Parking
Park in the Wildlife Woods lot at 313 Boston Mills Road. The trailhead is at the far end of the lot.
Overview
About Wildlife Woods Trail
Why go
- A quick, wooded climb with access to a longer trail loop.
Heads up
- Root-covered footing and a brief steep section.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cuyahoga Valley map
Full mapElevation760–890 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 Wildlife Woods 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
Wildlife Woods Trail0:00 / 0:26
“Wildlife Woods Trail is coming up, a short wooded climb from the Boston Mills Road parking lot. Allow thirty to sixty minutes for the three-quarter-mile out-and-back, with roots, rocks and a brief steep section.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cuyahoga Valley Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Chestnut That Keeps Coming Back
- The Village Powered by the Falls
- A Grove That Could Be One Plant
- East Rim 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 Wildlife Woods Trail
A short climb through the woodsWildlife Woods Trail is the 0.
Wildlife Woods Trail is the 0.75-mile out-and-back on an unpaved path through a wooded hillside in Peninsula. The path climbs about 130 feet from the Boston Mills Road lot to the far junction, then you retrace it. Allow 30–60 minutes: it is brief, but the climb and uneven tread make it more than a flat stroll.
Roots, bridge, and the far junctionThe trail runs under a closed hardwood canopy on dirt with exposed roots and rocks.
The trail runs under a closed hardwood canopy on dirt with exposed roots and rocks. There is a short steep section and a wooden bridge. At the far end, turn around for the route described here. Continuing onto the Buckeye and Valley Bridle trails makes a separate loop that the city describes as 1.5 miles. Dogs can join on leash; Hudson parks close at dusk.
A gift that became Hudson’s first parkWilliam B. Shilts bought this 58-acre parcel in 1920 as a family retreat.
William B. Shilts bought this 58-acre parcel in 1920 as a family retreat. In 1959, he offered it to Hudson, a gift that set the city’s first Park Board in motion and created its first park. The short trail still follows a wooded hillside rather than a developed overlook or long valley 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
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.
