Various longer, westward travels out of the Cuyahoga Valley are possible via the Valley Parkway Trail, which was completely linked to existing trails to Parma and Lakewood in late 2018. This completed a 6-mile gap in the "Emerald Necklace" on this side of Cleveland. Another short spur, the Hemlock Creek Trail, leads to Independence.
Getting There from Portage County
Traveling north from Portage County to Rt 82 on the Summit Metroparks Bike and Hike Trail, head west to a left fork on Pine Hill Rd near the bottom of the valley. This will take you directly to a closed section of road (to cars). Continue on it (as a trail) to connect to the Ohio and Erie Towpath Trail, and finally to the parking lot for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Valley View Parkway heads west from this location and the trail follows the road to Lakewood. As you make the LONG climb out of the valley, make a left turn at about 0.7 miles to remain on the trail. Note that as of July 2023, Google hasn't green-highlighted the entire route on it's map/Earth services, but the trail exists. Head north on the Towpath if you are aiming for the Hemlock Creek Trail. Other routes connecting to the Towpath Trail from the Summit Metroparks Trail are of course available.
The map below is largely excerpted from several Ride With GPS routes (in red) https://ridewithgps.com/.
Valley Parkway Trail - This is the longest option, running from the Cuyahoga Scenic Railway's Brecksville station to Lakewood. Valley Parkway and the associated trail or bike lanes ends just a couple of blocks from the Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier Route. If you are traveling west on the Northern Tier, the Detroit Avenue Bridge has sidewalks. Then turn right on Lake Road north and Cross US Rt 6 to Beach Bluff Blvd to avoid a particularly busy section of road. Turn right on Avalon Drive to continue to avoid traffic until it rejoins Lake Rd (US-6). The west coast is only a few weeks away! If you want to go east you'll be heading into Cleveland traffic, so all safety rules, warnings, and concerns apply.
Big Creek Trail - It diverges from the Valley Parkway Trail just south of I-80 in Strongsville. It ends at Brookpark Rd in Parma.
Lake to Lake Trail - This short Middleburg Heights trail diverges from the Big Creek Trail at Lake Isaac and ends at Eastland Rd near Lake Abram.
Hemlock Creek Trail - A 2-mile, but occasionally VERY steep (8-11% grades) climb from the Towpath Trail at the intersection with Stone Rd. It ends in Independence's government building complex after crossing Brecksville Rd at the Cleveland Clinic Business Operations Center.
Getting There from Portage County
Traveling north from Portage County to Rt 82 on the Summit Metroparks Bike and Hike Trail, head west to a left fork on Pine Hill Rd near the bottom of the valley. This will take you directly to a closed section of road (to cars). Continue on it (as a trail) to connect to the Ohio and Erie Towpath Trail, and finally to the parking lot for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Valley View Parkway heads west from this location and the trail follows the road to Lakewood. As you make the LONG climb out of the valley, make a left turn at about 0.7 miles to remain on the trail. Note that as of July 2023, Google hasn't green-highlighted the entire route on it's map/Earth services, but the trail exists. Head north on the Towpath if you are aiming for the Hemlock Creek Trail. Other routes connecting to the Towpath Trail from the Summit Metroparks Trail are of course available.
The map below is largely excerpted from several Ride With GPS routes (in red) https://ridewithgps.com/.
Valley Parkway Trail - This is the longest option, running from the Cuyahoga Scenic Railway's Brecksville station to Lakewood. Valley Parkway and the associated trail or bike lanes ends just a couple of blocks from the Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier Route. If you are traveling west on the Northern Tier, the Detroit Avenue Bridge has sidewalks. Then turn right on Lake Road north and Cross US Rt 6 to Beach Bluff Blvd to avoid a particularly busy section of road. Turn right on Avalon Drive to continue to avoid traffic until it rejoins Lake Rd (US-6). The west coast is only a few weeks away! If you want to go east you'll be heading into Cleveland traffic, so all safety rules, warnings, and concerns apply.
Big Creek Trail - It diverges from the Valley Parkway Trail just south of I-80 in Strongsville. It ends at Brookpark Rd in Parma.
Lake to Lake Trail - This short Middleburg Heights trail diverges from the Big Creek Trail at Lake Isaac and ends at Eastland Rd near Lake Abram.
Hemlock Creek Trail - A 2-mile, but occasionally VERY steep (8-11% grades) climb from the Towpath Trail at the intersection with Stone Rd. It ends in Independence's government building complex after crossing Brecksville Rd at the Cleveland Clinic Business Operations Center.
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