Many local parks embrace the sport and offer designated and groomed Nordic ski trails. Among these are:
Cleveland Metroparks:
- Bedford Reservation - Bedford, Bedford Hts., Oakwood, Valley View, and Walton Hills; Trails and the Shawnee Hills Golf Course are open for skiing.
- Brecksville Reservation - Brecksville; offers 10 trails which traverse seven distinct gorges.
- Euclid Reservation - Euclid, South Euclid, and Richmond Hts.
- Garfield Park Reservation - Garfield Hts.; several short trails
- Hinckley Reservation - Hinckley Township; many scenic trails, including ones through the moss and fern-covered ledges.
- Mill Stream Run Reservation - Berea, Middleberg Hts., North Royalton, and Strongsville; trails through the forest, woodland meadows, and remains of Native American settlements.
- North Chagrin Reservation - Mayfield Village, Willoughby Hills, and Gates Mills; more than a dozen trails, including the Castle Valley Trail which passes Squires Castle.
- Ohio and Erie Canal - Cuyahoga Hts. and Valley View; offers a handful of short trails around the canal.
- Rocky River Reservation - Berea, Brookpark, Cleveland, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Olmsted Township, and Rocky River; trails through the deep floodplain forests and around the creeks and shale cliffs. Good for wildlife viewing.
- South Chagrin Reservation - Bentleyville, Solon, and Moreland Hills; a variety of meadow and wooded trails, including one past Henry Church's 1885 rock carvings.
Summit Metro Parks
- Cascade Valley Metro Park - Chuckery Area, 837 Cuyahoga St., Akron; trails along the Cuyhoga River in the heart of Akron
- Firestone Metro Park - Warner Road Area, 200 E. Warner Rd., Akron; this 255-acre park is a great place to view wildlife.
- Furnace Run Metro Park - Brushwood Area, 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield; three miles of Nordic ski trails.
- Goodyear Heights Metro Park - Alder Trail, 550 Frazier Ave, Akron; known for its thousands of Scotch Pines, planted during the depression era.
- Munroe Falls Metro Park - 521 S. River Rd., Munroe Falls; 222 acres of parkland and trails.
- Silver Creek Metro Park - Pheasant Run and Chippewa trails, 5000 Hametown Rd., Norton; this 624 acre park is a former dairy farm and home to abundant wildlife and one of the largest red oaks in Summit County.
Lake Metroparks
- Chapin Forest Reservation - 10090 Chillicothe Rd. (route 306), Kirtland; 5.3 miles of ski trails; known for rock formations; Pine Lodge Ski Center offers rentals and lessons from November 15 to March 15, weather permitting.
- Girdled Road Reservation - 12898 Girdled Rd. and 12899 Radcliffe Rd., Concord Township; five miles of groomed trails.
Malabar Farms State Park - just outside of Mansfield - Offers 10 miles of trails, a ski rental shop, ski workshops, and tours of the farm.
(Last updated 11-26-08)
