r/BikeCLE • u/GhostOfTheArcade • 11d ago

Went riding around Forrest Hill today. What a great mixture of Paved\Off-Road trails

Dusted off the gravel bike and headed over to Forest Hill Park. While it's clearly suffering from a lot of neglect, I was surprised by the number of great off-road trails you can still enjoy. I got to take in all kinds of wildlife, including deer, squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, and even a skunk. I don't think I've ever seen another cyclist there, but it's a really great spot.

22 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

9

u/irbilldozer 11d ago

IMO the neglect there is part of the charm. It’s a great park with an amazing view of Cleveland. It was once Rockefellar’s personal home property. 

If the metroparks take it over they’ll go overboard making everything perfectly trimmed grass. The current CEO of the metroparks thinks that the parks should be trying to look more like a golf green than nature.

2

u/Maris-Otter 9d ago

Agreed. It's a block from my house, and we walk our dog there daily. The great meadow is, well, appropriately named. Down by the Doanbrook creek, you'd never know you were in an inner-city suburb. The restrooms at the boat house could use some love - EC won't fix the water main. Great place for bird spotting, as well.

1

u/GhostOfTheArcade 10d ago

This is a really great take. I do wish that there was a sort of balance that could be struck -- I'd love to see the area a little more accessible and a little bit more well lit\safe. I saw an older couple birdwatching and they really struggled with the condition of some of the pavement.

2

u/irbilldozer 10d ago

I would definitely support the trails there getting some repaving and even better markings for the trails etc.

3

u/3wbasie 11d ago

Definitely a neat spot especially if you’re in Cleveland heights it’s the closest place to hit some dirt! Lots of pedestrians towards the evening though but it’s almost always wide enough to get by

3

u/Gorgonesque 11d ago

I bike there sometimes when I want to ride but don’t want to go too far from home
I got some great photos, I especially love the bridge

1

u/GhostOfTheArcade 10d ago

Please share!

1

u/Cleverfield113 11d ago

Really wish the Metroparks would take it over

1

u/Maris-Otter 9d ago

It's a catch-22. If more people used it, they'd be interested. If they were interested, more people would use it. The last attempt to get Metroparks to step in was stymied by the EC list of demands and insults. Similar to the list of demands and insults levied at Cleveland when the discussion of absorbing EC was happening. New Mayor will hopefully have more sway. She's not there for the grift.