Picnic area · Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Shelter, grills and trails make this an easy picnic stop.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Astorhurst Disc Golf Course“You're nearing the access for Astorhurst Disc Golf Course, an eighteen-hole layout on a former golf course. The hills and long holes make this a full outing: allow about two and a half hours and three miles on foot.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Hemlock Creek Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
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Guide
Hemlock Creek Picnic Area is a developed picnic spot in Bedford Reservation, inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It sits off Button Road just east of Dunham Road in Walton Hills. I'd use it for a meal break or a low-key walk rather than plan a full day around it.
The grounds have a shelter, tables, grills, a swing set, ball field, parking, restrooms and trail access. Bring your own food; no food service is listed here. Potable water wasn't confirmed, so bring drinking water.
Hiking and bridle trails start at the picnic area, and the nearby Hemlock Creek trail access is promoted for spring wildflowers and views toward Tinker's Creek. Visitors use the trails for creekside walks and water play, but water depth and flow vary. Treat creek access as a bonus rather than a guaranteed feature.
Wildlife
319 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
103 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
248 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
492 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
99 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cuyahoga Valley. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSagamore Creek Loop3.6 mi · 2 hr · 1.3 mi awayTwo seasonal falls reward a steep walk through the gorge.
ModerateBedford Singletrack Loop11.5 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA long forest circuit linked by one-way singletrack and paved paths.
EasyBridal Veil Falls Walk0.3 mi · 18 min · 1.4 mi awayA short stairway walk to a low cascade in a wooded gorge.
EasyEgbert Loop Trail0.3 mi · 15 min · 1.9 mi awayA short wooded path above the gorge, best walked out and back.
ModerateTinker's Creek Gorge Trail5.5 mi · 3 hr · 1.9 mi awayA wooded out-and-back that ends at falls and a gorge overlook.
EasyCanal Exploration Center to Tinkers Creek Aqueduct Walk1.3 mi · 45 min · 2 mi awayA short canal walk past Lock 38 to Tinkers Creek Aqueduct.
EasyViaduct Park Loop0.4 mi · 18 min · 2.2 mi awayA short gorge loop with Great Falls views and mill history.
ModerateOhio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail19.8 mi · 9 hr · 3 mi awayA long, level canal walk through locks, marshes, and river bends.
Picnic area · 0.2 mi awayHermit’s Hollow Picnic AreaA family picnic shelter with a wood-burning fireplace.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayAstorhurst Disc Golf CourseA long, hilly 18-hole round over a former golf course.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayTinker's Creek Gorge Scenic OverlookA quick gorge view, best when the leaves are down.
Picnic area · 1.2 mi awayLost Meadows Picnic AreaA 20-by-40-foot canopy gives group picnics room to spread out.Sight · 1.3 mi awayBridal Veil FallsA wooded cascade reached by boardwalk and a steep stair climb.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayLittle OverlookA short woodland walk to a view over Tinker's Creek Valley.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayLock 37 and Flood GateSee how a canal lock and flood gate manage water.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayAlexander-Wilson MillA historic canal mill, seen across the water from a Towpath stop.Parkwolf’s Cuyahoga Valley ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
