Distance: 11 1/2 miles
Hiking time: 5+ hours

Description: This hike, entirely on the Buckeye Trail, begins at Oak Grove Picnic Area and descends the hill to a beautiful section of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA). The trail is marked by single blue blazes-except for turns, indicated by double blazes (see p. 19)-and follows the flat Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail through one of the most beautiful and scenic areas of Northeast Ohio, Pinery Narrows. (However, the pines are long since gone.) Wildlife abounds here in the valley of the Cuyahoga River. This portion of the trail has recently been improved to accommodate bicycles, strollers, and wheelchairs on the paved pathway. It is best to stay to the right on the Canal Towpath, facing oncoming bicyclists.

Directions: I-77 to Exit 149 (SR 82); east on SR 82 to just past Brecksville Rd. (SR 21) in Brecksville.; right on Chippewa Creek Dr. at park entrance; right on Valley Pkwy. to the entrance for Oak Grove Picnic Area on left.

Parking & restrooms: At Oak Grove Picnic Area.

Brecksville Reservation, largest of the Cleveland Metroparks, is deeply carved into seven separate valleys and has many different trails throughout its beautiful forested land. Chippewa Creek, in the northern section of the park, cuts through a magnificent gorge formed by the final retreat of Ohio's last glacier about 12,000 years ago. Within another scenic gorge is Deer Lick Cave, an unusual outcropping of rock formed many years ago. The Brecksville Nature Center on Chippewa Creek Dr. is a good place to stop in for a visit to learn more about the reservation and to obtain a hiking trail map.

1. From the Oak Grove Picnic Area driveway, take the east exit to Valley Pkwy. Turn right onto the paved All-Purpose Trail on the south side of the road. Continue to follow the blue blazes.

2. At the double-blue blaze, turn right (east) into a beautiful woods of tall beeches, maples, and oaks. The Buckeye Trail (BT) is also blazed along here with orange hiker signs.

3. At 0.7 mile turn left (north), continuing to follow the BT and orange hiker signs to Chippewa Creek Dr.

4. Cross the drive and follow the BT right (east) on All-Purpose Trail.

5. Continue on the All-Purpose Trail east to the Station Rd. Bridge parking area.

6. Ahead are the railroad tracks of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR).
CAUTION! Cross the tracks carefully-this is an active railroad line.
The recently rebuilt Station Rd. bridge spanning the Cuyahoga River is ahead. Many years ago there was a railroad depot here, and this was an important stop on the line between Cleveland and Akron. The tracks are now used for scenic train rides from Independence to Hale Farm and Village and Quaker Square in Akron.

7. Cross the bridge (closed to vehicles) and note the old wooden bricks used to pave the bridge surface (1.5 miles).

8. Continue east along the All-Purpose Trail and turn left (north) onto the Canal Towpath Trail. Bear left (toward the river) at the next intersection. Near the river are the remains of an old canal gate once used to regulate water levels from the river on the left to the canal feeder on the right. Overhead is the strikingly beautiful SR 82 bridge. Pinery Dam, a pretty spillway on the Cuyahoga River, often brings fishermen to try their luck at this spot.

9. The Canal Towpath/Buckeye Trail closely parallels the straight, shallow canal on the right and keeps the wider Cuyahoga River on the left, all through the valley. The river continues gently twisting for several miles through the attractive Pinery Narrows. There may be deer, waterfowl, and evidence of beaver activity all along this enjoyable stretch of the Narrows.

Stay to the right on this path, watching for bicycle traffic, which is fast-moving along here.

10. At about 4.3 miles cars can be seen or heard on Canal Rd. to the east. Continue past another of the original weir gates and an overflow dam just beyond it.

11. Reach a wooden pedestrian bridge and turn right to cross it to busy Canal Rd. Turn right (south) on Canal Rd. and follow the BT blazes to Sagamore Rd.

12. Turn left (east) at Sagamore Rd. and follow the road to Sagamore Grove Picnic Area on the left, where there are restrooms and picnic tables (5.3 miles).

13. Return along the same trail, retracing your steps through the Narrows, and enjoy new views on the right. Cross the old Station Rd. bridge to the paved All-Purpose Trail on Chippewa Creek Dr.

Watch carefully for the double-blue blazes of the BT on the left (south) side of the road. Ascend the hill to Oak Grove Picnic Area.
 

From Cleveland On Foot, 3rd Edition, (c) 1998 by Patience Wilson Cameron.  Reprinted with permission of Gray & Company, Publishers.  Let Cleveland On Foot be your personal guide. Find the hikes you'll enjoy by reading about places before you set out. Then, follow step-by-step directions to get there and back without getting lost. And along the way you'll pick up plenty of interesting tidbits about local geography, history, architecture, and wildlife from the easy-to-read trail descriptions.  Like this hike? Cleveland On Foot, by BTA member Pat Cameron offers 50 hikes around Cleveland, many utilizing the Buckeye Trail.  You may purchase a copy from the BTA On-Line Store.

To receive more information about the Buckeye Trail, use the information request form or E-Mail to info@buckeyetrail.org.
Last updated: September 8, 2001
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