South Chagrin Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
749 acres4 mi of trail
Bridle TrailBuckeye Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Mayor Pez at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Solon
10% of Solon’s land is conserved: 1,335 acres
18 miles of mapped trail cross Solon, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: South Chagrin Reservation (4 mi), Solon Woods State Nature Preserve (0.9 mi). 78% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #177 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,335 acres · of 20.3 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
331 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
78%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
26 mi
11 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Solon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Solon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Solon is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #177 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Solon’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (331 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home78% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 78%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 82%
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 South Chagrin Reservation, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Solon Woods State Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
142 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Signature II Pool
Park
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 11 parks & preserves
South Chagrin Reservation749 acres · 4 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsSolon Woods State Nature Preserve142 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Solon Community Park79 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLIberty Hill Community Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Memorial Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSignature II Pool9 acres
Lewis Park2 acres
St. Rita's Park2 acres
Portage Park1 acres
Solon Park Apt.s Park1 acres
DirectionsThornbury Park1 acres · City of Solon
Who protects it
1,335 conserved acres
10% of Solon’s land. Who manages Solon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners681 ac
Town or city425 ac
County166 ac
Joint67 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits42 ac
Private Park · 681 acLocal Park · 539 acUnknown Easement · 109 acLocal Recreation Area · 52 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 77 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Pines Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 303 | Open |
| Bedford Reservation Local Park | Town or city | 269 | Restricted |
| Hawthorne Valley Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 214 | Open |
| South Chagrin Reservaton Local Park | County | 166 | Open |
| Grantwood Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 163 | Open |
| Solon Community Park & Solon Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 79 | Open |
| Vacant Municipal Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Greenspace Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Portage Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Solon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Solon
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Solon
Play Day CafeFee
DirectionsSafety TownIn Solon Community Park
DirectionsSchool Playground
DirectionsSolon Community Park PlaygroundsIn Solon Community Park
DirectionsPlus 8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Solon
Harper Ridge Picnic AreaIn South Chagrin Reservation
DirectionsHawthorn Ridge Picnic AreaIn South Chagrin Reservation
DirectionsPicnic GazeboIn Solon Community Park
DirectionsShadow Lake Picnic AreaIn South Chagrin Reservation
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 3.2 miUnpaved · 3.9 mi
Bridle Trail2.2 mi
Buckeye Trail0.8 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
26 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
13Baseball
5Football
4Basketball
4Soccer
2Pickleball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Solon: 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 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Solon →
Next door
Solon and its neighbors
Solon has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Solon18 miMoreland Hills14 miBentleyville14 miBedford Heights2.3 miReminderville1.1 miGlenwillow0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solon | 10% | 0.9 | 14 | 78% | A− |
| Glenwillow | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Bentleyville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Moreland Hills | 20% | 2.0 | 120 | 49% | A |
| Reminderville | 37% | 0.5 | 91 | 97% | A+ |
| Bedford Heights | 6% | 0.5 | 6 | 70% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Solon
Where can I hike in Solon?
The longest trail networks: South Chagrin Reservation, 4 miles; Solon Woods State Nature Preserve, 0.9 miles; Solon Community Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Solon 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 Solon’s trails?
South Chagrin Reservation and Solon Woods State Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Solon?
26 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes and 15 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Solon?
30,910 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Solon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 331 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Solon have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #177 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 Solon 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 →