Parking
Use Kendall Lake Trailhead on Kendall Park Road. Truxell Road becomes Kendall Park Road; the trailhead is 1.6 miles west of Akron Cleveland Road or 1.5 miles east of Akron Peninsula Road. The loop begins a short walk from the parking area.
Overview
About Lake Trail
Why go
- A compact loop shifts from shaded woods to marsh and open water.
- A 1930s stone tunnel makes a memorable waypoint.
Heads up
- Two stair sets interrupt an otherwise easy walk.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation813–858 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Cuyahoga Valley alerts
- 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
- ClosureStanford-area closures for pavement removalA contractor is removing old pavement, closing former Stanford Road between Stanford Trailhead and the Brandywine Gorge Loop, the north half of Stanford Trailhead parking lot, and a section of the…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide
Your drive to Lake 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
Kendall Lake0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching Kendall Lake, where the pier gives you a lake view without doing the full shoreline walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Pine Hollow and Kendall Hills
- Octagon Shelter and Pine Grove Trail
- The Ledges
- Wetmore Trailhead
- 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 Lake Trail
An easy lap around Kendall LakeLake Trail is a one-mile loop around Kendall Lake, mostly on flat dirt with two sets of stairs.
Lake Trail is a one-mile loop around Kendall Lake, mostly on flat dirt with two sets of stairs. It is an easy, roughly 45-minute walk for a close look at water, marsh and woods without the longer hills of nearby routes. The loop begins a short walk from Kendall Lake Trailhead, so allow a few extra minutes to get onto the circuit.
Several trails meet in this area. Check the Lake Trail line before setting out, and use the stone tunnel as a landmark if the junctions are hard to read. The trail has stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
Tunnel, reeds and footbridgeThe route leaves the wooded edge and follows the lake through marsh plants.
The route leaves the wooded edge and follows the lake through marsh plants. One stair section drops into tall reeds, then the path crosses a small footbridge over a stream; another stair climb leads back through trees. The shoreline alternates between close, reed-framed water and more open views across the lake.
The dirt tread is an easy surface in ordinary conditions, but it is not a paved or step-free walk. Take the stairs steadily and leave time to pause at the water rather than treating this as only a quick connector.
A lake with a CCC pastThe stone tunnel and Kendall Lake recreation area date to the 1930s, when the Civilian…
The stone tunnel and Kendall Lake recreation area date to the 1930s, when the Civilian Conservation Corps built the lake and other visitor amenities in the former Virginia Kendall Park. The shelter, pier and picnic area are by the trailhead rather than facilities spread around the loop.
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.
