Parking
Use Brushwood Area parking at 4955 Townsend Road, Richfield. The Rock Creek Trail entrance begins by the lot; restrooms, drinking water, picnic sites and the enclosed lodge are nearby.
Overview
About Rock Creek Trail
Why go
- A shorter standalone walk than the combined Rock Creek and Old Mill outing.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation1,022–1,058 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Rock Creek 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
- The Bird That Digs a Tunnel
- An Arena Becomes a Meadow
- 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 Rock Creek Trail
A short, easy creek walkRock Creek Trail is a 1.3-mile easy loop from the Brushwood Area of Furnace Run Metro Park.
Rock Creek Trail is a 1.3-mile easy loop from the Brushwood Area of Furnace Run Metro Park. It follows Rock Creek through mature woods, crosses a bridge and returns on the opposite bank. Plan on about 40 minutes at an easy pace. It is a good choice for a brief walk centered on water and woods rather than a long hike.
Start at the Rock Creek Trail entrance by the Brushwood Area parking lot at 4955 Townsend Road. Restrooms, drinking water, picnic sites and an enclosed lodge are near the access point, not out on the loop. Leashed pets are allowed; leads must be no longer than eight feet and pets must remain under control.
Follow Rock CreekThe mostly natural-surface path runs beside the creek under sycamores and beech-maple woods.
The mostly natural-surface path runs beside the creek under sycamores and beech-maple woods. A bridge carries the route across the water, and the return follows the opposite bank, so you see the creek from both sides. The short crossing is the trail’s clearest feature; there is no need to extend onto Old Mill Trail to complete this loop.
A living creek corridorRock Creek is a tributary of Furnace Run.
Rock Creek is a tributary of Furnace Run. Rock Creek’s wooded corridor supports macroinvertebrates—small aquatic animals that live in and around the water. If you want a longer walk, Old Mill Trail connects in the Brushwood Area; the combined Rock Creek and Old Mill outing is a separate, longer route.
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.
