Parking
Use the Happy Days Lodge main parking lot at 500 West Streetsboro Road; walk to the trailhead bulletin board at the far corner. The site lists parking, benches, a kiosk and a picnic table.
Overview
About Boston Run Trail
Why go
- Shaded ravines, headwater stream and small bridge crossings add variety.
Heads up
- Rocky, hilly footing can become muddy and slippery.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation889–980 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Cuyahoga Valley alerts
- CautionCuyahoga River closure and paddling hazardsMentions Cuyahoga River, referenced in this guidePaddlers must portage around the active river-wide closure near river mile 17, caused by bridge demolition and construction.Official details
- ClosureTowpath Trail closed: Boston to Lock 29The Towpath Trail is closed from Boston Trailhead to Lock 29 in Peninsula during the August 24–November 20, 2026 work period.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide
Your drive to Boston Run Trail, narrated.
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.
See the Cuyahoga Valley audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Happy Days Lodge0:00 / 0:31
“Happy Days Lodge is coming up, a timber-and-sandstone building that began as a children's camp in the late nineteen thirties.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Ledges
- The Shell Before the Wings
- Octagon Shelter and Pine Grove Trail
- The Soldier Who Never Came Home
- 97 audio storiesacross Cuyahoga Valley’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bald Eagle, River Otter, Coyote, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 63 trails, 88 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Boston Run Trail
The full loopBoston Run Trail is a 3.
Boston Run Trail is a 3.1-mile loop from the far corner of the Happy Days Lodge main lot, following a shaded headwater stream through ravines and over low ridges. Allow about two hours. The route is hilly and rocky rather than level, and it is not wheelchair accessible. Published figures vary from 3.1 to 3.4 miles, so leave room for some extra distance. Leashed dogs are allowed; keep the leash to six feet or shorter.
Keep to the full routeA short cut crosses part of the loop. Stay on the longer outside line for the full circuit.
A short cut crosses part of the loop. Stay on the longer outside line for the full circuit. One junction near the cut-through can be easy to misread, so check which branch stays on the loop before continuing.
Between ridgesThe trail winds through shaded ravines and over low ridges, with Boston Run appearing and…
The trail winds through shaded ravines and over low ridges, with Boston Run appearing and disappearing through the trees. Expect rocky, uneven ground, roots and some up-and-down walking. Small bridges cross stream channels; muddy sections can be slippery after rain.
A headwater streamBoston Run feeds the Cuyahoga River.
Boston Run feeds the Cuyahoga River. The surrounding shade keeps the water cool enough for pollution-sensitive salamanders and the small insects they eat. Oak, maple, beech and tulip-tree roots hold soil in place and absorb excess water, helping reduce flooding downstream.
At the trailheadPark in the Happy Days Lodge main lot and walk to the bulletin board at the back.
Park in the Happy Days Lodge main lot and walk to the bulletin board at the back. The lot has benches, a kiosk and a picnic table. Food service is not listed, and restroom availability is uncertain.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cuyahoga Valley
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
494 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
102 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.
