Riding Run Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Wildlife

There are quite a few roots and other tripping hazards along the way, not to mention the possibility for downed trees. Step carefully.

Beginning at the Everett Covered Bridge, the Riding Run Trail ascends a short slope before plateauing onto a wide path that gradually leads you uphill, elevating you above the valley that slides off to your right. The trail traverses an old township road through a forest of white oaks, sycamores, ferns, and an occasional conifer. And, toward the end, toe-scrunching downgrades and serpentine curves will remind you why Riding Run is rated as a moderate-to-difficult bridle trail.

What Makes It Great:

For about two miles of the four-mile trail, you’ll feel like Little Red Riding Hood wandering through the forest. But instead of a wolf, you’ll encounter deer flies, pileated woodpeckers, and rabbits. Coyotes patrol the park as well, but you’re more likely to hear them than see them.

A little ways down the trail you won’t be able to miss all the vines twisting into abstract art, two sturdy pedestrian bridges awaiting footsteps, and a monolithic oak. Unfortunately, roots and other trip hazards render this trail very challenging for children and folks who are unsteady on their feet.

Who Will Love It:

Anyone looking to work up a good sweat. Clevelanders who moved downtown to renounce a stop-and-go commute but still want to retreat to the woods once in a while will like the quick half-hour highway drive to the trailhead. Injury-prone people and those who are afraid of losing their wi-fi connection will like the fact that Everett Road and Wheatley Road border two-thirds of Riding Run, making civilization just a hop, skip, and jump away. Those who like nature but don’t want to be touched by it won’t have to dodge low-hanging branches or trudge through tall, possibly tick-filled grass.

You'll likely see woodpeckers, eastern bluebirds, and other stunning birds along this trail.