Six More Days: Twelve Extra Trails Completed - 2024 Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge

Blog Date

Monday, December 30, 2024

Author(s)

Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

Links to Trail Resources and February 2024 Trail Information

Here are links to my February 15, 2024, blog post showing trail resources and February trail details (these links will open in a new browser window):

Start of Six Days on 12 New Trails in Ten Reservations
-- and the Zoo!

Trail Challenge 12: Sunday, November 3, 2024 - Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation

The first trail on Sunday, November 3, 2024, was the Red Line Greenway. Instead of starting at the Red Line Greenway parking area, I parked at Cleveland Metroparks Merwin’s Wharf, since I wanted to visit the waterfront at both Merwin’s Wharf and Rivergate Park. I also wanted to see the status of Irishtown Bend Park, since I had toured the area in 2021 before the current construction had been started:

Blog Date: September 8, 2021 - My Cleveland Week: Cleveland Foundation > MidTown Murals > USS Cod Party > Irishtown Bend Hike > One World Day
"This [Irishtown Bend] hike covered an area that I have visited by bike or car many times. What was of greater value was meeting West Creek Conservancy Executive Director, Derek Schafer, to learn more about the Irishtown Bend project . . ."

Unexpectedly, the start of my late morning bike ride was delayed for a long time. My path was blocked, since the Columbus Road Bridge over the Cuyahoga River was raised for the SS Wilfred Sykes freighter. Actually, it ended up being a blessing, since it was a beautiful, sunny day and it gave me more time to enjoy the waterfront and take the following video/photos of the area and the ship:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

4.0 miles: Red Line Greenway 41.485110, -81.700650
Get on this trail at the Abbey Rd/Columbus Rd entrance and ride southwest towards Zone Recreation Center. This urban route has some great views of downtown as you ride back.

I really enjoyed my first time exploring the Cleveland Metroparks Red Line Greenway path. It was a sunny day, and the all-purpose trail provided a very nice bike ride. I had heard so many good things about this urban bike trail, and I was so happy to finally explore it.

It was nice to see the "Inter | Urban" artwork along the path. The artwork is supported by RTA, Cleveland Foundation, LAND studio, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, and Ohio & Erie Canalway. Learn more here: https://www.land-studio.org/projects/inter-urban

I also saw the Goodyear Blimp out enjoying the views of the City of Cleveland on this beautiful day.

I am so glad I was finally on this path that officially opened in May 2021. I had been hearing for years about the work of the following organizations that made this bike trail happen: LAND studio, Trust for Public Land, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), and The Rotary Club of Cleveland.

I ended my ride today at the location of Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, who I want to thank again for fixing my bike so that it was safe! (See my blog post.)

Here are links to two blog posts where I write about the Red Line Greenway:

I took the following photos and videos while I bike rode the Red Line Greenway:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

8.0 miles: Towpath Trail 41.430580, -81.662320
Start at CanalWay Center. Make your way down the hill on the APT, and turn left to head south. Enjoy the views of the canals, various bridges and aqueducts as you head to Rockside Road. Turn around and make your way back when the paved path turns to gravel at the Lock 39 kiosk and trailhead.

I decided to do both of the Trail Challenge bike paths in the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation in one day. Thus, in the afternoon, I visited the Cleveland Metroparks CanalWay Center, and then rode my bike along the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath. The Towpath led to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where I saw the Rockside Station of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Along the route, I saw a Kurtz Bros., Inc., recycling information display, and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant. I have written the following blog post about the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant:

Blog Date: October 8, 2014 - Visiting Wally Waterdrop - NEORSD Open House

Here are the photos of my visit to the Cleveland Metroparks CanalWay Center, and my bike ride through the Cuyahoga Valley on the Towpath Trail:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 13: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Big Creek Reservation

4.8 miles: Lake to Lake Trail 41.357150, -81.824220
Enjoy this out-and-back trail as you traverse boardwalks, marshes and a short commercial area when you cross Bagley Road. Trailside education signage helps you learn more about the rich history of this glaciated region along the way.

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, I started my first of four trails that day in the Cleveland Metroparks Big Creek Reservation. I rode my bike on Lake to Lake Trail, starting at Lake Isaac.

