Parking
Use East Rim Trailhead at 281 Boston Mills Road in Peninsula, then follow the Bike & Hike Trail north to the Edson Run access. Restrooms are at the trailhead.
Overview
About Edson Run Trail
Why go
- A short wooded singletrack with a creek crossing and changing grades.
Heads up
- The 1.3-mile line is one way, and no hiking return is published.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation755–963 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Cuyahoga Valley alerts
- ClosureTowpath Trail improvement closureThe Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Boston Trailhead to Lock 29 in Peninsula is closed for improvements during the August 24–November 20, 2026 closure period.Official details
- CautionCuyahoga River paddling closure and hazardsPaddlers must portage the current river-wide closure near river mile 17 and avoid serious river hazards. - The closure is due to bridge demolition and construction.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide
Your drive to Edson 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.
Recorded for this trailhead
East Rim Trailhead0:00 / 0:26
“You're nearing East Rim Trailhead, access to the park's first mountain-bike trail. Hikers can use the two-point-three-mile loop too, following a narrow, rocky track along a wooded plateau edge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Grove That Could Be One Plant
- Why Turtles Claim the Logs
- A Flower That Makes Heat
- Wildlife Woods Trail
- 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 Edson Run Trail
A short, one-way segmentEdson Run is the named 1.3-mile line in the East Rim trail system.
Edson Run is the named 1.3-mile line in the East Rim trail system. It was built for intermediate mountain bikers, and hikers and runners are also allowed. The trail leaves the paved Bike & Hike Trail, runs through wooded ravine terrain, and joins Lamb Loop. The 1.3 miles are the trail in one direction; this is not a loop or a round-trip distance.
Plan the accessPark at East Rim Trailhead on Boston Mills Road and follow Bike & Hike north to the Edson Run…
Park at East Rim Trailhead on Boston Mills Road and follow Bike & Hike north to the Edson Run entrance. Restrooms are at the main trailhead. This is a shared-use route with posted travel directions; check the signs before you start because directions on the surrounding East Rim loops can vary. No official walking return itinerary is published, so don't assume you can simply walk the same line backward. Allow about 45 minutes for Edson Run itself, plus the access walk and whatever return route the signs permit.
A rough forest trackExpect hilly, rocky ground.
Expect hilly, rocky ground. The line dips toward a creek, climbs briefly, and then descends to Lamb Loop. That makes it a more interesting short walk than the distance alone suggests, but it is still a narrow trail shared with riders. The East Rim system closes overnight from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and during wet, icy, or otherwise hazardous conditions. Pets are not allowed.
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
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.
