West Creek Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
372 acres7.9 mi of trail
Skinner's Run TrailGorge LoopGateway TrailKeystone Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Phillip Henninger House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Parma
10% of Parma’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
22 miles of mapped trail cross Parma, 1.1 per square mile of land. 10% of Parma’s land is conserved, about 1,225 acres. The biggest trail networks: West Creek Reservation (7.9 mi), Veterans Memorial Park (1.5 mi), James W Day Park (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #104 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,225 acres · of 20.0 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
941 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.8 mi
3.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Parma?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Parma have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Parma is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #104 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Parma’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (941 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home96% 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 85%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 90%
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 West Creek Reservation, with 7.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veterans Memorial Park
Park
79 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Big Creek Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
88 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
West Creek Reservation372 acres · 7.9 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park79 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJames W Day Park59 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRidgewood Lake Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Creek Reservation88 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsMichael A. Reis Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Marlborough Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hollywood Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Walters Grove Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
James Hanna Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Nathan Hale Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJohn Muir Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMiller Park6 acres
Parma Parks & Recreation Department5 acres
Hetzer Park3 acres
Glamer Park3 acres
South Park2 acres
DirectionsGreen Valley Park2 acres
Royalview Park2 acres
Bonny Banks Park1 acres
Selwick Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,225 conserved acres
10% of Parma’s land. Who manages Parma’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city503 ac
Regional agency467 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government187 ac
Private owners125 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits104 ac
County91 ac
Local Park · 885 acConservation Easement · 290 acLocal Recreation Area · 176 acPrivate Park · 94 acState Conservation Area · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 107 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Creek Reservation Local Park | Regional agency | 456 | Open |
| Vacant Municipal Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 176 | Open |
| Ridgewood Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 94 | Open |
| James Day Park (Nike Site Park) Local Park | Town or city | 91 | Open |
| Big Creek Reservation Local Park | County | 91 | Restricted |
| Veterans Memorial Park (State Rd Park) Local Park | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Sterns Homestead Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Pleasant Valley Park State Conservation Area | Private owners | 30 | Closed |
| Royalview Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Walter'S Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Parma
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Parma
Parma Splash PadIn Ridgewood Lake Park
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Parma
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Parma
Bluebird Point OverlookIn West Creek Reservation
DirectionsSkyline OverlookIn West Creek Reservation
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Parma
Center Park Picnic AreaIn West Creek Reservation
DirectionsDisc golf in Parma
Parma Disc GolfIn Veterans Memorial Park
DirectionsPlus 2 disc golf without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.9 miUnpaved · 10.9 mi
Satellite Loop1.6 mi
Skinner's Run Trail1.2 mi
Gateway Trail0.8 mi
Tower Loop0.7 mi
Gorge Loop0.7 mi
Keystone Loop0.7 mi
Little Loop0.6 mi
Blue Bird Trail0.6 mi
Oak Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Skyline Trail0.5 mi
6 more trails
Greenbriar Trail
0.3 miJewelwing Trail
0.2 miMonarch Trail
0.2 miConnector Trail
0.1 miLittle Explorers Trail
0.1 miAntenna
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.4 mi
off-road bike paths
1.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
25Baseball
21Tennis
14Soccer
7Basketball
5Football
4Multi-sport
4Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Parma: April 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) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Parma →
Next door
Parma and its neighbors
Parma has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parma | 10% | 1.1 | 12 | 96% | A− |
| Parma Heights | 9% | 0.7 | 5 | 96% | B+ |
| Seven Hills | 4% | 0.4 | 16 | 99%+ | A− |
| North Royalton | 7% | 0.2 | 8 | 41% | C+ |
| Brook Park | 8% | 0.5 | 7 | 89% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Parma
Where can I hike in Parma?
The longest trail networks: West Creek Reservation, 7.9 miles; Veterans Memorial Park, 1.5 miles; James W Day Park, 0.6 miles; Ridgewood Lake Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Parma is conserved land?
10% 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 Parma’s trails?
West Creek Reservation and Veterans Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Parma?
4.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.4 of off-road paths and 1.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Parma?
21,059 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Parma or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 984 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Parma have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #104 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 Parma 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 →