Trailheads & Parks Passport 2023

Expiration: Jan 31st 2025

Clevelanders are lucky. We’ve got some of the most beautiful green spaces around to get out and run, hike or bike through, from the award-winning Cleveland Metroparks to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and then some. In the last decade, we’ve seen more trail construction than ever before, giving you even more options to explore The Land by bike or on foot.
Get out, explore The Land and start filling up your Trails Passport today.

Now, Destination Cleveland’s Trailhead & Parks Passport earns you points toward a single point system. With the 2023 re-launch of Destination Cleveland’s Experience Passports program, participants can accumulate points across all the passports* for a variety of Cleveland-branded prizes available for redemption within the Rewards tab of the passport.

Prizes will be picked up at the Cleveland Visitors Center at 334 Euclid Ave. All passport check-ins must be completed and all prizes must be picked up by January 31, 2025.

*Excludes points earned for the Cleveland Brewery Passport

Included Venues

See locations on an interactive map.

Aqueduct Trailhead

The aqueduct at this trailhead carries Mill Creek over the Ohio & Erie Canal before it empties into the Cuyahoga River. North takes you under the CSX Short Line Bridge, a double-track railroad bridge built in 1907 that towers over the valley near the Canalway Center. Heading South, two pedestrian suspension bridges carry the Towpath over Granger and Warner roads into a commercial/industrial section of the valley. Just downstream is one of the country’s largest water reclamation facilities of its kind, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s Southerly plant built in 1927.

Bertram Woods Library

The Shaker Median Trail begins at Warrensville Center Road, just north of the bustling Van Aken District, running east to west alongside the Green Line Rapid. At South Green Road, where the Rapid ends, continue down the trail through Beachwood and under I-271 to Gates Mills Boulevard.

Brighton Park

Once a go-kart track, and a landfill before that, the restored Brighton Park sits high above the Big Creek Valley. Head west from this point into the valley to explore more than 600 species at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest. To the south, enjoy one of many international culinary experiences Old Brooklyn has to offer. To the east, the Treadway Connector follows Treadway Creek into the Cuyahoga Valley to join the Towpath.

Broadway Trailhead

This trailhead lies just south of the historic center of Bedford, an important railroad stop between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Head north on Broadway into Downtown or the Great Falls of Tinkers Creek. To the west, the All Purpose Trail (APT) follows Gorge Parkway and Overlook Lane through Bedford Reservation and connects to the Summit Hike & Bike Trail at Alexander Road. Heading east, the APT takes a gentler path alongside Tinkers Creek, past Shadow Lake and into the South Chagrin Reservation.

Camp Cleveland

This overlook at the north end of the Tremont neighborhood was once home to a Civil War training site. After the war, the neighborhood developed rapidly and became home to many eastern-European immigrants who came to work in the steel mills and factories in the Flats below. From here, the Towpath continues north to Canal Basin Park. To the south, you can reach the Industrial Flats, Ohio & Erie Reservation and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Canal Basin Park

Once the northern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal where canal barges pulled by mules started their journey south over the Akron Summit and on to the Ohio River, Canal Basin Park serves as the head of the 101-mile-long Towpath Trail and enjoys ongoing improvements. From here, travel off-road to the south through four counties and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Chippewa Gorge

Just east of Brecksville’s commercial center, this trailhead serves as a gateway to Cleveland Metroparks’ Brecksville Reservation, the park system’s largest with a network of all-purpose trails that extend west along Valley Parkway to Mill Stream Run Reservations and to the Towpath at Station Road. The gorge was carved by Chippewa Creek itself, tumbling for decades through the Berea Sandstone below.

Clark Field

Clark Field has been a recreation all-star in Cleveland since the ‘40s, hosting generations of baseball, football or soccer players in the shadows of the steel mills to the east. A $2.5 million upgrade restored play fields and a dog park. From here, continue north on the Towpath Trail into the Tremont neighborhood, south through the Flats and down to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. To the southeast, a bend in the Cuyahoga River less than a mile away marks the site of the infamous 1969 river fire that sparked a national environmental movement.

Columbus Road

Just across the Rapid tracks from the Ohio City Station, exit the Red Line Greenway and find yourself in the Duck Island neighborhood, home to several beloved bars and restaurants, sitting on a peninsula in the shadow of the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. Take Abbey Avenue west across the tracks into the heart of Ohio City near the historic West Side Market. Continue the trail west from here to the Zone Recreation Center near W. 65th Street.

Emerald Necklace Marina

The northwest end of Cleveland’s “Emerald Necklace,” the All Purpose Trail begins here at the mouth of the Rocky River and continues off-road for nearly 35 miles through Rocky River, Mill Stream Run, and Brecksville Reservations, where it joins the Towpath Trail. In this area, the trail closely follows the river through the valley past dramatic shale cliffs. You may even pass people fly fishing in one of the most abundant steelhead trout fisheries in the nation.

First Responders Memorial Trailhead

A memorial to the victims of 9/11, including a 17-foot-high steel beam that was once part of the World Trade Center, marks this trailhead that leads to 2.5 miles of off-road trails in Mayfield Village. Proceed north through an underpass beneath Highland Road to the Parkview Pool, Mayfield Village Wetlands Preserve and the connecting Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation.

Garfield Boulevard

Since 1896, Garfield Park has served Cleveland’s southern neighborhoods as a recreational hub. During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built many of the historic structures you still see today. The Cleveland Metroparks has worked tirelessly to preserve the natural areas and stunning architecture of the park since it took over stewardship in 1986. From this trailhead at Turney Road, follow the two-mile All Purpose Trail loop through the reservation or take the Mill Creek Trail north to Mill Creek Falls.

Gordon Park

Gordon Park is the northern edge of the Harrison Dillard bikeway, named for the four-time Olympic gold medalist, Cleveland native and East Tech graduate that excelled in sprints and hurdles throughout the 1940s and 50s. The trail winds south through Rockefeller Park and the Cultural Gardens that represent more than 30 of the nationalities that make up Cleveland’s diverse population. The trail continues into University Circle and connects to the Lake-to-Lakes Trail east into Shaker Heights.

Hemlock Creek Trailhead

Located just south of the old Independence Town Square, the Hemlock Creek Trail provides an off-road connection to the Cuyahoga Valley and Towpath Trail. It descends nearly 300 vertical feet from the Cleveland Clinic Business Operations Center on Brecksville Road, through former sandstone quarries that became miles and miles of flagstone sidewalks. A 200-foot pedestrian bridge carries the trail across the Cuyahoga River to meet the Towpath Trail near Stone Road. Just west is the site of the Sewer District’s stream restoration project to relieve stress on Hemlock Creek and reduce flooding by widening the floodplain area and stabilizing streambanks.

Lock 39

The Lock 39 Trailhead marks the northernmost section of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Rockside Station lies on the opposite bank of the river. Hop on with the Bike Aboard program, which allows cyclists to ride the train one way and cycle back. North of Lock 39, the valley is very much industrial and commercial, while the south sees agriculture and park uses preserved.

Lower Shaker Lake

The Lake-to-Lakes Trail roughly follows Doan Brook from Lake Erie to the Shaker Lakes. A bike repair station is located near the corner of North Park Boulevard and Coventry Road to keep you on the trail. Just north, the trail drops down the Portage Escarpment, the geological feature which divides Cleveland from “the Heights” and continues through University Circle and Rockefeller Park. Head east and the trail continues along Lower Shaker Lake, past the stately homes of North Park Boulevard, to Horseshoe Lake.

Mill Creek Falls

Mill Creek Falls is the largest waterfall inside the City of Cleveland. The Village of Newburgh grew up around mills that harnessed the falls’ power, but the falls themselves were relocated to accommodate the construction of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railway. This Metroparks all-purpose trail roughly follows this railway, now operated by Norfolk-Southern, to beautiful Garfield Park Reservation.

