The Cleveland Metroparks

Monday the 24th we spent the entire day at one of our favorite outdoor spots, the Cleveland Metroparks. The Metroparks are huge, and there are countless locations at which you can enter the park. We drove to the South Chagrin Reservation to begin our day at Squaw Rock where we spent the morning walking the paths, eventually wading into the river and walking upstream. There are several waterfalls and areas where you can swim, and since it was a lovely, hot day, we spent several hours in the water. We left Squaw Rock and had a picnic in a grassier, less wooded area of the Metroparks. After refueling, we put on sneakers and spent the afternoon hiking and exploring. The South Chagrin Reservation offers a handful of trails to its visitors, like the Pine Tree Loop trail, the Dragonfly Trail, the Flower Trail and others. The map of the South Chagrin Reservation can be seen at http://www.clemetparks.com/pdf/reservations/trailmaps/South%20Chagrin%20trail%20map.pdf which also indicated the many different trails, picnic areas, special sites and more. It also provides an in depth description of each trail so that hikers can pick which trails they wish to take! The Metroparks are a great place to go any time of day. You can go alone, with friends, with family, whatever! You can simply lay in the sunshine, read a book, or enjoy a picnic, or you can hike, run, swim, bike, or even ride horses on certain trails! The Metroparks are also unique in that they are great year round. In the winter, we often take our dogs to the park to run around in the snow! Another great thing about the Metroparks is that there are park rangers on duty 24/7 to ensure the park remains safe. The Cleveland Metroparks offers numerous special events, such as "Brookstock- A Celebration of Music and Nature" on July 17, the "Summer Beach Party" August 7, and more! All of these can be viewed on the official website, http://www.clemetparks.com/ . The Metroparks are a great way to get outdoors and enjoy nature. And since its free, it's a great activity when you have no plans and don't want to spend tons of money for entertainment. Why not enjoy a free day in the great outdoors!