Parking
Everett Covered Bridge Trailhead, 2370 Everett Road, Peninsula. Use the lot beside the bridge; auto and bus/RV parking and a restroom are listed there. Capacity and overflow patterns were not documented.
Overview
About Perkins Trail
Why go
- The red bridge is both a landmark and a photo stop
- Two Furnace Run crossings and steep wooded climbs make a compact challenge
- Storm-felled trees and bridge history give the walk character
Heads up
- Steep, pebbly slopes and muddy footing
- Two rocky stream crossings can be slippery
- Shared approach and junctions need attention
Perkins Trail is a roughly 3.8-mile loop from Everett Covered Bridge Trailhead, with a shared approach to and from the circuit. Allow about two to three hours and expect roughly 400 feet of climbing. It is a tough, hilly walk for people who want uneven forest trail and creek crossings, not a smooth stroll. Published figures differ: an older map prints 2.75 miles, while current route descriptions put the complete parking-area walk near 3.8 to 4 miles. The route here follows the full walk from the lot; save a map because the printed trail locations are approximate.
Parkwolf’s verdictA rugged loop worth the effortMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation749–1,021 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Perkins 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
Everett Covered Bridge0:00 / 0:32
“You're heading toward Everett Covered Bridge, a red wooden crossing over Furnace Run. Make this a short stop if you want a little history without a long hike; the bridge is a short walk from the parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ants Carry the Next Trilliums
- Szalay’s Farm Market and Hunt House
- Indigo Lake
- Oak Hill and Plateau Trails
- 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 Perkins Trail
From the bridge to the loopThe parking lot is a short walk from Everett Covered Bridge.
The parking lot is a short walk from Everett Covered Bridge. The opening trail is relatively mellow, passing through woods and an old road corridor before a short staircase, a grassy opening and the marked loop junction. The approach is shared with nearby routes; follow Perkins signs at the junction and keep a downloaded map handy if the board map is unclear.
Where the effort comes fromThe unpaved loop climbs and drops through switchbacks, muddy patches and steep, pebbly slopes.
The unpaved loop climbs and drops through switchbacks, muddy patches and steep, pebbly slopes. Expect two crossings of Furnace Run over stones, plus roots and uneven ground. The forest is shady, but the slopes and creek edges still demand careful footing. Horses use this trail too. Dogs are allowed on a six-foot leash.
The bridge is the landmarkEverett Covered Bridge is the walk's clearest landmark and the best photo stop.
Everett Covered Bridge is the walk's clearest landmark and the best photo stop. Frame the red span from the approach with Furnace Run in the foreground; this is a woodland hike, not a route to a high overlook. Give yourself a moment to read the historical displays before starting the climbs.
A bridge rebuilt after the floodSummit County's only remaining covered bridge was reconstructed by the National Park Service in…
Summit County's only remaining covered bridge was reconstructed by the National Park Service in 1986 after a 1975 storm swept the earlier span from its sandstone abutments. Community fundraising helped bring it back. The often-repeated link to an 1877 tragedy is not confirmed as the reason the original bridge was built.
What the storm left behindA 1996 thunderstorm reshaped part of the forest.
A 1996 thunderstorm reshaped part of the forest. Look for a stump peeled like a banana, moss-covered logs and three fallen trees lying side by side. Oak, beech, hawthorn and hickory shade the route; wild berries and small frogs or toads are details to watch for along the way.
Before you set outEverett Covered Bridge Trailhead has a restroom, information kiosk and interpretive displays.
Everett Covered Bridge Trailhead has a restroom, information kiosk and interpretive displays. No food or drinking water is identified at the lot or on the route, so bring what you need. The repeated approach and confusing junctions make a saved map useful even though the trail is signed.
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.
