Cleveland Way

All Trails: Every Guide

Every guide on the site, marked on three trails: Cuyahoga Valley, the lakefront and free things in the city.

Green trailCuyahoga Valley

Ohio’s free national park next to Cleveland: a first visit, Brandywine Falls, the Towpath Trail and winter outdoors.

  1. A green river valley seen from a hillside meadowBlaze 01 · 5 minCuyahoga Valley National Park for Beginners: A Free Day Next to Cleveland

    Ohio’s only national park sits between Cleveland and Akron, charges no entrance fee and has no gates. What first-time visitors should know: how the park is laid out, when it is open, where to start, what costs money, and how to avoid the busiest parking lots.

  2. A tall waterfall spilling over layered sandstone ledges in a lacy veil into a rocky gorge, hemlocks on both sides, a wooden boardwalk railing in the foregroundBlaze 02 · 5 minBrandywine Falls and Other Waterfalls Near Cleveland

    Brandywine Falls is the most popular stop in Cuyahoga Valley National Park and free to visit. How to see it from the boardwalk, how to hike the gorge loop, when to go to find parking, how the rock layers shape the falls, and a quieter hike to Blue Hen Falls.

  3. A flat gravel towpath beside an old canal and a quiet river, a stone lock wall in the middle distance, a bicycle-free empty trail, autumn colorsBlaze 03 · 4 minA Towpath Trail Weekend: Biking and Walking the Old Canal Route

    The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail runs about 20 flat miles through Cuyahoga Valley National Park and costs nothing to use. Distances between trailheads, trail etiquette and speed rules, where to start when lots fill up, the Beaver Marsh, and riding the scenic train back one way.

  4. Sandstone cliffs with long icicles hanging from the ledges, fresh snow on the forest floor and hemlock branchesBlaze 04 · 4 minWinter in Cuyahoga Valley: Sledding, Snowshoeing and Icy Ledges for Free

    Snow does not close Cuyahoga Valley National Park; it changes what there is to do. Where to sled at Kendall Hills, which trails the park suggests for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, why the Ledges are worth a winter hike, ice safety, and how to check which lots are plowed.

Blue trailThe Lakefront

Lake Erie close to home: the lakefront nature preserve, beach water quality, swimming safety and free state parks east of the city.

  1. A gravel path through tall meadow grasses and wildflowers with the lake and a breakwall behind, a few songbirds on a shrubBlaze 05 · 4 minCleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve: Birds, Meadows and Skyline Views

    An 88-acre peninsula on Lake Erie that began as a disposal site for river sediment and is now a free nature preserve with 2.5 miles of trails. Its unusual history, what lives there, when it is open, how to get in and how to make the most of a visit, especially during bird migration.

  2. Clear shallow lake water lapping on smooth stones and sand at a beach, seen from just above the surface, a plain glass sample jar without labels standing on a rockBlaze 06 · 4 minLake Erie Beach Water Quality: How to Read Cleveland’s Swim Advisories

    Cleveland-area beaches are tested for E. coli bacteria and watched for toxic algae all summer. What the 235 standard means, how the daily Nowcast works at Edgewater and Villa Angela, the two levels of algae advisories, why rain matters so much, and where to check before you swim.

  3. A red and yellow flag snapping on a pole above a beach with choppy whitecaps on the lake, a plain orange life ring on a post, a long pier in the distanceBlaze 07 · 5 minLake Erie Swimming Safety: Waves, Pier Currents and Rip Currents

    Lake Erie looks gentle from the sand, but Great Lakes waves and currents are a real drowning risk. The National Weather Service’s guidance on wave height, staying away from piers and breakwalls, the five kinds of currents and how to escape each one, plus what to bring to an unguarded beach.

  4. A long empty natural sand beach with dunes and beach grass, a small white lighthouse at the end of a breakwall far away, overcast soft lightBlaze 08 · 4 minLake Erie State Parks East of Cleveland: Free Beaches, Dunes and Marshes

    Ohio’s state parks and their beaches are always free, and some of the best sit along the shore east of Cleveland. Headlands Beach and its rare dunes, Mentor Marsh, and Geneva State Park: what each offers, park hours, beach rules, and what costs extra.

Orange trailFree in the City

The free art museum, University Circle, the West Side Market and getting around Cleveland without a car.

  1. A bright neoclassical museum facade with white marble columns seen across a lagoon with a fountain, summer treesBlaze 09 · 4 minThe Cleveland Museum of Art for Free: How to Plan a Visit

    General admission to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s permanent collection is always free. Hours and the two late nights, what still needs a ticket, free tours, parking and transit, the sculpture garden outside, and the museum’s free programs beyond the main building.

  2. A quiet green oval lawn surrounded by stately stone buildings and big trees, a few empty benches, late afternoon lightBlaze 10 · 5 minFree Things to Do in University Circle and Around It

    University Circle packs museums, parks and gardens into one walkable district about four miles east of downtown Cleveland. The free parts: Wade Oval, a self-guided walking tour, a free shuttle, a contemporary art museum that is free for Ohioans, free weekend days at the natural history museum for some residents, the Cultural Gardens and Lake View Cemetery.

  3. The inside of a historic market hall with a high vaulted tile ceiling, rows of empty produce and bakery stalls with fruit and bread on display, no signsBlaze 11 · 4 minWest Side Market and Ohio City: A Free Morning in a Historic Food Hall

    Walking through Cleveland’s West Side Market costs nothing, and the building itself is the attraction. Market hours, the 90 minutes of free parking, the free self-guided history tour, what to look at under the vaulted ceiling, and how to spend a cheap morning in Ohio City.

  4. An empty modern bus rapid transit station with a glass shelter on a wide tree-lined avenue, a long articulated bus without any writing approaching in the distance, early evening lightBlaze 12 · 4 minCleveland Without a Car: RTA Fares, Passes and Free Rides for a Weekend

    Parking is often the biggest cost of a free day out. How Greater Cleveland’s RTA fares and day passes work, the Cleveland passes made for visitors, who rides free or at a discount, the Red Line to the airport, bringing a bike, and the free shuttle in University Circle.