The Best Outdoor Parks in Cleveland, OH

If you’re looking for an outdoor park for picnics, exploring, and relaxation, Cleveland has you covered. At North Coast Auto Mall, we understand the importance of finding time outside and love traveling to the parks in and around Cleveland, Ohio. Here’s some additional information about the best outdoor parks in the Cleveland area.

Acacia Reservation

“Park” licensed under “CC By 2.0” by Kerttu

The Acacia Reservation has over 155 acres and contains part of Euclid Creek. Some activities at the Acacia Reservation include cycling, biking, dining, walking, and hiking. With a 1.7-mile paved loop trail, walking areas are accessible to many visitors. The park is located in the city of Lyndhurst and offers a building near the main entrance for rentals.

Bedford Reservation

The Bedford Reservation is a great place for sightseeing, as it offers amazing views from Tinker’s Creek Scenic Overlook. Some activities at the Bedford Reservation include biking, exploring, footgolf, golfing, horseback riding, and picnicking. With more than 2,200 acres, there’s plenty of space for visitors to explore and learn more about nature.

Big Creek Reservation

This Northeast Ohio Park boasts especially good sledding hills and a snow road picnic area. Consider visiting Big Creek in the winter for a taste of winter hiking and ice fishing. Spread out among five separate cities, Big Creek spans 175 acres and provides wheelchair-accessible trails. It also offers amenities like emergency phones, horseshoe pits, grills, and restrooms.

Bradley Woods Reservation

Bradley Woods is a swamp forest with walking paths, a monarch butterfly station, and hiking trails. Some pieces of nature you may experience while exploring the area include the sour gums, red maples, pin oaks, and yellow birches within the park. Bradley Woods aims to conserve wildlife by leaving large tracts of undisturbed woodlands for deer and other creatures.

Cleveland Botanical Garden

The Holden Arboretum at the Cleveland Botanical Garden is an outdoor area that helps visitors connect with nature and learn more about trees. Some special activities at the Holden Arboretum include the canopy walk and emergent tower, but they’re usually closed during the winter months. You can also take hikes, go bird watching, or consider bringing your own cross-country skis to trek the ski trails. When there are over 6 inches of snow, you can bring snowshoes to walk through the park. The Arboretum costs $16 for adults and $12 for children from 3 to 12 years old.

Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve

The Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve is a park with a 2.8-mile loop for hiking that usually takes about an hour to finish. It’s popular for hiking and walking and is a great trail for beginners due to its easy nature. The Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve offers wonderful views of downtown Cleveland.

Edgewater Park

Edgewater Park has over 140 acres and 9,000 feet of shoreline. At this park, there are dog and swim beaches, grills, a rentable pavilion, and picnicking areas for visitors to enjoy. At Edgewater, you can take part in activities including sailing, paddle boarding, boating, picnicking, and biking. You can easily access the area through the roundabout entrance and the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway.

Italian Cultural Garden

The outdoor Italian Cultural Garden has wide walkways, benches, and expansive winding staircases that help visitors access the lower-level amphitheater. Within the park, there is a Renaissance fountain that pays homage to Italian heritage. There are also features that highlight various poets and other writers from the past. Exploring this area can offer invigorating exercise and a dive into Italian history.

Mill Creek Falls

Mill Creek Falls is a Cleveland Metropark that offers views of the falls, a small overlook, and activities like nature exploration and hiking. Attractions within Mill Creek Falls park include the hiking trail and trail to a 48-foot-tall waterfall. The falls in this park are part of the reason Cleveland grew to be what it is now, so this can be a fun and interesting place to visit.

Rocky River Reservation

The Rocky River Reservation offers beautiful scenic trails and venues you can reserve for events. The park spans areas through several cities, including Cleveland, Fairview, Lakewood, and Olmsted Township. Some natural features within this park include the cottonwoods, sycamores, and floodplain forests. You can bird-watch here to see various species, and depending on when you visit the park, you may see some native Ohio mammals.

South Chagrin Reservation

The South Chagrin Reservation is a park near Cleveland. When visiting, you can view a historic sculpture or hike the Buckeye Trail. The hiking trails in this park may be better for seasoned hikers, as they include ravines, creeks, sandstone ledges, and hemlock forests. Some attractions within the South Chagrin Reservation include the Henry Church Jr. Rock, the Quarry Rock, and the Look About Lodge. Additional activities in this park include fishing, horseback riding, sledding, picnicking, biking, and exploring nature.

Voinovich Bicentennial Park

Voinovich Bicentennial Park is at the end of the East Ninth Street Pier and offers large green spaces and a variety of events. Some events at Voinovich, like summer concerts, may require tickets and fees for admission. There are outdoor volleyball courts and bocce ball courts visitors can use to play either sport with friends. The lakefront park boasts a beautiful Cleveland script sign that visitors can use to take pictures.

Wendy Park

Wendy Park is home to some of the top birding sites in the city. This park offers over 20 acres of space in which over 250 species of birds make their homes, and in the fall, monarch butterflies often visit the park. There is also a natural surface kayak launch you can use during other months. Some amenities at the park include parking, picnic tables, and volleyball courts.

Contact North Coast Auto Mall of Cleveland

We hope you enjoy these picks for the best outdoor parks in the Cleveland area. From walking trails to creeks, each of these parks has something special to offer visitors. Is there a great outdoor park in Cleveland that we forgot to add to the list? Contact us so we can add it to our list. You may even find a car you want to purchase when browsing our vehicle inventory.