Parking
Park at the Octagon Shelter lot on Kendall Park Road, 1.3 miles west of Akron Cleveland Road or 2 miles east of Akron Peninsula Road (Truxell Road becomes Kendall Park Road).
Overview
About Forest Point Trail
Why go
- Easy, flat half-hour outing with little elevation change
- Restrooms and picnic facilities at the trailhead
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation922–968 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 Forest Point 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
Octagon Shelter and Pine Grove Trail0:00 / 0:34
“You're approaching the access for Octagon Shelter and Pine Grove Trail. The eight-sided pavilion has a low, broad roof and stone chimneys, with chestnut timber from trees affected by chestnut blight.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Ledges
- Happy Days Lodge
- Kendall Lake
- Two Ways a Log Falls Apart
- 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 Forest Point Trail
The short loopForest Point Trail is an easy 0.5-mile lollipop walk from Octagon Shelter.
Forest Point Trail is an easy 0.5-mile lollipop walk from Octagon Shelter. A short connector heads west into the woods, circles back at the far end, then returns on the same connector. The National Park Service lists about 30 minutes, a flat dirt surface, and minimal elevation change. Its Ledges area map says trail locations are approximate, and a full mapped trace that counts the shared approach twice is longer than the listed distance. Treat the half-mile figure as a rounded planning estimate.
Start at Octagon ShelterPark at the Octagon Shelter lot on Kendall Park Road.
Park at the Octagon Shelter lot on Kendall Park Road. The shelter area has restrooms and picnic facilities; there is no documented food service along this short route. The access area closes at dusk, so plan to finish before then.
In Virginia KendallThis walk sits in the Virginia Kendall area.
This walk sits in the Virginia Kendall area. Industrialist Hayward Kendall gave his former retreat to Ohio as a park named for his mother, Virginia Kendall, and the Civilian Conservation Corps developed area amenities in the 1930s. The route itself is a simple wooded stroll, not a viewpoint hike. Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than six feet.
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.
