Rocky River Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
174 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Catsmeowmeow · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Lakewood
7% of Lakewood’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
74 acres are parks and preserves, 1.5 per 1,000 residents. 7% of Lakewood’s land is conserved, about 247 acres. 2.2 miles of mapped trail cross Lakewood, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #379 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
247 acres · of 5.6 sq mi of land
Trails
2.2 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
74 ac
1.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
7.1 mi lanes · 4.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
9 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lakewood?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lakewood have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lakewood is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #379 of 993 in Ohio. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lakewood’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (74 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 61%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 62%
Water is 17% of Lakewood’s area (1 of 7 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Rocky River Reservation, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 13 parks & preserves
Rocky River Reservation174 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsLakewood Park42 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKauffman Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCove Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWagar Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMadison Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWebb Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Celeste Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Clifton Park3 acres
Bernice Pyke Park1 acres
DirectionsMerl Park1 acres · City of Lakewood
Edwards Park1 acres
DirectionsNiagara Park1 acres
Who protects it
247 conserved acres
7% of Lakewood’s land. Water is left out: Lakewood has 5.6 square miles of land and 1.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lakewood’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County177 ac
Town or city70 ac
Local Park · 247 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky River Reservation Local Park | County | 177 | Restricted |
| Lakewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Madison Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Kaufman Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Cove Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Webb Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Wagar Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Merl Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Celeste Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Edwards Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
47 places to go in Lakewood
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lakewood
Clifton Beach
DirectionsPlus 8 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Lakewood
Foster PoolIn Lakewood Park
DirectionsWading PoolIn Lakewood Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lakewood
21 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Lakewood
Lakewood Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lakewood
Scenic Park Boat LaunchIn Rocky River Reservation
DirectionsPlus 7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lakewood
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lakewood
Scenic Park Picnic AreaIn Rocky River Reservation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Lakewood
Lakewood LEAF GardensIn Webb Park
DirectionsPlus 2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.6 mi
off-road bike paths
6.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
13Tennis
8Baseball
4Multi-sport
3Basketball
3Soccer
1Skate park
1Pickleball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Detroit Avenue BridgeStructure · listed 1973
About itClifton Park Lakefront DistrictDistrict · listed 1974
About itJohn Honam HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itErastus Day HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itJames Nicholson HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itHarvey Hackenberg HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itWestlake HotelBuilding · listed 1983
About itDetroit-Warren BuildingBuilding · listed 1986
About itBirdtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007
About itWesterly ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2013
About itReidy Bros. & Flanigan BuildingBuilding · listed 2018
About itLakewood Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2020
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lakewood: May 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 37 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lakewood →
Next door
Lakewood and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | 7% | 0.4 | 1 | 99% | B |
| Cleveland | 7% | 0.7 | 9 | 98% | A− |
| Rocky River | 10% | 0.6 | 5 | 94% | B+ |
| Fairview Park | 23% | 2.1 | 5 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lakewood
Where can I hike in Lakewood?
The longest trail networks: Rocky River Reservation, 0.4 miles; Lakewood Park, 0.4 miles; Kauffman Park, 0.4 miles; Cove Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lakewood is conserved land?
7% 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 Lakewood’s trails?
Rocky River Reservation and Lakewood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lakewood?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of painted or protected lanes, 4.6 of off-road paths and 6.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lakewood?
7,421 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lakewood or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 74 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lakewood have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #379 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 Lakewood 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 →