Settler's Bluff

Located in the small Village of Cuyahoga Heights, from Settlers Bluff you can connect south and west past the Canalway Center to the Towpath. This Metroparks All Purpose Trail heads north along East 49th Street into Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood and Washington Park Reservation, home to a 9-hole golf course. This trail segment also passes by a memorial containing a porthole cover and section of the base mast from the ill-fated battleship USS Maine, whose destruction led to the Spanish-American War.

Snow Road Picnic Area

Head to the northern side of Big Creek Parkway and you’ll spot the Snow Road picnic area. Winding along the Cuyahoga River’s third largest tributary, the Parkway parallels Pearl Road through the southwest suburbs with a flat, easy Cleveland Metroparks all-purpose trail. Travel six miles south to Lake Isaac to connect with the Lake-to-Lake Trail.

Station Road

A stop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway and Station Road’s namesake, historic Brecksville Station has been in operation since 1880. Near this site the graceful concrete arches of the Route 82 Bridge rise 145 feet above the valley. Make your way west into Brecksville Reservation on the all-purpose trail or cross the Cuyahoga River on the original 1882 Station Road Bridge. From here, the Towpath extends north to Cleveland and south to Akron and beyond.

Wendy Park

Although technically a peninsula, Whiskey Island was the first home of Cleveland’s early Irish immigrants, later used primarily by railroads and industry. Today, the north side of Whiskey Island is home to a marina, restaurant, and park space managed by the Cleveland Metroparks. In 2021, the Wendy Park Bridge was completed, providing a direct link to the west bank of the Flats. From this point, follow the Lakefront Trail west past Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's Westerly Treatment Plant and through Edgewater Park, or south through the flats via the Centennial Lake-Link Trail.

West 25th and Detroit Avenue

Find the trailhead just below the western approach to the Main Avenue Bridge which carries the Memorial Shoreway over the Cuyahoga River. Head east down the Main Avenue Connector (and just past Glen Infante’s famous mural of Prince holding a donut) to the west bank of the Flats to visit the Cleveland Aquarium or catch a show at the Nautica Entertainment Complex. To the south, Ohio City offers a legion of options for great food and cold brews.

West 58th and Cass Avenue

Just south of the Memorial Shoreway, this section of the Lakefront Bikeway runs along the edge of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. Venture south and sample the local art, culture and food of Cleveland’s near west side. Head west to hit Edgewater Park, or perhaps east toward Ohio City. Directly to the north sits the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s Westerly plant, a facility that treats 30 million gallons of water a day to protect Lake Erie. Along the trail to the east, stop and stare at Bird’s Eye Viewer, a kaleidoscopic view of the Downtown skyline by local artist Scott Goss.

West Blvd & Edgewater

Wind your way through one of Cleveland’s oldest and most beloved parks while enjoying sweeping views of Lake Erie and the Downtown skyline by way of the Lakefront Trail paralleling the Memorial Shoreway. Head north and snap a few selfies at the Cleveland script sign or perhaps hit up the Edgewater Beach House to the east for a cold drink. Experienced cyclists can head west following Edgewater Drive and connect with Lake Avenue’s on-road bike lanes through suburban Lakewood.

West Center Street Berea

The connector trail adjacent to this trailhead drops down to the Metroparks All Purpose Trail (APT). Take the APT south between beautiful Wallace and Baldwin Lakes and continue into Mill Stream Run Reservation. Head north as the trail threads its way through the charming college town of Berea past dramatic sandstone falls on the Rocky River. Follow the river from here to its mouth at Lake Erie with 14 miles of paved, off-road trail.

Photo Credit: @dts_photography216

Zone Rec

The Red Line Greenway follows the path of the Red Line Rapid Transit through Cleveland’s west side, connecting it to Lake Erie and Downtown. The Zone Recreation Center near W. 65th Street marks its western terminus. Use the on-street bike lanes on W. 65th Street to reach the Gordon Square Arts District and Edgewater Park in just under a mile. Ride the Greenway east through Ohio City, with four exits at W. 58th Street, W. 41st Street, W. 25th Street and Abbey Road. Take the trail down to Columbus Road in the Flats to join with the Centennial Lake-Link Trail.