Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. Eighteen reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, follow along the shore of Lake Erie and the rivers and creeks that flow through the region. Referred to unofficially as the 'Emerald Necklace',[2] the network of parks spans over 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) and includes over 300 miles (480 km) of walking, bicycle, and horse trails as well as numerous picnic areas, nature education centers, golf courses, and countless fishing spots. In addition, the district includes the zoo in Cleveland. Four of the reservations are adjacent to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Although the majority of the reservations are in suburban Cuyahoga County, Brookside Reservation is located within the city of Cleveland, and the Lakefront Reservation consists of several beachfront parks spanning the city's waterfront. Additionally, three of the reservations are either partially or entirely situated outside Cuyahoga County: a portion of North Chagrin Reservation is in Lake County; a small portion of Bradley Woods Reservation is in Lorain County; the Hinckley Reservation is in Hinckley Township in Medina County.[2]
The North Chagrin Reservation houses one of the only old growth forests in Northeast Ohio, the A.B. Williams Memorial Woods.[3]
The importance of conserving our natural resources is now well recognized. Cannot it be truly said that these natural wild beautiful valleys and glens which lie adjacent to our rapidly growing urban centers are a kind of 'natural resource' of ever increasing value to the public?
— William A. Stinchcomb, (speaking to the Cleveland City Council in 1909)
History
The genesis of the Cleveland Metropolitan Park System began with a vision by William Albert Stinchcomb in the early 20th century.[4] A self-taught engineer working as a surveyor for the City of Cleveland in 1895, Stinchcomb was appointed chief engineer of the City Parks Department by Mayor Tom Johnson in 1902, and shortly thereafter began to conceptualize an Emerald Necklace for the city.[5] Stinchcomb lobbied the Ohio legislature to amend the state constitution so as to permit the authorization of natural resource conservation at the county level in 1913.[6] However, the Ohio Supreme Court overturned Cuyahoga County's new park law as unconstitutional. Unflappable in his pursuit, Stinchcomb then went back to Columbus lobbying for new legislation allowing for the establishment of what was to become the Metropolitan Park District, which is today the oldest metropolitan park district in Ohio.[7]
In 1915, Stinchcomb received the break that would finally allow him to pursue his ambitious goal. While serving as Cuyahoga County engineer, he was approached by city council and offered an appointment as consulting engineer on what was eventually to become the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District board—the same board he'd lobbied for two years prior. Stinchcomb accepted and, at the urging of city council, immediately hired the renowned landscape architectural firm, the Olmsted Brothers. The group immediately went to work drawing up plans for a system of connecting parks as well as the acquisition of land and resources.[5] The proposed Cuyahoga County Park and Boulevard System, which included a parkway encircling the Cleveland area, following various creeks and rivers in the area, was the framework for what would become today's Metroparks system.[8]
Stinchcomb returned to the Statehouse in 1917, this time as an officer of the newly formed Metropolitan Park District board, and proposed a bill that would authorize the Metropolitan Park District board to levy a one-tenth mill tax to fund the district's operations. This was followed shortly after by the authorization of a second one-tenth mill tax to fund property acquisition[5] By 1921, the fledgling Park District had acquired the land that would become the Rocky River and Big Creek Reservations, most of which was donated.[5] Between 1920 and 1930, the system grew through the investment of capital from its tax levies. Purchased for approximately $4 million, land for the Hinckley, Brecksville, Bedford, South Chagrin, North Chagrin and Euclid Creek Reservations increased the district's holdings from just over 100 acres to more than 9,000 within the span of a decade.[8]
The Metroparks today
With free admission and almost unlimited access during daylight hours, the Metroparks' 25,000+ acres are a widely popular destination for runners, hikers, cyclists, boaters, fishermen, and nature enthusiasts. A major source of outdoor recreation in the region, official attendance figures recorded 18.5 million recreational visitors to the system's 18 reservations and the zoo in 2018, making the attraction one of the most visited in the state of Ohio.[2] The Metroparks golf courses, amenities that do exact a fee, attract over 400,000 golfers annually. With varying resources, terrains and geographical features, each park is unique. Some features, such as the toboggan chutes (also ask a fee) at Mill Stream Run Reservation's Chalet, are found nowhere else in the entire State of Ohio.[9]
Safety
The Cleveland Metroparks are patrolled by the Cleveland Metroparks Police Department which was founded in 1917. The departments primary goal is to provide a safe environment for the millions of visitors to the park system. Previously known as "Rangers" (c. 1959–2019), the department returned to its original 1921 title, "Police", in 2019 to better communicate the police function and law enforcement role within the communities served. Members of the department have always been fully certified police officers despite the title changes.[10] Cleveland Metroparks Police patrol the reservations and lands adjacent to, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, enforcing both traffic, criminal, and wildlife law utilizing several specialized police units including; Motorcycle Unit, K-9 Unit, Mounted Unit, Dive Team, Detective Bureau, Bicycle Unit, Traffic Unit, Warrant Unit, Special Operations, and the Training/ Firearms/ Subject Control teams.[11]
Reservations
Reservation
Acreage (Hectares)
Notes
Park Amenities
Year Est.
