Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Open the mapAll 365 places on one map. Filter by cabins, campsites, hunting, beaches and more.Explore the map → Browse by countyPick any of Ohio's 88 counties and see its parks, mounds, waterfalls and historic sites.Find your county → Build a tripSave places as you browse, then line them up into a weekend. Kept in your browser, nothing to sign up for.Start a trip →

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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

Find a park

117 parks in 7 regions

Brecksville Reservation

Brecksville · Cuyahoga County · Northeast Ohio
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
4,300acres
43trail miles
1920established
(Nature Center), 9000 Chippewa Rd Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

Brecksville Reservation is one of the oldest parts of the Cleveland Metroparks, the system that Cleveland engineer William Stinchcomb dreamed up as an outer chain of parks and boulevards, the Emerald Necklace. The Cleveland Metropolitan Park District, Ohio's oldest park district, was formed on July 23, 1917. Brecksville was among the first reservations to get trails, and the Civilian Conservation Corps worked here in the 1930s.

The reservation holds seven distinct gorges, of which the Chippewa Creek Gorge is the best known, along with fields, a river plain and several kinds of forest. The Buckeye Trail runs through it, and the Ottawa Overlook Backcountry Sites are a quarter-mile off the trail: three tent sites with a group kitchen area and food storage, open year-round by permit.

Things to do in the park

  • Backpack to the Ottawa Overlook Backcountry Sites on the Buckeye Trail
  • Hike the gorge trails, including Chippewa Creek Gorge
  • Visit the Brecksville Nature Center
  • Walk the paved paths, ride bridle trails or ski in winter
  • See the Squire Rich Historical Museum on the western edge

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Brecksville Reservation.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Towpath Trail, next door
  • Boston Mill Visitor Center, about 9 miles south on the Buckeye Trail
  • Bedford Reservation and the Tinkers Creek gorge
  • Squire's Castle in North Chagrin Reservation

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Cleveland Metroparks (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Brecksville Reservation (Nature Center), 9000 Chippewa Rd
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Hunting is not permitted in Cleveland Metroparks reservations.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

Hiking trails

43 miles of trails including the Gorge Loop; the Buckeye Trail passes through, and the Ottawa Overlook sites are about 3 miles from the Plateau Picnic Area.

Wildlife you might see

  • Gorge and mixed forest habitat, part of a National Audubon Society Bird Area Program
  • Songbirds and woodland birds along the gorges

Birding

Brecksville Reservation mixes forest-edge and backyard-style birds typical of a wooded park near a city.

  • Dickcissel
  • Baltimore Oriole
  • Acadian Flycatcher
  • Grasshopper Sparrow
  • Chimney Swift
  • Great Crested Flycatcher
  • Field Sparrow
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Song Sparrow
  • Gray Catbird
  • Blue-headed Vireo

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Fishing is available at nearby Cleveland Metroparks and Cuyahoga Valley sites; Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Hunting is not permitted in Cleveland Metroparks reservations.

The Necklace Stinchcomb Drew

In the early 1900s, Cleveland was growing fast, and a young self-taught engineer named William Stinchcomb saw what was coming. He imagined a ring of wild parks around the city, linked by boulevards, before most of the county's outskirts had even been built on. People called it the Emerald Necklace.

The district was formed in 1917, and by the 1920s Brecksville was one of its first reservations, with its gorges kept wild. A hundred years later, you can walk the Buckeye Trail through it and sleep at a backcountry site a quarter-mile off the trail.

Behind the legend

The founding is documented in Cleveland Metroparks' own history: the district was formed on July 23, 1917, Stinchcomb was its director from 1921 to 1957, and the first trails were built in the Rocky River, Brecksville and Bedford reservations. The Emerald Necklace name and the story of his plan come from Stinchcomb's 1916 writing on the system.

Brecksville's own numbers are from Cleveland Metroparks: over 4,300 acres, seven gorges and an opening date of 1920.

If you go

Hike the Buckeye Trail from the Plateau Picnic Area to the Ottawa Overlook sites, about 3 miles, and reserve the permit well in advance.

Mounds & earthworks near Brecksville Reservation

Ancient earthworks within easy reach of this park. Tap one for its history, legends and visiting details.

