North Chagrin Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
804 acres13.1 mi of trail
Bridle Trail - NC2Scenic Loop TrailBridle Trail - NC1Castle Valley Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: sunsets_for_you · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Willoughby Hills
Willoughby Hills has 21 miles of mapped trails, 1.9 for every square mile of land
19% of Willoughby Hills’ land is conserved, about 1,286 acres. The biggest trail networks: North Chagrin Reservation (13.1 mi), Hach-Otis State Nature Preserve (1.4 mi), Pleasant Valley Park (0.8 mi). 330 acres are parks and preserves, 33 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #37 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,286 acres · of 10.8 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
330 ac
33 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
72%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.2 mi
2.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Willoughby Hills?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Willoughby Hills have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Willoughby Hills is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #37 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Willoughby Hills’ overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land33 acres of park per 1,000 residents (330 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home72% 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 91%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 96%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 North Chagrin Reservation, with 13.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hach-Otis State Nature Preserve
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
127 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Pleasant Valley Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
122 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gully Brook Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
65 acres0.7 mi of trail
Gully Brook Valley TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
North Chagrin Reservation804 acres · 13.1 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsHach-Otis State Nature Preserve127 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Ohio Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsPleasant Valley Park122 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsGully Brook Park65 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsCampbell Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Willoughby Hills
DirectionsJohn and Carroll Ullich Meadows27 acres
DirectionsRoemisch Fields24 acres
DirectionsGarfield Park Soccer Fields5 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,286 conserved acres
19% of Willoughby Hills’ land. Who manages Willoughby Hills’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city828 ac
Private owners231 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits152 ac
Regional agency76 ac
County2 ac
Local Park · 807 acPrivate Park · 227 acLocal Recreation Area · 99 acState Conservation Area · 84 acUnknown Easement · 70 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 69 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Chagrin Reservation Local Park | Town or city | 799 | Restricted |
| Manakiki Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 179 | Open |
| Hach-Otis State Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 81 | Open |
| Gully Brook Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 76 | Open |
| Airport Greens Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 48 | Open |
| Roemisch Fields Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Campbell Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Sherwin Preserve State Conservation Area | Private owners | 3 | Open |
| Pine Ridge Country Club Local Recreation Area | County | 2 | Open |
| Green Ridge GC Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Willoughby Hills
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Willoughby Hills
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Willoughby Hills
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Willoughby Hills
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Willoughby Hills
Old River Farm Picnic AreaIn North Chagrin Reservation
DirectionsPlus 2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 5.5 miUnpaved · 15.2 mi
Bridle Trail - NC22.7 mi
Scenic Loop Trail1.5 mi
Bridle Trail - NC11.3 mi
Castle Valley Trail1.3 mi
Hemlock Trail1.1 mi
Bridle Trail - NC01.1 mi
Chagrin River Trail1.0 mi
Gully Brook Valley Trail0.7 mi
White Pine Loop Trail0.4 mi
Squire's Lane Trail0.3 mi
4 more trails
Bridle Trail - NC1;NC2
0.2 miLily Lagoon Loop
0.2 miBridle Trail - NC2;Castle Valley Trail
0.1 miConnector Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
6Tennis
4Soccer
2Basketball
2Volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Louis A. Penfield HouseBuilding · listed 1997
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Willoughby Hills: 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) | 34 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Willoughby Hills →
Next door
Willoughby Hills and its neighbors
Willoughby Hills has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Willoughby Hills21 miKirtland21 miMayfield9.8 miWilloughby8.9 miWickliffe5.2 miGates Mills2.5 miRichmond Heights1.5 miWaite Hill0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willoughby Hills | 19% | 1.9 | 33 | 72% | A |
| Waite Hill | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Willoughby | 13% | 0.9 | 17 | 81% | A− |
| Wickliffe | 9% | 1.1 | 23 | 95% | A |
| Mayfield | 30% | 2.5 | 33 | 50% | A |
| Kirtland | 20% | 1.2 | 192 | 28% | A |
| Gates Mills | 17% | 0.3 | 92 | 55% | A− |
| Richmond Heights | 3% | 0.3 | 10 | 77% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Willoughby Hills
Where can I hike in Willoughby Hills?
The longest trail networks: North Chagrin Reservation, 13.1 miles; Hach-Otis State Nature Preserve, 1.4 miles; Pleasant Valley Park, 0.8 miles; Gully Brook Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Willoughby Hills is conserved land?
19% 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 Willoughby Hills’ trails?
North Chagrin Reservation and Hach-Otis State Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Willoughby Hills?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Willoughby Hills?
14,151 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Willoughby Hills or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 330 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Willoughby Hills have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #37 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 Willoughby Hills 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 →