Park Map
Acacia
155 acres (63 ha)
Located in Lyndhurst, the west branch of Euclid Creek flows northwest through Acacia Reservation to join the main creek branch in Euclid Creek Reservation.[12]
Located in five Cleveland suburbs, running from Brookpark Road, near Hauserman Road and I-480, south to Whitney Road, below the Ohio Turnpike/I-80. Highlights include Lake Isaac, Beyer's Pond wildlife sanctuary, and the Lake to Lake Trail, all three in Middleburg Heights.[13]
Located in Brecksville, the reservation includes the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course and seven distinct gorges, of which the Chippewa Creek Gorge is the most notable. The Squire Rich Historical Museum is located on the western edge of the park, managed by the Brecksville Historical Society.[13]
Golf, Hiking and cross country skiing trails, bridle trails, outdoor education facility, Brecksville Nature Center, sledding, stables, and a National Audubon Society Bird Area Program.[13]
Originally a neighborhood park in the City of Cleveland, it became part of the Metroparks in 1993. It is immediately adjacent to fellow Metropark installation, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Brookside hosts numerous baseball and football fields and a wildlife area. Big Creek, the largest tributary of the Cuyahoga River, flows through the northern border of the park.
Located in Euclid, South Euclid and Richmond Heights, was originally the site of a massive Bluestone quarry. Today, the original reservation is a sanctuary for wildlife and provides a wooded passage from the Heights area down into Euclid. As of a June, 2013 transfer of management from the state to the Park District of properties formerly part of the Cleveland Lakefront State Park, the reservation was expanded to include Euclid Beach Park and the Wildwood-Villa Angela properties with their associated marina and yacht club.[15]
Trails for hiking, horseback riding, cross country skiing and sledding hills.[13]
Located in Garfield Heights it was originally named Newburg Park dating back to 1895. In 1986, it was leased to the Metroparks system and was renamed Garfield Park. Its main feature is Mill Creek.
Trails for hiking and cross country skiing, as well as an outdoor education facility.[13]
Located in Hinckley Township in Medina County, the reservation is known for the famous 'Annual Return of the Buzzards' as well as Hinckley Lake and its network of glacial ledges, some of which exceed elevations of 350 feet.
Hiking and cross country skiing trails, bridle trails, boating, swimming, fishing, sledding hills, and National Audubon Society's Bird Area Program.[13]
Located in Bay Village on Lake Erie. It is also the location for three Metroparks affiliates: The Lake Erie Nature & Science Center and Schuele Planetarium, the Huntington Playhouse and the BAYarts community art campus.
Hiking and cross country skiing trails, fishing, outdoor education facility, sledding, swimming, and National Audubon Society's Bird Area Program.[13]
Composed of previously state-run parks (Edgewater Park, Gordon Park, and the East 55th Street Marina) along the Lake Erie shoreline that the Metroparks assumed supervision of in 2013, as well as Merwin's Wharf and Wendy Park at Whiskey Island. Features include numerous beaches, boat ramps, fitness trails, fishing piers, and swimming areas.[16]
Hiking trails, cross country skiing, mountain bike trails, bridle trails, fishing, outdoor education facility, sledding, toboggan chutes and National Audubon Society's Bird Area Program.[13]
Located in Mayfield Village, Gates Mills and Willoughby Hills, the North Chagrin Reservation straddles Cuyahoga and Lake Counties and like its smaller neighbor to the south, follows a part of the Chagrin River. While it is the home to the historic Manakiki Golf Course, the reservation's arguably most notable man-made attraction is Squire's Castle. The North Chagrin Reservation also houses one of Northeast Ohio's only old-growth forests, the A.B. Williams Memorial Woods.[3]
Old growth forest, golf, trails, cross country skiing, fishing, golf course, North Chagrin Nature Center, sledding, and National Audubon Society's Bird Area Program.[13][3]
Opened in 1999 and stretching through Cuyahoga Heights and Valley View, the reservation follows a portion of the historic 309-mile Ohio and Erie Canal, as well as a section of the Cuyahoga River. Observation decks provide a view of myriad wildlife.
