Chagrin River Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
86 acres1.2 mi of trail
Brambleside Loop TrailBrambleside AlternativeSong Bird Loop TrailSong Bird Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: LeeG7144 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Willoughby
13% of Willoughby’s land is conserved: 881 acres
8.9 miles of mapped trail cross Willoughby, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Chagrin River Park (1.2 mi), Gully Brook Park (0.6 mi). 81% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #132 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
881 acres · of 10.2 sq mi of land
Trails
8.9 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
401 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
1.3 mi lanes · 2.9 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Willoughby?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Willoughby have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Willoughby is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #132 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 Willoughby’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (401 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home81% 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 83%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 87%
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 Chagrin River Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gully Brook Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
98 acres0.6 mi of trail
Gully Brook Valley TrailConnector Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Osborne Park
Managed by City of Willoughby
43 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Chagrin River Park86 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsGully Brook Park98 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsOsborne Park43 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Willoughby
DirectionsF. Alex Nason Park25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWes Point Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDaniels Park25 acres
Todd Field22 acres
DirectionsGilson Park10 acres
DirectionsLincoln Park6 acres
Halle Estates Park3 acres
DirectionsSunset Park2 acres
Saint Clair Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
881 conserved acres
13% of Willoughby’s land. Who manages Willoughby’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners505 ac
Town or city154 ac
Regional agency120 ac
County98 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits6 ac
Private Park · 505 acLocal Park · 248 acLocal Recreation Area · 116 acOther Easement · 6 acState Conservation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirtland Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 249 | Open |
| Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 199 | Open |
| Gully Brook Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 111 | Open |
| Chagrin River Property Local Park | County | 93 | Open |
| Willoughby Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 38 | Open |
| Osborne Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Daniels Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Retention Basin Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Johnnycake Ridge Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 19 | Open |
| Gilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Willoughby
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Willoughby
Kirtland Country Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Willoughby
SwingsIn Lincoln Park
DirectionsWilloughby Playground
DirectionsPlus 15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Willoughby
River OverlookIn Chagrin River Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Willoughby
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
7 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 1.9 mi
Gully Brook Valley Trail0.5 mi
Brambleside Loop Trail0.3 mi
Brambleside Alternative0.2 mi
Song Bird Loop Trail0.2 mi
Connector Trail0.1 mi
Song Bird Trail0.1 mi
Chagrin River Access Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
31Tennis
19Baseball
14Soccer
8Basketball
5Pickleball
2Football
2Volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Willoughby: 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 | 58 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 63 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Willoughby →
Next door
Willoughby and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Willoughby Hills21 miKirtland21 miMentor15 miWilloughby8.9 miWickliffe5.2 miEastlake3.1 miWillowick0.7 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 | 13% | 0.9 | 17 | 81% | A− |
| Waite Hill | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Eastlake | 4% | 0.5 | 10 | 92% | B+ |
| Mentor | 8% | 0.5 | 23 | 58% | B+ |
| Willoughby Hills | 19% | 1.9 | 33 | 72% | A |
| Wickliffe | 9% | 1.1 | 23 | 95% | A |
| Kirtland | 20% | 1.2 | 192 | 28% | A |
| Willowick | 4% | 0.3 | 3 | 99% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Willoughby
Where can I hike in Willoughby?
The longest trail networks: Chagrin River Park, 1.2 miles; Gully Brook Park, 0.6 miles; Osborne Park, 0.2 miles; F. Alex Nason Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Willoughby is conserved land?
13% 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’s trails?
Chagrin River Park and Gully Brook Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Willoughby?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of painted or protected lanes and 2.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Willoughby?
12,464 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Willoughby or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 401 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Willoughby have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #132 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 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 →