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Three favorite Buckeye Trail hikes
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: October 16, 2017
To me, autumn has always been the time to slow down, take a step back, reflect on life, to change lanes so to speak. It’s just the perfect point in the year to reinvigorate both mind and body with something that’s soul soothing. For me that means hiking.
Which brings me to this week’s column, my three favorite hikes in CVNP (Cuyahoga Valley National Park), and they’re all small pieces of the our state’s Buckeye Trail system, a 1,400-mile, blue-blazed trail that branches out into darn near every corner of the state.
I’ll go over this trio of trails from south to north, and coincidentally, the beauty here is that these three trails merge one right into the next to form a wonderful 16.5-mile corridor across the heart of CVNP.
Pine Lane Trail: Its southern trailhead is located on Pine Lane, a small dead-end road on the north side of SR 303, just east of Peninsula. Its northern trailhead is at the Boston Store Visitor Center on East Boston Mills Road. This moderate-difficult four-mile trail is one-way, so you can either park two cars at both trailheads, or make it an eight-mile loop by hiking the Towpath trail back to Peninsula, then up the sidewalk back to the trailhead.
You’ll be hiking across ridges of pine, oak and hemlock, and down through runs and ravines surrounded by a variety of plants and wildflowers. Now there are some pretty good ups and downs, requiring creek crossings, small bridges, roots, rocks and a bit of deadfall here and there, so be sure to watch for the Buckeye Trail blue blazes. Nonetheless, this is a great hike for beginners if you're new to the hiking scene.
Boston Trail (Boston to Redlock portion of Buckeye Trail): The southern trailhead is located at the Boston Store Visitor Center parking area on East Boston Mills Road, and you can pick the trail up on the west side of Riverview Road. The northern trailhead, Red Lock, lies on the north side of Highland Rd.
Done point-to-point, it’s five-and-a-half miles, but you can make it an eight-mile loop by including the Towpath trail as your return path.
Now the trail is a bit more difficult than Pine Lane in that there are two sets of steep climbs and descents. What’s more, during rainy periods you may get your feet a bit wet and muddy up along some of the higher areas which tend to hold water for long periods of time.
But wow, this track it’s just chock full of beautiful streams and runs––along with tranquil Blue Hen Falls––and it offers several stunning vistas.
Jaite to Brecksville: Less traveled and easily the longest and most difficult of the trio, this section of the Buckeye Trail continues as a narrow footpath which climbs 200 feet towards the west rim of the Cuyahoga Valley, where it eventually traverses a host of runs and ravines that lie within the confines of Brecksville Reservation.
Park at the Red Lock trailhead on Highland Road and follow the Buckeye Trail signage west towards Snowville Road. Now the really cool thing here is that within minutes of deviating off Snowville you’re going to find yourself free of civilization for several hours. It’s a trail where you can loose yourself in nature as you trek down hilly single-track past trickling streams, sourwood trees, and a ton of thick forest cover.
Again, make sure to keep an eye on the blue blazes––painted on trees every 100 to 300 feet––because this is a trail where you can definitely get off track if you’re not paying attention. And that’s probably why this is easily my favorite of the three tracks. It’s lonely, mysterious and has a soulful feel, especially when I hike it solo.
Now you can make this point-to-point five-mile hike by having a vehicle parked at the Plateau Picnic Area near Chippewa Creek Drive and Valley Parkway. Or you can create a ten-mile loop by following the Buckeye Trail all the way back down to the Towpath, then taking that back to Red Lock.
So there they are, three great autumnal tracks which will give you the opportunity to get out and reconnect with nature––and yourself. Happy trails.