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 14: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Washington Reservation

4.5 miles: Arborview 41.454111, -81.658558
Start at Arborview Shelter and take the APT south to Settlers Bluff Picnic Area before turning around. This route follows the APT along E. 49th Street.

The sign on the Cleveland Metroparks Washington Reservation Golf Course warns of coyotes in the area. As I headed down the trail that is part of the 2024 trail challenge sponsored by MetroHealth, I’m pretty sure I saw a coyote running into the woods!!! How exciting!

The Saturday, November 9, 2024, Washington Reservation bike ride turnaround point is at Settler’s Bluff Picnic Area, near where I rode my bike the previous Sunday (November 3, 2024) in the Ohio & Erie Canalway Reservation. It is interesting to see the connection points between reservations, since it shows the potential for even longer bike rides.

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 15: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Garfield Park Reservation

2.0 miles: Garfield Loop 41.429080, -81.528480
Get on the APT as you walk, hike or bike around Garfield Reservation. Enjoy seeing old stone stairs and bridges as you admire the new pond on your way through!

Wow, wow, wow! This was my first time seeing the new improvements in the Cleveland Metroparks Garfield Park Reservation, and they are fantastic!

I have always enjoyed exploring the Garfield Park Reservation, since I learned about it while on the inaugural Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge in 2017. Even before the improvements, I was fascinated by the history and beauty of this park, as you can see by what I wrote in:

Blog Date: December 29, 2017 - Cleveland Metroparks Inaugural Trail Challenge!
See the blog post section entitled: "Trails #2 & #3) Saturday, August 5, 2017 - Garfield Park Reservation"

. . . the incredible value of the Cleveland Metroparks' Trail Challenge is that it gets us to explore and learn about parks we have never visited. As you can see in the photos I shared on Twitter, the Garfield Park Reservation is a real gem and has a very interesting history.

While in Garfield Park Reservation, we learned that Cuyahoga County’s tallest waterfall (48 feet) -- Mill Creek Falls -- was in the park. It is great that that the Cleveland Metroparks is managing this resource.

The new trails and improvements to the lake area are incredible!! I posted a note on social media to Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman saying: "Please thank your park staff for me!" I hope my photos encourage you to go and see this improved gem:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 16: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Lakefront Reservation

1.6 miles: Edgewater 41.490878, -81.733261
Start at Edgewater Beach House and go up the hill to Upper Edgewater. Keep going until you get to the famous Cleveland script sign. Snap some pics before heading back.

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, I rode my bike in four Cleveland Metroparks reservations. The last place I rode my bike that day was in the Lakefront Reservation at Edgewater Beach. Edgewater offers great views of downtown Cleveland and of Lake Erie.

As you will see in my photos, there have been some really nice improvements made to this waterfront park, both in the beach house and up the hill at the new playground:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 17: Saturday, December 7, 2024 - Bedford Reservation

4.1 miles: Northeast Bedford Singletrack Circuit 41.384130, -81.539680
Follow this route for a nice connecting loop as you sample a variety of mountain bike trails. Tight and twisty, open and fast, rocky sections and some short steep climbs will have you working hard. Please visit Cleveland Metroparks mobile app to confirm the trail is open as this trail closes to all trail users depending on conditions.

Despite it being 24°F, I saw a couple of mountain bike riders, many runners, and other hikers on the Northeast Bedford Singletrack Circuit as I was hiking this trail. I have never hiked this mountain bike trail, which mostly runs parallel to where I have hiked often on the Buckeye Trail. Exploring new trails that I would not normally hike is one of the joys of doing the Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge. Like today, I have hiked this area in the wintertime a few times before. It is a nice area to see with snow.

The Cleveland Metroparks provides online and in-app maps of their Trail Challenge trails. For example, see the official, online Northeast Bedford Singletrack Circuit map by clicking here to open it in a new browser window.

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.
This video shows parts of both the 4.1-mile Northeast Bedford Singletrack trail, and the 0.2-mile Bridal Veil Falls trail.

