Login | March 12, 2025
Off trail hiking
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: November 14, 2016
I’m going to cut to the chase…go take a hike. But I’d like to point you to a very different and far less obvious hiking option than what you might expect.
I’m talking about off-trail hiking.
Now first of all, if you’ve never hiked any of the trails in both the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cleveland Metroparks, well, you’re missing a lot of wonderful scenery right here in your back yard.
What’s more, these are some of the best hiking trails in the state of Ohio, so I’d certainly suggest you explore our park’s many fabulous trail systems in addition to trying my off-trail suggestions.
Now with that being said, if you’re craving a hike that’s a bit more daring, something wild and something that’s pretty physically challenging, then I think you just might be a candidate for off-trail hiking. And I’ve got three pretty amazing off-trail hikes in the Akron-Cleveland area that are worth checking out.
Furnace Run: Mainly due to the ease with which you can ford this stream without getting wet, this is the friendliest of the three hikes. Use the short Furnace Run Trail to gain access to the long, trail-less run itself. Park at the Everett Covered Bridge on Everett Road in CVNP and begin the hike by following the trail in a clockwise direction along Furnace Run. Cross Everett Road, then a bit further, at the trail’s loop section, go left towards the run. The trail will soon end, and that’s where your adventure begins.
Follow the run, fording its waters and walking down its cobbled stream bed as you parallel Wheatley Road off to your left. After Wheatley deviates away from the run, continue on, hiking to, then up a long ridge line to a highland vista on the west side of the run, where you’ll have some wonderful views of the valley below. You can keep hiking along the run, moving back and forth across its waters, all the way to the end at its intersection with I-271, about two miles as the crow flies from the trailhead.
And those are a very challenging couple of miles because you’ll be climbing over hill and dale and fording and the run countless times. The payoff is the amazing beauty and solitude of this wonderful little slice of wilderness. Remember though, this is a point-to-point hike, so you MUST hike back. Total hike time can be as long as three-plus hours if you go all the way to I-271.
Boston Run: Definitely a tougher off-trail hike, and I’d recommend two vehicles so you won’t have to double back. Park one vehicle at the Happy Days parking area on Route 303 for the start, and the other at the Pine Lane trailhead further west off of Route 303 for the finish. Beginning at Happy Days, pass the trailhead kiosk, then take the first left, where the loop starts and ends. Descend down to Boston Run, jump off-trail at a small bridge and follow the run downstream to the left. This hike is a toughie what with all the stream fording and deadfall climbing you’ll encounter. But the area is just stunning, where again, you’ll feel like you’re in pure wilderness. At the Pine Lane Trail intersection, leave the run and turn left, taking the organized trail back about a mile to the parking area. Your hike time and mileage are two-plus hours and four miles respectively.
Tinkers Creek: Hands down the toughest of the three, due exclusively to the very severe ascending and descending of the steep ravines that surround the gorge…and the very real chance of getting wet while attempting to cross Tinkers Creek. But the scenery inside this deep gorge is absolutely off the charts fabulous, with canyon-like cliff walls, rapids and broad, expansive floodplains. Again, use two vehicles, one at the start on Eggbert Road at the Eggbert Picnic Area, and a second at the finish at the Hemlock Creek Picnic area on Button Road. This longer, four mile trip can take a solid three to four hours of really rugged hiking to complete.
Now remember, you can also do your own thing and create a personalized off-trail trek simply by hiking any one of the large number of drainage systems in our parks. Have fun, and get out there to explore.
Pete Gladden, owner/operator of Excel Adventure, Sport & Photo, is a freelance writer and photographer who melds his passion for adventure, endurance sports and fitness with journalism. He's also an elite level cycling coach, an NSCA certified personal trainer and a professional backpacing, cycling and rock climbing guide. Pete can be reached at pjgladd@aol.com.