Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.

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Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

117 parks in 7 regions

Bedford Section

Cuyahoga, Lake · Northeast Ohio

Buckeye Trail Association

66miles

26 of 26clockwise

2counties

66 scenic miles from Brecksville Reservation to Lake Erie through parks and suburbs. The trail passes through five Cleveland Metroparks reservations.

Runs from Brecksville north through Bedford Reservation and the Chagrin reservations to the Lake Erie shore near Mentor.

Highlights

Brecksville and Bedford Reservations
North and South Chagrin Reservations
Penitentiary Glen
Williams Woods Backcountry Sites

Parks on this section

Penitentiary Glen Reservation

Gorge, wildlife center and a rim campsite

Open

Brecksville Reservation

Where the section begins; Ottawa Overlook backcountry sites

Open

Bedford Reservation

Tinkers Creek gorge and waterfalls

Open

South Chagrin Reservation

The trail follows the Chagrin River

Open

North Chagrin Reservation

Squire's Castle and the Williams Woods backcountry sites

Open

Historic sites near this section

Historic Kirtland and the Kirtland Temple

The first Latter-day Saint temple, and a village of conflict and faith

Open

Section map and alerts

Show this section on the map Distances between stops in this section

The Buckeye Trail Association sells a detailed map for this section and posts current trail alerts.

Official Bedford Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

Ottawa Overlook Backcountry Sites, Brecksville Reservation: three tent sites; permit and a $5 processing fee; water Memorial Day to September
Williams Woods Backcountry Sites, North Chagrin Reservation: designated tent sites about half a mile from the Forest Picnic Area, available year-round by reservation

Campsites are run by different agencies and owners, and the rules and fees change, so confirm before you go.

Water

Water at picnic areas in season; filter creek water.

Take the stops with you

Save the camps, resupply, lodging, trail towns and parks for this section as waypoints.

Google Maps: stops 1 to 10

The file holds 10 waypoints and a stop-by-stop route line. Locations are approximate, often a town center, so use the stop notes to find the exact spot. Your maps app chooses the roads between stops, usually the fastest, so follow the byway signs where they differ. The GPX arrives in a zip file; unzip it and open the .gpx in a GPS or hiking app. The CSV imports into Google My Maps.

Resupply

The route crosses suburbs with services close to the trail.

Food and fuel

Mentor Trail Town

A Lake Erie town at the northern end of the trail, blending shoreline and natural areas.

Mason Social

Big bar-food menu with games; open daily