Parking
Use the Brushwood Area lot at 4955 Townsend Road, Richfield. The marked trail access is by Brushwood Lodge and Brushwood Lake; this parking area also serves Rock Creek, so follow the Old Mill signs.
Overview
About Old Mill Trail
Why go
- A short wooded circuit with a local-history marker.
- Restrooms, water and picnic tables beside the starting area.
Heads up
- Hillier than nearby Rock Creek.
- Interstate noise can carry into the woods.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation999–1,036 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Cuyahoga Valley alerts
- CautionCuyahoga River paddling closure and hazardsMentions Cuyahoga River, referenced in this guidePaddlers 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
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide
Your drive to Old Mill 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 area
How a Jay Plants an Oak0:00 / 0:28
“An oak seed can travel through the valley in a blue jay’s throat. In fall, jays gather acorns, carrying some in an expandable part of the throat and another in the bill.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Daffodil Trail
- Flowers Before the Leaves
- An Arena Becomes a Meadow
- The Bird That Digs a Tunnel
- 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 Old Mill Trail
The loopOld Mill Trail is an easy 1.
Old Mill Trail is an easy 1.4-mile loop through beech and maple woods in the Brushwood Area of Furnace Run Metro Park. Allow 30 to 60 minutes for an unhurried circuit. The route is short, but its rolling ground makes it feel more like a hike than a flat park stroll.
What to expectExpect natural dirt and stone underfoot, with several small hills.
Expect natural dirt and stone underfoot, with several small hills. Walkers often find Old Mill hillier than nearby Rock Creek, which is the flatter choice if you want an easier circuit. Road noise can carry into parts of the woods near I-77.
A marker along the wayLook for the Brush family marker on the trail.
Look for the Brush family marker on the trail. It honors the family whose land donation helped establish the park in 1929. Furnace Run takes its name from early iron furnaces along the Cuyahoga River; the marker is the clearest historical pause on this short walk.
Start and route notesBegin at the Brushwood Area parking by Brushwood Lodge and Brushwood Lake.
Begin at the Brushwood Area parking by Brushwood Lodge and Brushwood Lake. Restrooms, drinking water and picnic tables are close to the trailhead; plan meals elsewhere. Dogs are allowed. The park map lists a 1.4-mile loop, while other estimates are closer to 1.2 miles. A short connector is unclear in the available map linework, so follow the Old Mill markers at junctions and expect a little mileage variation. Keep this loop separate from the longer combined Rock Creek and Old Mill walk.
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.
