutes to complete. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve 16301 Lakeshoure Blvd., Cleveland Where: Lakefront Reservation Distance: 2.8 Miles This trail contains beautiful views of Lake Erie and the city. It takes around an hour to complete. The outer trail is about 1.5 miles with an additional inner loop as an option. Credit: Jen Goellnitz/Flickr
Skinner’s Run Trail Dentzler Rd., Parma Where: West Creek Reservation Distance: 1.8 Miles In the West Creek Reservation, you’ll find Skinnner’s Run Trail, a hike that takes around 40 minutes. The trail leads to the Watershed Stweardship Center at West Creek. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Hike and check out the Waterfall at Mill Creek Falls 24000 Valley Pkwy., North Olmsted Located in the Garfield Park Reservation area of the Metroparks, Mill Creek Falls has the tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga County. And the views are breathtaking. Credit: @CleMetroparks/Instagram
West Ridgewood Wetland Boardwalk and West Creek Loop 2277 West Ridgewood Dr., Parma Where: West Creek Reservation Distance: 2 Miles This hiking trail, in the West Creek Reservation in Parma, goes through the wetland area. There’s a ton of wildlife you can see at this serene hike. Credit: Erik Drost/Flickr
Clark Red Line Greenway Loop 5413 Lorain Ave., Cleveland Where: Through the City Distance: 7.8 Miles The Red Line Greenway was completed in 2021. It goes all the way from West 65th Street to Downtown. Credit: K_E_Lewis/Flickr
Fort Hill Earthworks Trail 13614 Fort Hill Rd., Hillsboro Where: Rocky River Reservation Distance: 4.6 Miles Part of the Rocky River Reservation, this trail takes around 1.5 hours to complete. It’s a great trail for birdwatching, hiking and running. It’s also part of Fort Hill State Memorial which contains 39 man made openings made by the Hopewell natives. Credit: Jen Goellnitz/Flickr
Mastic Picnic Area to Rocky River Nature Center Valley Pkwy., North Olmsted Where: Rocky River Reservation Distance: 7.7 Miles The Rocky River Reservation has a mulititude of great hikes. One of the best trails, that takes about 2 and a half hours, is from the Mastic Picnic Area to the Rocky River Nature Center. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Sanctuary Marsh Loop 3037 SOM Center Rd., Willoughby Hills Where: North Chagrin Reservation Distance: .6 Miles Known mostly for Squires’ Castle, the North Chagrin Reservation also boasts hiking trails to go through the woods. While this is a shorter hike, the Sanctuary Marsh is a beautiful setting and shouldn’t be missed. Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/john47kent/
Scranton Flats 1851 Scranton Rd., Cleveland Where: Lakefront Reservation Distance:1 Mile Under the Hope-Memorial Bridge, you’ll find the Scranton Flats, where you can view the Flats, barges and boats going by while getting an awesome view of the skyline. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Shaker Lakes Trail 2600 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights Where: Shaker Lakes Distance: 4.1 Miles Take a walk around the historic Shaker Lakes. The whole trail is around 4 miles and you can begin or end your visit at the Nature Center. Credit: @ShakerLakes/Instagram
Henry Church Jr. Rock Loop 37374 Miles Rd, Bentleyville Where:South Chagrin Reservation Distance: 2.3 Miles T his trail, in the South Chagrin Reservation, isn’t the longest trail but it runs along the Chagrin River and has gorgeous scenery. The South Chagrin Reservation runs through Solon, Chagrin Falls, Bentleyville and Moreland Hills. You end the trail at Henry Church Rock, formerly called Squaw Rock, which is a rock formation carved in 1885. Credit: Tim Evanson/Flickr
Towpath: Harvard Avenue to Cuyahoga Heights Harvard Ave., Cleveland Where: Towpath Trail Distance: 8.1 Miles One of the more popular towpath trail hikes is from Harvard Avenue in Cleveland all the way to Cuyahoga Heights. If you want to get to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and feel like biking or hiking there, take this path instead of driving. Credit: Jon Dawson/Flickr

Scene's award-winning newsroom oftentimes collaborates on articles and projects. Stories under this byline are group efforts.