Ohio offers fours seasons of hiking. The rolling landscape of the Appalachian Plateau and Till Plains provide the geographical variety of farmland and hills. Some of the most popular hiking spots in the state are Ash Cave, Cedar Falls and Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills. Ohio also offers hundreds of cultural events, historic sites, recreation areas and sports teams for outdoor enthusiasts.

Sports buffs can golf in the spring, swim in Lake Erie in the summer, then ski at resorts in winter. You can fish or picnic in one of many Ohio state parks, such as Buckeye Lake, East Harbor State Park or Harrison Lake Park. Other recreational activities include backpacking, biking, camping, canoeing, geocaching, kayaking and snowshoeing.

Families will love exploring Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which offers children’s programs and the chance to earn a ranger badge. The park provides a railroad tour that meanders through hills and valleys. Amish country delights visitors with farm tours, fresh food and flea markets. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is another family favorite with plenty of animal and plant exhibits.

Don’t forget you can keep your home safe on and off the trail with adt pulse, a remote home security system.

If you visit Ohio there are many outdoor attractions you can visit. In Adams County in southern Ohio there are the serpent mounds. These mounds were built by the Adena people and represent the shape of a giant snake. They are about 1330 feet in length and about 3 feet high. If you like hiking there is a great place in Logan, Ohio called Hocking Hills. There are lodges where you can stay and many caves within the park that you can hike to. This includes Ash Cave, which is the biggest recess cave in the state. Read the rest of this entry »

Staying ahead of the weather in Cleveland is the key to enjoying many wonderful hiking adventures that are free from disappointing interruptions like the weather. The Cleveland area has many great hiking opportunities that the whole family can enjoy with the right amount of preparation and forethought. Those of us that love to embark upon hiking adventures truly love Ohio’s lush and welcoming countryside. Just planning to go outdoors and get lost in natures beauty is exhilarating. Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoying the wildlife in Cleveland’s hiking spots is very possible due to the great areas available for hiking. Cleveland has a surprisingly large variety of hiking options available with hundreds of miles of hiking located in the 20,000 acres of Cleveland metroparks. Having this many hiking options on so many different types of terrain make it easy to enjoy Cleveland’s wildlife.

For people who are very serious about experiencing wildlife while hiking, contacting one of Cleveland’s outdoor education facilities is a great way to learn about what can be see and where are the Read the rest of this entry »

Sheffield Village, Ohio hasn’t made the news very oftenat least not since John Lee Richmond threw the first perfect game in MLB history back in 1880. However, the village should be high on the radar of backpackers and hikers in the Cleveland area, 20 minutes away. That’s because Sheffield Village is the home of The Backpackers Shop, an outdoor outfitter which has been operating for forty years.Hikers can order everything they need from the Backpackers Shop website, whether they’re planning a simple day trip or a week-long camping adventure. There is, of course, a variety of backpacks from established brands like Osprey, North Face, Kelty, and Arc’Teryx for campers and Mountainsmith packs for day hikers. There are even Ruffwear dog packs if you plan on taking along man’s best friend. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best things about the Cleveland Hiking Club is the variety of ages and skill levels in the group. No matter what your experience level is, there’s always someone nearby to lend a helping hand. If you’re just starting out on the trails, though, it can be helpful to check out some tips beforehand. Here, then, are some of the most important considerations for any hikeit’s by no means complete, and you should always check with someone you trust if you have any questions.

1. Always start out more slowly and build up speed. Just as in a cross-country race, you should try to never slow down on a hike. Start at a speed you can easily handle and increase it, so that as it gets later in the day you are covering more distance.
2. If you are planning a true “day hike” where you’ll be out for a good portion of the day, make sure to start early. Even if this means starting in the dark, it’s better than having to finish in it. Read the rest of this entry »

When your state only has one national park, you’d better hope it’s a good one. Luckily for Cleveland hikers, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is well-worth the trip. The name is Mohawk for “crooked river,” and the park follows the winding river from Cleveland to Akron over a 51-square-mile area.The park itself is a hidden sanctuary for Cleveland’s natural history, encompassing a landscape and diversity that you wouldn’t expect so close to the city. Among other species, the endangered Indiana bat makes its home in the floodplains and forests of the Cuyahoga Valley. Other bats and birds also make their home within the park, which has been disturbed in recent times by a number of invasive plants. The National Park Service is currently working on combating these species, which can crowd out animals’ natural habitats and food.In addition to plants and animals, the Cuyahoga Valley has historically provided a resting place for Ohio settlers. During the 1870s, people traveled from the cities for carriage rides and boat trips in the canal, which led to the construction of the Valley Railroad in 1880. Prominent businessman Hayward Kendall donated 430 acres in the valley, which became the foundations of today’s nationally protected site. Read the rest of this entry »

The medieval English surrounded their castles with moats of water to ward off enemies. If anything, though, the ring of parks surrounding Cleveland, Ohio only serve to make the city more appealing, as if their beauty and serenity were beckoning outsiders to come closer. Spread out over 22,000 acres, the Metroparks system offers plenty of trails for Cleveland hikers to investigate. There are 16 different reservations in all, five of which encircle the citythe rest speckle the landscape around the ring.The Cleveland Metroparks were officially named before the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In 1917, engineer William Stinchcomb achieved the first step toward his long-standing vision of an interconnected system of parks. This was when the General Assembly appointed a park board expressly for developing the new system. However, the buildup of the parks themselves was slowby 1930, 9,000 acres had been purchased across nine different sites, but they were not connected. By 1970, the board had purchased 16,000 acres. The park has grown 6,000 acres since then. Read the rest of this entry »

Founded in 1919 by Esther McCarty and Edna Wooley, the Cleveland Hiking Club (originally the Cleveland Hiker’s Club) was modeled after a group in Baltimore that Esther had run into. The original premise was simply to organize a local walking group. With the introduction of a clubhouse in 1939, the group began to grow slowly but surely into a full social club. Today, members take part in potlucks, speaking events, and cookouts, and keep in touch with a monthly newsletter and club directory. Read the rest of this entry »