0.2 miles: Bridal Veil Falls 41.371820, -81.548877
This short stroll takes you down a few sets of stairs before you cross a bridge where you can take in the beautiful falls. Come after a strong rain and you’ll see a great sight!

In addition to the Northeast Bedford Singletrack Circuit, I also I walked the trail that goes to Bridal Veil Falls Scenic Overlook, since it was on the way and it was only 0.2 miles long. As I mention above, I don't count the trail to Bridal Veil Falls as one of my December hikes, since I had already hiked this trail with Kimberly Perez from Spectrum News 1 on Monday, January 22, 2024. She interviewed both my University Hospitals cardiologist and me for a story about my hiking on the Buckeye Trail and Appalachian Trail five months after open-heart surgery. See my February 2024 American Heart Month story details here:

Blog Date: February 15, 2024 - My HCM Part Five - Recovery: A Snowy Interview with Spectrum News 1

When I was contacted to be interviewed by Kimberly Perez from Spectrum News 1 on Monday, January 22, 2024, I again thought it was very important to have the interview take place on the Buckeye Trail. I suggested she conduct the interview while we hiked together on the Buckeye Trail to the Bridal Veil Falls Scenic Overlook in the Cleveland Metroparks Bedford Reservation. These Falls are on a beautiful section of the trail that is easy to reach by a short walk from your car.

. . .

The temperature was in the 30s when Kimberly Perez and I starting talking while walking down the trail. She used her smartphone to record my answers to her questions, as I told my story of past backpacking trips; my debilitating HCM symptoms in the spring of 2023; and my recovery, which led to my backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail.

Trail Challenge 18: Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - North Chagrin Reservation

5.4 miles: Rim and Valley Walk 41.578780, -81.429680
Starting at Strawberry Picnic Area you’ll use the Cleveland Metroparks App to link up multiple trails to create this amazing loop that is a favorite of many staff.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 11, 2024, I went on another Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge hike. Fortunately, I have good night vision, since the last part of my walk ended up being a night hike -- it gets dark so early now!! (FYI, I did carry a headlamp that I could have used if needed.) At 34°F, my hike in the North Chagrin Reservation felt warmer today than the walk I did last Saturday in the Bedford reservation when it was 24°F.

#SocialMedia rule! Whenever you are at Cleveland Metroparks Squires Castle you must share a photo of this beautiful structure on your social media feeds!

I have previously walked all the trails in North Chagrin Reservation that make up the "Rim and Valley Walk," but I have never done them together to make this 5.4-mile loop. I like that the Cleveland Metroparks has a special map website that shows the "Rim and Valley Walk" route (click here to view the map in a new browser window).

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 19: Friday, December 20, 2024 - Mill Stream Run Reservation

5.5 miles: Royalview Red Loop 41.301464, -81.804687
Grab the trail behind the restrooms and run, hike, or bike this fun loop. Pay special attention to trail direction as it varies from day to day on this shared use mountain bike trail. Please visit Cleveland Metroparks mobile app to confirm the trail is open as this trail closes to all trail users depending on conditions.

I started my 33°F morning hike following the red blazes of the Royalview Red Loop in the Cleveland Metroparks Mill Stream Run Reservation. I liked seeing the pine stands along the way. Near the end of my hike, I was looking down on the East Branch of the Rocky River.

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 20: Friday, December 20, 2024 - Hinckley Reservation

2.0 miles: Bridle Trai 41.221703, -81.731560
Start at the Horse Trail Parking/Hinckley Hills Trailhead and take the trail to the right to head towards Kiwanis Cabin. Turn around at the Kiwanis/ Horseshoe/ Buckeye Trail junction. If you are on a horse and want to travel farther, keep going on the Carriage Trail until you feel like turning around. Those on foot can choose to take the Horseshoe Trail back.

In February 2024, I wrote about taking the Cleveland Metroparks TrailChallenge in the Hinckley Lake Reservation on the Ledge Lake Loop. On the afternoon of Friday, December 20, 2024, I went back to Hinckley Reservation to hike the Bridle Trail as part of my doing the Cleveland Metroparks 2024 Trail Challenge a second time.

