Geauga County Parks & Nature Preserves

Auburn Marsh (State Wildlife Area)

• Official Site
• Wildlife Area Map
• Location:
  • Stafford Rd. & Auburn Rd., Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023
  • GPS coordinates: 41.400792, -81.240706
  • View on Google Maps
• 462 acres in all
• Supported activities:
  • Hunting

Bass Lake Preserve (County Park)

• Official Site
• Location:
  • 11445 Lakeview Rd, Chardon, Ohio 44024
  • GPS coordinates: 41.55015, -81.229005
  • View on Google Maps
• Area:
  • 606 acres in all
  • 160 acres lake
• No trails
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Good site for bird watching
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
• Miscellaneous info: A restricted number of boats are allowed out each day (get a boating permit). The Spring Brook Sanctuary (a state nature preserve) is contained within this county park; it helps to protect the state’s last known indigenous population of brook trout.

Beartown Lakes Reservation (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 18870 Quinn Road, Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023
  • GPS coordinates: 41.355172, -81.2963037
  • View on Google Maps
• Area:
  • 149 acres in all
  • 22 acres of open water
• Trail information:
  • 1.3 miles of hiking / cross-country skiing trails
  • 1.5 miles of hiking / cross-country skiing / bridle trail
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Sledding
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible

Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 7940 Cedar Road, Chesterland, Ohio 44026
  • GPS coordinates: 41.50787, -81.357097
  • View on Google Maps
• 65 acres in all
• Trail information:
  • 0.5 miles of hiking / cross-country skiing / ADA accessible trails
  • 0.5 miles of hiking trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
  • Observation deck
  • Boardwalk
• Miscellaneous info: There is a sandstone knoll that rises 140 feet above Griswold Creek, as wells a rock outcroppings. Most of the park is forested, though there is a meadow and old orchard at the foot of a hill. Two conifer plantations are present. There are spring wildflowers, and a boardwalk through wetlands that feature a beaver dam.

Big Creek Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Park Map
• Location #1:
  • 9160 Robinson Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024
  • GPS coordinates: 41.620712, -81.200897
  • View on Google Maps
• Location #2:
  • 9373 Ravenna Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024
• 642 acres in all
• 6.4 miles of trails (not including the Buckeye Trail)
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Camping
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
  • Part of the Buckeye Trail passes through the area
• Miscellaneous info: The park features mature forest, hemlock-lined ravines, exposed bedrock, and a terrain sculpted by glacial deposits. There is a butterfly garden, and numerous species of songbirds migrate to this area to nest.

Burton Wetlands (County Park)

• Official Site
• State Nature Preserve
• Trail Map
• Posts at TrekOhio
• Location:
  • 15681 Old Rider Road, Burton, Ohio 44021
  • GPS coordinates: 41.442686, -81.180962
  • View on Google Maps
• 305 acres in all
• 1.52 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
• Prohibited activities:
  • Dogs not permitted
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
• Miscellaneous info: The preserve features views of rolling glacial topography, large meadows, forest, beaver pond, and kettle holes (lakes and ponds formed during the last Ice Age). | As to dogs, the state nature preserve web page says that dogs are prohibited. However, the county web page says that they are permitted.

Chickagami Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 17957 Tavern Road (Route 168), Parkman, Ohio 44021
  • GPS coordinates: 41.3816595, -81.0755205
  • View on Google Maps
• 139 acres in all
• 1.62 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Camping
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities

Eldon Russell Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 16315 Rapids Road, Burton, Ohio 44021
  • GPS coordinates: 41.424644, -81.164206
  • View on Google Maps
• 132 acres in all
• 0.76 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
  • Paddling
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Part of the Buckeye Trail passes through the area
• Miscellaneous info: You can boat here; the terrain was shaped during the last Ice Age and features kames and kettles.

Frohring Meadows (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 16780 Savage Road, Bainbridge Twp., Ohio
  • GPS coordinates: 41.40685, -81.3556167
• 298 acres in all
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible

Hambden Orchard (State Wildlife Area)

• Official Site
• Wildlife Area Map
• Location:
  • N. State Ave. & Claridon Troy Rd., Chardon, Ohio 44024
  • GPS coordinates: 41.584444, -81.121017
  • View on Google Maps
• 842 acres in all
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Hunting

Headwaters Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location #1:
  • 13365 Old State Road (Route 608), Huntsburg, Ohio 44021
  • GPS coordinates: 41.5052333, -81.1017167
  • View on Google Maps
• Location #2:
  • 15055 Mayfield Road (Rt. 322), Huntsburg, Ohio 44021
  • GPS coordinates: 41.529979, -81.1056336
  • View on Google Maps
• 926 acres in all
• Trail information:
  • 2 miles of the Buckeye Trail
  • 0.5 miles hiking / cross-country skiing
  • 0.8 miles of hiking trail
  • 1.4 miles of hiking and bridle trail
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Camping
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
  • Paddling
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Part of the Buckeye Trail passes through the area
• Miscellaneous info: Boating

LaDue Public Hunting Area (State Wildlife Area)

• Official Site
• Wildlife Area Map
• Location:
  • Ravenna Rd. & Bartholomew Rd., Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023
  • GPS coordinates: 41.3658062, -81.2272102
  • View on Google Maps
• 8,856 acres in all
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Hunting
  • Low-horsepower boating (depending on the park, this may mean boats with electric motors, boats whose motors do not exceed a specific horsepower, or boats with any horsepower motor as long as no wake is generated; check the official site for details)

Lucia S Nash Preserve (Nature Conservancy)

• Official Site
• Snow Lake:
  • GPS coordinates: 41.4257326, -81.1789091
  • View on Google Maps
• 650 acres in all
• Supported activities:
  • Good site for bird watching
• Miscellaneous info: The preserve is not currently accessible to the public, but there are plans to open it to the public in 2019. | I have specified the location of Snow Lake, which is contained within the preserve, to give a general idea of where the preserve is.