Greenwood Village Earthwork (Cuyahoga Valley)

Sagamore Hills · Summit County · Northeast Ohio
The Old Carriage Trail runs straight through a wooded plateau that Late Woodland people walled off with earth.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
About 2 miles from this park · Used about 800 to 1,600 years ago

Fort Hill Earthworks (Rocky River)

North Olmsted · Cuyahoga County · Northeast Ohio
A 155-step climb from the Rocky River Nature Center brings you to three long earthen walls cutting across a shale bluff 90 feet above the river.
National Register of Historic Places
About 16 miles from this park · Over 2,000 years old (Cleveland Metroparks)

Historic sites near Brecksville Reservation

Forts, villages, furnaces and lighthouses within reach of this park. Tap one for its story and visiting details.

Hale Farm & Village

Bath · Summit County · Northeast Ohio
A living-history museum in the Cuyahoga Valley that shows farm and village life in the Western Reserve from 1810 to the 1860s.
Living history museum
About 10 miles from this park · 1810 to today

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Akron · Summit County · Northeast Ohio
The Seiberling family's Tudor Revival estate in Akron, the sixth-largest historic home open to the public in the United States.
National Historic Landmark
About 15 miles from this park · 1912–1915; museum since 1957

Road trips through Brecksville Reservation

Scenic byways and heritage drives that pass this park or run close to it.

Ohio & Erie Canalway Scenic Byway

Northeast Ohio
A Metroparks reservation with backcountry camping.
Scenic byway110 miles
Dover to Cleveland

Caves near Brecksville Reservation

Caves, rock shelters and cave attractions within reach of this park. Stay on marked trails and official tours.

Old Maid's Kitchen (Mary Campbell Cave)

Cuyahoga Falls · Summit County
A rock shelter in Gorge Metro Park, reached by a half-mile walk on the Gorge Trail, long tied to the story of Mary Campbell, a legend the park now questions.
Rock shelter (sandstone)
About 15 miles from this park

Waterfalls near Brecksville Reservation

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Blue Hen Falls

Boston Township · Summit County
A small, photogenic shale ledge waterfall in a quiet Cuyahoga Valley ravine, reached by an easy to moderate hike on the Buckeye Trail.
15 ftModerate hikeLegend
About 3 miles from this park

Brandywine Falls

Sagamore Hills · Summit County
The tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with a wheelchair accessible upper overlook.
60 to 65 ftEasy walkAccessible overlook
About 4 miles from this park

Bridal Veil Falls

Walton Hills · Cuyahoga County
A short, family friendly boardwalk walk to a tiered cascade in Bedford Reservation, one of the most photographed waterfalls near Cleveland.
20 ftEasy walk
About 5 miles from this park

Great Falls of Tinkers Creek

Bedford · Cuyahoga County
A wide sandstone ledge waterfall in Viaduct Park, set among the ruins of old mills, a dam, and a 19th century railroad arch.
15 to 20 ftModerate hike
About 7 miles from this park

Berea Falls

Berea · Cuyahoga County
A small urban waterfall tucked beneath three bridges in Rocky River Reservation, easy to reach from a small trailside parking area.
25 ftEasy walk
About 15 miles from this park

The Buckeye Trail at Brecksville Reservation

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

25 Akron Section

57 miles · Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark
Ottawa Overlook Backcountry Sites are a quarter-mile off the trail
3 parks

26 Bedford Section

66 miles · Cuyahoga, Lake
Where the section begins; Ottawa Overlook backcountry sites
5 parksTrail towns

Campsites

Ottawa Overlook Backcountry Sites
Three tent sites about a quarter-mile from Ottawa Point Picnic Area; up to 4 people or two tents per site; group kitchen and food storage; no fires; open year-round by permit
$5 permit processing fee

On site

  • Nature center and restrooms
  • Ottawa Point Picnic Area (restrooms and seasonal water)
  • Seasonal water Memorial Day to September
  • Golf, stables and an outdoor education facility
Reserve a backcountry site →
Field Notes Ohio isn't connected to Cleveland Metroparks, so it can't hold a site or take payment. Tapping through opens it in a new tab — search "Brecksville Reservation" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?440-526-1012

Backcountry camping requires a reserved permit from Cleveland Metroparks, and permits have taken up to two weeks to arrive. Cuyahoga Valley National Park just south has no backpacking camping, so this is the trail's overnight spot in the area.

Restaurants nearby

Brick & Vine Restaurant
Fully gluten-free gastropub; closed Monday
Directions
Flour | Valor Acres
Pasta and pizza; closed Sunday
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Shell
Newer station off the freeway, open 24 hours
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.