Brecksville Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
3,364 acres27.7 mi of trail
Buckeye TrailDeer Lick LoopHemlock TrailValley Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Dr. William A. Knowlton House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Brecksville
Brecksville has 32 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
1,306 acres are parks and preserves, 95 per 1,000 residents. 11% of Brecksville’s land is conserved, about 1,399 acres. The biggest trail networks: Brecksville Reservation (27.7 mi), Cuyahoga Valley National Park (2.1 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #79 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,399 acres · of 19.4 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,306 ac
95 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
49%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.6 mi
7.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
4 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Brecksville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
A trail town1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 90% of U.S. towns.Room to roam95 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild11% of the land is conserved; a typical Ohio town, 3%.History along the way11 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brecksville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brecksville is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #79 of 993 in Ohio. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brecksville’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land95 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,306 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home49% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 92%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Brecksville Reservation, with 27.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Managed by National Park Service
4,226 acres2.1 mi of trail
Valley TrailBuckeye TrailConnector Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
The Meadows Trailhead
Park
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
North Bridal Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chippewa Ford Field
Park
33 acres0.3 mi of trail
Station Bridle Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Brecksville Reservation3,364 acres · 27.7 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsCuyahoga Valley National Park4,226 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsThe Meadows Trailhead22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsChippewa Ford Field33 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBrecksville Station Trailhead12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHarriet Keeler Memorial Picnic Area4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPlateau Picnic Area3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrecksville Town Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEmployee Park9 acres
DirectionsOttawa Point Picnic Area2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,399 conserved acres
11% of Brecksville’s land. Who manages Brecksville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,126 ac
Town or city259 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land17 ac
Regional agency14 ac
County1 ac
National Park · 1,109 acLocal Park · 171 acLocal Recreation Area · 103 acConservation Easement · 34 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 17 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga Valley National Park National Park | National Park Service | 1,109 | Open |
| Brecksville Reservation Local Park | Town or city | 156 | Restricted |
| Vacant Municipal Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 103 | Open |
| Athletic Field/Park Local Park | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
| Summit Metro Parks Land Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
20 places to go in Brecksville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Brecksville
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Brecksville
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Brecksville
Deer Lick Cave FallsIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsScenic views in Brecksville
Chippewa Creek Gorge OverlookIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsDeer Lick CaveIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsMy Mountain OverlookIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsTallgrass PrairieIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Brecksville
Chippewa Picnic AreaIn Chippewa Picnic Area
DirectionsOak Grove Picnic AreaIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsOttawa Backcountry Kitchen SiteIn Brecksville Reservation
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Brecksville
Ottawa Overlook Backcountry Site 1In Brecksville Reservation · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsOttawa Overlook Backcountry Site 2In Brecksville Reservation · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsOttawa Overlook Backcountry Site 3In Brecksville Reservation · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Brecksville
Brecksville Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
23 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 11.5 miUnpaved · 24.0 mi
Buckeye Trail5.9 mi
Deer Lick Loop3.8 mi
Valley Trail2.3 mi
Hemlock Trail1.3 mi
North Bridal Loop1.1 mi
East Bridal Trail1.1 mi
White Oak Trail1.1 mi
South Bridle Loop1.0 mi
Parkway Bridle Trail0.8 mi
Station Bridle Path0.8 mi
13 more trails
Valley Bridle Trail
0.4 miSouth Bridal Loop
0.4 miMy Mountain Trail
0.4 miNorth Bridle Loop
0.3 miBrecksville Connector
0.3 miConnector Trail
0.3 miWildflower Loop Trail
0.3 miGorge Loop Trail
0.3 miBackcountry Campsite Access Trail
0.2 miPrairie Trail
0.2 miWest Bridal Trail
0.2 miConnector
0.1 miNature PLay Area
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
5Tennis
3Pickleball
3Soccer
2Football
2Lacrosse
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Brecksville Town HallBuilding · listed 1973
About itDr. William A. Knowlton HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itCharles B. Rich HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itStation Road BridgeStructure · listed 1979
About itWilliam Burt HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itJaite Mill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itJonas Coonrad HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itRuss and Holland Snow HousesBuilding · listed 1982
About itBrecksville Trailside MuseumBuilding · listed 1992
About itRichard Vaughn FarmBuilding · listed 1993
About itStebbens FarmBuilding · listed 1996
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brecksville: April, May and July to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brecksville →
Next door
Brecksville and its neighbors
Brecksville has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Boston Township56 miBrecksville32 miRichfield Township21 miSagamore Hills Township16 miBroadview Heights7.4 miIndependence2.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brecksville | 11% | 1.6 | 95 | 49% | A |
| Sagamore Hills Township | 35% | 1.4 | 225 | 84% | A+ |
| Independence | 15% | 0.3 | 112 | 68% | A− |
| Broadview Heights | 7% | 0.6 | 12 | 49% | B |
| Richfield Township | 20% | 0.8 | 517 | 71% | A |
| Boston Township | 81% | 2.9 | 6,404 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brecksville
Where can I hike in Brecksville?
The longest trail networks: Brecksville Reservation, 27.7 miles; Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 2.1 miles; The Meadows Trailhead, 0.4 miles; Chippewa Ford Field, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brecksville is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Ohio town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Brecksville’s trails?
Brecksville Reservation and Cuyahoga Valley National Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brecksville?
7.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brecksville?
37,156 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brecksville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,306 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Brecksville have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #79 of 993 in Ohio. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Brecksville neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →