Does your car wear an "I'd rather be..." bumper sticker? Do friends describe you as outdoorsy and active? In that case, you should feel right at home. Northeast Ohio is blessed with great seasonal variations, so even when the snow falls, there's plenty to do, inside and out.
What drives you outdoors?
Footloose If you've got the stamina, plan on wearing out your running shoes on the Towpath. Once used by pack animals to pull canal boats, today the "Towpath Trail" is a 70-mile recreational running or biking trail that goes from Akron to Cleveland.
Pedal Power When you'd rather speed things up, strap on your helmet and cycle the annual "Emerald Necklace" tour of Cleveland's Metroparks. Or, oil your chain and tackle the 32-mile Hike & Bike Trail in Summit County. Still game for more? Try the 12-mile path from Elyria to Lorain (soon to extend to all the way to Toledo).Maybe you prefer mountain biking? You'll have to crank pretty hard to keep going on some of the trails at West Branch and Quail Hollow State Parks-Cleveland Area Mountain Bike Association members consistently rate the parks' trails among the best. And when winter comes, no need to stow your gear. Come inside and experience the only indoor mountain bike park in the world. Navigate Ray's MTB. maze of trails, wooden jumps, logs and rocks inside a 88,000-square-foot (and growing) warehouse. End the day hanging out in the lounge comparing notes on your latest feats in Cleveland's indoor stunt ground.
Parks Galore Stretched like a bumpy green carpet over 33,000 acres between Cleveland and Akron, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a source of pride for northeast Ohio residents and the third most visited National Park in the U.S. Try geocaching or tossing a boomerang in the annual park tournament.
For the urban park experience, students gravitate to Shaker Lakes, nestled on Cleveland's east side. Why? It's just a short stroll from nature trails to coffee shops to class.
Some days after studying, relaxing in a Summit County Metropark might be just what you need. Each park is unique. From Cascade Locks, you can walk to a downtown Akron eatery or just kick back and enjoy the scenery. From Goodyear Park, you can catch a Frisbee or an open-air concert.
On the Water When it warms up wade into the great Lake-Erie-at Huntington Beach or Mentor Headlands. Or, take a ferry to the islands. You can drop into the caves at Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island, be amazed by the deep glacial grooves at Kelleys Island and camp by the shore in one of five island state parks..
Got a perfect afternoon to play and can't decide whether to spend it on a bike or in a boat? Do both! At Ernie's Bicycle Shop on the Tuscarawas River, you can take a "Pedal & Paddle Tour."No gear? No worries.Tour provisions include kayaks or canoes.
What Can We Say About Winter-Bring it On! While some people talk about "cabin fever" during the colder months,most northeast Ohio residents are too busy to catch it. They head downhill on skis, snowboards or tubes on the 19 slopes at Boston Mills/Brandywine ski complex or crosscountry ski (rentals are available at the winter sports complex in the National Park and at Quail Hollow State Park). Others skate at Kendall Lake or on slick city rinks, or shoot down refrigerated toboggan chutes at Mill Stream Run Reservation (the 70' vertical drop was designed by the folks who created the venue at the Lake Placid Olympics).
Still others head indoors-to climb the walls. While beginners learn to belay,more experienced climbers can literally walk across the ceiling at Kendall Cliffs or Cleveland Rock Gym's stateof-the-art climbing facilities.
So what's your off-campus diversion of choice? Whether you choose to dive in, kick back, pedal, paddle, or run away, you can do it-indoors or out, all over Northeast Ohio.