Trails, boating, cross country skiing, mountain bike trails, outdoor education facility, CanalWay Center, and National Audubon Society's Bird Area Program.[13]
Located in Rocky River, Berea, Brook Park, Cleveland, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted and Olmsted Township, the reservation contains the first parcel of land secured for the establishment of the Metroparks by William A. Stinchcomb—one of the points of interest in the park, in fact, is the Stinchcomb-Grohl memorial.[2] Rocky River reservation boasts three golf courses: Big Met, Little Met and Mastick Woods. Rocky River is also notable for its historically important fossil deposits in the Cleveland Shale, which include some of the best-preserved fossils of the Late Devonian fish Dunkleosteus
Golf, hiking and cross country skiing trails, boating, fishing, sledding hills, horse stables, bridle trails, Rocky River Nature Center, and a National Audubon Society Bird Area Program.[13]
Spanning sections of Bentleyville, Solon and Moreland Hills, the reservation follows a portion of the scenic Chagrin River and features an Arboretum, a Polo Field, as well as many trails to hike and bike. Henry Church's 1885 sculpture, Squaw Rock, is one of the park's most striking man-made features as it is carved into a large slab of sandstone adjacent the river.[17]
Opened in 2003, this is smallest addition to the Metroparks system. Located in Newburgh Heights, the Washington Golf Learning Center is the most notable feature of the park.
Golf, the Horticultural Center and School, athletic fields, hiking trails and fishing.[13]
Opened in 2006, the West Creek Reservation is one of the newest additions to the Emerald Necklace. The park recently underwent a $12 million renovation, it is now home to the Watershed Stewardship Center.[18] The park, which is home to a wide variety of wildlife, meanders along its namesake, West Creek and is located in Parma.
Trails, mountain bike trails, Watershed Stewardship Center, picnic areas.
Big Met Golf Course (originally named Course #1), believed to be Ohio's most played golf course, has hosted over 6,000,000 rounds of golf since it opened in 1926. .[19]
Pro shop, snack bar, power and hand cart rental, golf club rental, practice putting greens, watered greens, continuous cart paths, tees and fairways.[19]
Located 17 miles east of downtown Cleveland, Manakiki Golf Course a public course.[21]
pro shop, golf lessons, snack bar, power and hand cart rental, golf club rental, practice putting green, short game practice area, party rooms, shower service, continuous cart paths, watered greens, tees and fairways.[21]
The course layout was completed by Harry Burkhardt, the first superintendent of golf for Cleveland Metroparks, and was constructed by Park District staff in 1964.[22]
Pro shop, snack bar, power and hand cart rental, club rental, watered greens, tees and fairways.[22]
27 holes, including an 18-hole regulation course and a 9-hole Par 3 course.[24]
pro shop, snack bar, power and hand cart rental, club rental, practice putting greens, driving range, professional golf lessons, watered greens, continuous golf cart paths, tees and fairways.[24]
pro shop, professional golf lessons, snack bar, power and hand cart rental, club rental, practice putting green, driving range, party rooms, shower service, continuous cart paths, watered greens, tees and fairways.[25]
Washington Golf Course comprises a majority of the Washington Reservation. A 9-hole, par 29 golf course and 30-station driving range.[26]
Pro shop, driving range, snack bar, power and hand cart rental, golf club rental, practice putting greens, practice chipping area, continuous cart paths, watered greens, tees and fairways.[26]
^ abcdAmerican Academy for Park and Recreation Administration "William Stinchcomb". Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2011.(2010). "William Albert Stinchcomb Cornelius Amory Pugsley Bronze Medal Award, 1940 ", Accessed: July 6, 2011.
