Spring Is Time For Walking

Spring will be here on Sunday! If you look closely, you might see the first wildflowers beginning to bloom this month and hear the first of the springtime frogs. 

Spring also means that it’s time to blow the cobwebs off your walking shoes and get out for a hike or a walk with a friend.

Here are some ideas for great places to walk in Brecksville. If you have any favorite walking spots in and around town, please add them in the comments.

The Brecksville Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks has many trails, and maps are available at the . Here are a few trails in the MetroParks that I’m familiar with:

• The all-purpose trail along Chippewa Creek Road, from Route 82 to Riverview Road and back: This 3-mile walk is paved, but the route back will have a challenging uphill climb, so prepare for that.
• The Wildflower Loop Trail: This is an unpaved but easy hike, with quite a few stairs. If you look closely along this trail you will find the first spring wildflowers: the skunk cabbage is already in bloom! The rest of the spring wildflowers likely won’t be out until next month.
• Deer Lick Cave Loop Trail is a rugged, 4-mile unpaved hike that merges with the bridle trail. It can be muddy, and it is hilly and challenging. Bring water and plan for a few hours of hiking on this trail.

The Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a great place to walk. From the Towpath, you can connect to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and see historic sites along the path. You can download a Towpath trail map from the National Park Service website.

The H.S. Wagner Daffodil Trail is in the Furnace Run Metro Park. The 0.6 mile trail blooms in late March and April with thousands of daffodils. You won’t believe your eyes. It’s just a 10-minute drive from Brecksville and is located at 3100 Brush Rd. in Richfield.

I'm looking forward to getting out and putting some miles on my shoes before the kids get out of school for the summer, and I'm going to keep my eyes opened for those wildflowers.