I used my Gaia GPS map app on the park trails in the morning at Mill Stream Run Reservation, and again in the afternoon at Hinckley Reservation. On the Bridle Trail, where it crossed the Buckeye Trail, I used my FarOut App map.

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

If you have not been to the Cleveland Metroparks Hinckley Reservation this year, you must go to see what Hinckley Lake looks like empty!!! Is is amazing to see!

The Cleveland Metroparks is doing “Hinckley Lake Dam Rehabilitation.”

A Hinckley Lake Store staff member told me the park will be dredging the lake in the summer of 2025, which hopefully means that the lake will be back in use a year from now. The store is very nice! The Hinckley Lake Store has some fun, fish-related holiday decorations. The roaring wood fire felt good on this winter day.

It is remarkable how nature has reclaimed this man-made lake with plant growth. It was important to me to capture these photos of the empty lake while it is full of wild, tall grasses, since this is a one-time occurrence:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 21: Monday, December 23, 2024 - Brookside Reservation

1.0 miles: Brookside Hiking Loop 41.448985, -81.724657
Begin the trail near the main parking lot of Brookside Reservation off of Ridge Road by the baseball fields. The loop traverses both paved and natural surface trails.

On the morning of Monday, December 23, 2024, I completed the last Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge trail that I had planned on doing for 2024. Thank you, MetroHealth, for sponsoring the 2024 Trail Challenge. It is a great way to learn about trails in our local Cleveland Metroparks.

When in the Brookside Reservation, be sure to see the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio (JANO) cherry trees. I recommend going to see the JANO cherry trees when they are in bloom in spring.

I also recommend that you visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo while you are at the Brookside Reservation, since the two parks are adjacent to each other. As you can see in the next section, that was what I decided to do as my "Guest Choice" trail. On Mondays, zoo admission is FREE for Cuyahoga County residents.

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Trail Challenge 22: Monday, December 23, 2024 - Guest Choice: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

In addition to the trails listed above, you have the ability to hike, bike, ski, or travel any trail within Cleveland Metroparks and count that towards your prize. You can only do this one time for each reservation! The goal for this year’s Trail Challenge is for you to have fun exploring trails in at least 10 reservations. If the wayfinding of the provided trails becomes confusing, use the Cleveland Metroparks App to navigate, create your own adventure by choosing a different trail for that reservation, or join Cleveland Metroparks staff for a variety of guided hikes, rides or paddling programs offered throughout the year.

After my morning hike in the Cleveland Metroparks Brookside Reservation, I spent the afternoon at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The animals were very active on the day I visited.

December is a good time to visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, since it is decorated for #WildWinterLights presented by NOPEC.

The zoo is always a fun place to explore as you can read in my following blog post from 2018:

Blog Date: May 30, 2018 - Escape Day to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

I hope you enjoy my photos and videos of the animals and holiday decorations. It was a fun afternoon in this park:

I recommend viewing videos in full screen mode!
Please feel free to pause the video to enjoy the views, read the interesting facts, and study the maps that are in the slides.

Six More Days: Twelve Extra Trails Completed - 2024 Cleveland Metroparks Trail Challenge

Links to Trail Resources and February 2024 Trail Information

Start of Six Days on 12 New Trails in Ten Reservations -- and the Zoo!

Trail Challenge 12: Sunday, November 3, 2024 - Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation

Trail Challenge 13: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Big Creek Reservation

Trail Challenge 14: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Washington Reservation

Trail Challenge 15: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Garfield Park Reservation

Trail Challenge 16: Saturday, November 9, 2024 - Lakefront Reservation

Trail Challenge 17: Saturday, December 7, 2024 - Bedford Reservation

Trail Challenge 18: Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - North Chagrin Reservation

Trail Challenge 19: Friday, December 20, 2024 - Mill Stream Run Reservation

Trail Challenge 20: Friday, December 20, 2024 - Hinckley Reservation

Trail Challenge 21: Monday, December 23, 2024 - Brookside Reservation

Trail Challenge 22: Monday, December 23, 2024 - Guest Choice: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Related Blog Posts

Start of Six Days on 12 New Trails in Ten Reservations
-- and the Zoo!