Observatory Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Nassau Astronomical Station
• Oberle Observatory
• Location:
  • 10610 Clay Street, Montville, Ohio 44064
  • GPS coordinates: 41.585132, -81.080672
  • View on Google Maps
• 1,100 acre in all
• 3.97 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
  • Snowmobiling
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
  • Observatory

Orchard Hills Park (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 11340 Caves Road, Chesterland, Ohio 44026
  • GPS coordinates: 41.5052333, -81.1017167
  • View on Google Maps
• 237 acres in all
• 3.6 miles of hiking / cross-country skiing / mountain biking trails
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Sledding
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
• Miscellaneous info: About a mile and a half of trail is ADA accessible.

Punderson (State Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Campground Map
• Park Map
• Lodge
• Posts at TrekOhio
• Location:
  • 11755 Kinsman Road, Newbury, Ohio 44065
  • GPS coordinates: 41.4510717, -81.2097123
  • View on Google Maps
• 741 acres in all
• Trail information:
  • 7.5 miles of hiking trails
  • 2.2 miles of multi-use trail (Cayuga Trail)
  • 3.45 miles of snowmobiling trails
  • 2.4 miles of cross-country skiing trails
  • 1.2 miles of dog-sled trail (Mushers Trail)
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Camping
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Sledding
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
  • Low-horsepower boating (depending on the park, this may mean boats with electric motors, boats whose motors do not exceed a specific horsepower, or boats with any horsepower motor as long as no wake is generated; check the official site for details)
  • Snowmobiling
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Archery range
  • Golf course
  • Disc golf course
  • Swimming beach

Spring Brook Sanctuary (State Nature Preserve)

• Official Site
• Facilities:
  • Permit only
• Miscellaneous info: Contact Geauga Park District for information. The sanctuary is contained within Geauga county’s Bass Lake Preserve.

Sunnybrook Preserve (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 12474 Heath Road, Chesterland, Ohio 44026
  • GPS coordinates: 41.529937, -81.296738
  • View on Google Maps
• 73 acres in all
• 1.69 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
• Miscellaneous info: Habitats include fen (with American cranberry bush), ravines, and rolling hills formed from glacial deposits.

Swine Creek Reservation (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 16004 Hayes Road, Middlefield, Ohio 44062
  • GPS coordinates: 41.4377, -81.0219
  • View on Google Maps
• 412 acres in all
• 6.1 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
• Miscellaneous info: 0.4 miles of trails are ADA accessible

The Maple Highlands Trail (Bike Path)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 9280 Ravenna Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024
  • GPS coordinates: 41.6178172, -81.2323244
  • View on Google Maps
• 21.1 miles of paved, multi-use trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
• Miscellaneous info: Horseback riding is restricted to the South section. See trail map for details.

The Rookery (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 10110 Cedar Road, Munson, Ohio 44026
  • GPS coordinates: 41.499932, -81.278018
  • View on Google Maps
• 562 acres in all
• Trail information:
  • 0.4 miles of walking, handicap-accessible, and cross-country trail
  • 1 miles of walking / cross-country skiing trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
  • Observation deck
• Miscellaneous info: Features a large colony of Great Blue Herons, but this is in an area that is not visible to the general public.

The West Woods (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 9465 Kinsman Road (Route 87), Russell, Ohio 44072
  • GPS coordinates: 41.458456, -81.307093
  • View on Google Maps
• 902 acres in all
• 6.95 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Camping
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Horseback riding
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible
  • Nature center
  • Observation deck
• Miscellaneous info: The park’s features include Ansel’s Cave, sandstone ledges, mature forests, extensive wetlands, and Silver Creek. | 0.4 miles of ADA accessible trails.

Thompson Ledges (Township Park)

• Official Site
• Posts at TrekOhio
• Location:
  • 16755 Thompson Rd, Thompson, Ohio 44086
  • GPS coordinates: 41.6899776, -81.0462495
  • View on Google Maps
• Miscellaneous info: This township park has both a recreational and a natural component. To go to the ledges region, enter the driveway for the park district office and use the parking lot to the rear.

Walter C Best Wildlife Preserve (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 11620 Ravenna Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024
  • GPS coordinates: 41.55625, -81.197167
  • View on Google Maps
• 101 acres in all
• 1.6 miles of hiking / cross-country skiing / ADA accessible trails
• Supported activities:
  • Fishing
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities
  • Handicap accessible

White Pine Bog Forest (State Nature Preserve)

• Official Site
• 375 acres in all
• Facilities:
  • Permit only
• Miscellaneous info: Contact the Nature Conservancy for information

Whitlam Woods (County Park)

• Official Site
• Trail Map
• Location:
  • 12500 Pearl Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024
  • GPS coordinates: 41.628117, -81.023633
  • View on Google Maps
• 187 acres in all
• 1.4 miles of total trail
• Supported activities:
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Good site for bird watching
  • Bringing your dog
• Facilities:
  • Restroom facilities

Last Update: Jul 3, 2018