Posted in Cleveland
June 16, 2017
10 Easy Hikes To Add To Your Outdoor Bucket List In Cleveland
The best part of summer is the opportunity to hike, but on particularly hot days it becomes nearly impossible to take long-distance walks. Fortunately, Cleveland features plenty of short, shady hikes that will help you spend some time outside without overdoing it. These short, easy hikes will fill your summer with outdoor adventure:
Kirtland is only about 35 minutes from Downtown Cleveland, and its campus stretches over sandstone ledges and Gildersleeve Mountain, both of which offer stunning scenic views of the spectacular Cleveland landscape. Quarry Loop Trail takes you through the remains of a 19th century sandstone quarry, and under the shade of the hemlock, maple, oak, and tulip trees you will keep cool and comfortable.
This short trail is just under a mile, but it is filled to the brim with lovely scenery. This park is perfect for kids, as it also features a playground and a stocked fishing area.
The state-wide Buckeye Trail carves through this stunning nature preserve, which is painted with thick forests and bright, lively wetlands. South Meadow Trail features a lovely pond that is stocked with fish, a play area, and a shelter where you can enjoy a packed lunch.
Carlisle Reservation is the largest park in the Lorain County Metro Parks, and it is complete with a visitor center, a raptor center (which actually houses several large birds), and an incredibly diverse natural habitat. Meadow Loop trail offers fabulous views of the wetland habitat, as well as the abundant greenery of the forests and fields. This hike is just over a mile and a half, and it's a loop, so you'll finish exactly where you started.
This trail is just one mile, but boy, does it offer some unique views! You see, Worden's Ledges feature many unusual carvings, many of which depict famous people.
Tucked within Chatham Township is this small park, and this .85 mile trail will take you through its scenic campus, which even features a tributary of the Black River. Every so often, the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association opens up their observatory to allow the public to peer at deep sky objects during
Starry, Starry Night events.
Just a bit south of Cleveland is a lovely little 1.4 mile loop trail. This park opened in 1930 and it features a cattail marsh, a pond, sassafras and sarsaparilla trees, and a wide variety of fauna.
This easy hike is just under a half mile, and it really is a breeze. You get so caught up in the scenery that you almost forget you are getting a bit of a work out! Part of this trail runs parallel to Paine Creek, and the site is actually not far from a Native American structure that stands as one of the oldest in Ohio.
Mugrage Park is a hidden gem! Its StoryWalk trail is a casual one-mile journey over a paved surface, and along the way, signs tell a story with bright, colorful pictures. Along the way you will pass a lovely lake, an inclusive playground, a meadow, a wetland, woods, and a hill that offers great views of the scenery. A fun place to take the kids, and the dog parks along the trail also make this a fun destination for pups!
Begin your 1.2 mile walk at a glacial pothole (Cleveland's oldest and biggest pothole!) and journey through several different habitats. The array of scenery you'll encounter along this walk is dazzling, and seeing the waterfowl that flock to Lake Isaac is always a thrill.
Many times, short hikes are the perfect way to quench that summertime thirst for adventure. What is your favorite laid-back hike? Also, in case you missed it, check out our list of the best Cleveland-area picnic spots for snacks with stellar views.
