Cleveland Metroparks
Bird nerds will find a bit of paradise on the 2 1/2-mile-long Hemlock Loop Trail carving its way through the Northwest section of the Brecksville Reservation, where barred owls can be spotted year-round. “Even though they are nocturnal, they will sit in hemlock, oak and spruce trees during the day,” says naturalist Jen Brumfield. If you strike out on sightings, slip into the Brecksville Nature Center for a number of programs on select dates. 9000 Chippewa Creek Drive, Brecksville, 440-526-1012, clevelandmetroparks.com
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Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Dreaming of hiking Old World trails or climbing a staircase carved right out of The Lord of the Rings? The 2-mile-long Ledges Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park might be for you. This beautiful trail is surrounded by deciduous and evergreen forests that lead right up to a Tolkien-esque staircase carved out of rock more than 100 years ago. “It’s an area that in some ways doesn’t belong here,” says park ranger Rebecca Jones. “You come around the corner and think you’re in Canada.” 405 Truxell Road, Peninsula, 440-717-3890, nps.gov/cuva
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Lake Metroparks
The Penitentiary Glen Reservation boasts a variety of hikes, such as the Gorge Rim Loop Trail, which runs nearly a mile down and back through a hemlock forest into a ravine. Keep an eye out for a path to a small waterfall near the northern section of the trail. “It’s the hike I recommend the most when people come here, but you can connect it to other trails and just keep going,” says park ranger Andy Avram. 8668 Kirtland-Chardon Road, Kirtland, 440-256-1404, lakemetroparks.com
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