Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH
Seven crossings and a boardwalk lead to a wooded valley overlook.
Overview
My Mountain Trail is a natural-surface spur off White Oak Trail to a wooded overlook above Chippewa Creek Valley. The named segment is 0.3 mile one way; turn around at the overlook for 0.6 mile out and back. It is an easy, shaded outing with seven crossing structures and a 300-foot boardwalk. Allow about half an hour on the spur, plus time for the stairs and access from Plateau Picnic Area. The wider White Oak trail complex is a separate, longer outing.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy this short spur is worth itMap & elevation
Plan your hike
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 trailhead
Plateau Picnic Area and My Mountain“You're coming up on Plateau Picnic Area, the starting point for a walk to My Mountain Overlook.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
The route alternates natural surface with seven built crossings, including a 300-foot boardwalk through the hardwood woods. This is the walk's distinctive stretch: the raised timber path bends among the trees, then the trail reaches the overlook. Return the same way; this row does not include the neighboring White Oak or Buckeye routes.
At the end, look out over the deep Chippewa Creek Valley. Glacial action shaped the gorge; the ridge is mainly oak and hickory, while the lower valley has cottonwoods, willows and sycamores. This is a wooded overlook rather than a bare cliff edge, and leaf cover can screen parts of the valley view in warmer months.
The current trail opened in October 2023 as part of a project that restored older White Oak alignments and reconnected portions of the Buckeye Trail, with the new overlook as its payoff. Older descriptions can refer to a different approach, so follow the White Oak connection for the short named spur described here.
Park at Plateau Picnic Area off Chippewa Creek Drive. The approach uses the stairs beside the shelter before reaching the White Oak junction; that access is extra to the named spur's 0.6-mile round trip. The picnic area has restrooms, a drinking fountain, grills and tables. Dogs and cats are allowed on a leash no longer than eight feet.
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
ModerateWhite Oak Trail Loop1.4 mi · 1 hr · 0.5 mi awayA short loop drops from the ridge into forested ravines.
ModerateBuckeye and Towpath Loop: Station Road Bridge to Red Lock10.3 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayBuckeye hills and a canal-side Towpath make one varied loop.
EasyStation Road Bridge to Mudcatcher Walk1.5 mi · 45 min · 0.6 mi awayA short river loop over an iron bridge and through canal history.
EasyWildflower Loop Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 1 mi awayA short loop threading woods, spring flowers and Wallin Creek.
ModerateDeer Lick Loop4.2 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayA rolling forest loop leads to a broad sandstone overhang.
EasyNorth Bridle Loop2.9 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA short loop through the shared bridle network.
EasySouth Bridle Loop1.6 mi · 1 hr · 1.2 mi awayA short bridle loop beside Brecksville Stables.
ChallengingValley Trail14.5 mi · 7 hr · 1.2 mi awayA long shared-use route from Brecksville toward Everett.
Picnic area · 0.1 mi awayPlateau Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop with trails close by.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayMy Mountain OverlookA quiet bench stop above Chippewa Creek, best in leaf-off season.
Picnic area · 0.2 mi awayLower Chippewa Creek Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop beside the creek, close to nearby walks.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayOak Grove Picnic AreaA large, well-equipped pavilion for group picnics.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayBrecksville StationA useful flag stop for a one-way train-and-trail outing.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayStation Road BridgeWalk an 1881 iron bridge and catch Route 82's arches beyond it.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayOttawa Overlook Backcountry SitesThree hike-in tent sites share a basic backcountry kitchen
Sight · 0.8 mi awayLock 36Lock remains reveal how canal engineers kept boats moving.Parkwolf’s Cuyahoga Valley ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
