Valley Parkway Connector Trail Links Northeast Ohio Parks

STRONGSVILLE, OH — The much-anticipated Valley Parkway Connector Trail project will celebrate its grand opening on Monday, the Cleveland Metroparks said. The six-mile trail connects Brecksville and the Mill Stream Run Reservations.

The connector trail actually creates a link through three park systems — Scenic Park in the Rocky River Reservation, Mill Stream Run Reservation and the Brecksville Reservation and Towpath Trail. The Metroparks said the creation of a park-wide link has been a priority for park system leaders and was part of park founder William Stinchcomb's vision.

“The Valley Parkway Connector Trail is a critical piece of Stinchcomb’s vision of an inter-connected Emerald Necklace,” said Brian M. Zimmerman, Cleveland Metroparks CEO. “The trail not only links our reservations, the Ohio & Erie Towpath, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but also now serves as a local connection between neighborhoods, community resources, and employers. I want to thank NOACA, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the cities of Brecksville, Broadview Heights and North Royalton for their support of this important connection.”

The project first became a public priority for the park nearly a decade ago, in 2009. That's when the Metroparks' Valley Parkway Trail Alignment Study was completed, and identified the need for a connecting park trail.

Phase I of the project started in 2016 and connected parks in Brecksville with parks in Broadview Heights. That trail opened in 2017.

Work on phase II of the project started in early 2017 and is celebrating completion on Monday.

The trail itself is a 10-foot wide paved path, for pedestrians and cyclists. The grand opening ceremony was held Monday morning at the Connector Trail along Metropolitan Park Drive, near the entrance to the Seneca Golf Course in Broadview Heights.

Funding for the $4.75 million Connector Trail project came partly from the Clean Ohio Trail Fund, which is given out by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The cities of Broadview Heights and North Royalton, along with the Cleveland Metroparks, also contributed to phase II funding.

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Photos from Cleveland Metroparks