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The Quiet Side of Cuyahoga Valley: Hiking the Riding Run Trail
Updated: 3 days ago
Hiking the Riding Run Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers a quiet stroll through rolling hills, winding ravines, and patches of mixed hardwood forest. While the trail lacks scenic views, its varied terrain and solitude make it a solid option for those looking to escape the crowds and enjoy a more peaceful side of the park. With few hikers and fewer distractions, it’s an ideal outing for anyone craving quiet miles in Ohio’s only national park.
Trail Info
Length 4 miles
Elevation gain 440 feet
Route Loop
Permit required no
Dogs allowed on leash
Trailhead elevation 748'
Water none
Don't miss early summer when wildflowers are in bloom
Hiking the Riding Run Trail
It’s another sweltering July morning when I arrive at the Everett Covered Bridge Trailhead. At 7:45 AM, the lot holds only a handful of vehicles—understandable, given that it’s already 92 degrees. I’m here for the Riding Run Trail, a hike I haven’t done in 15 years and don’t remember particularly fondly. Still, it feels worth revisiting. From the trailhead—also the starting point for the Perkins Trail—I follow the crushed gravel path for about a hundred yards to the Everett Covered Bridge.
Beyond the bridge, the trail hugs Old Everett Road to the left and parallels Furnace Run to the right. The old, broken asphalt has mostly been overtaken by nature, now blending into the landscape.
About half a mile in, the trail veers right and continues along a rougher stretch of the road, where large chunks of pavement still remain. It keeps me out of the forest mood a bit, but shafts of sunlight filtering through the pines along the creek help redeem the moment.
At the 0.8-mile mark, the trail turns left into the woods. A well-marked junction signals the start of the loop portion, where I choose to go right and hike it counterclockwise. A steady climb begins, winding through a mix of hardwoods and pine, the sun breaking through the canopy in golden slants.
After about half a mile, the incline levels off and the trail enters a tall, fragrant stand of pines. It then shifts back to hardwood forest. There are no sweeping views here, but the solitude is undeniable—and appreciated.
This area was once part of a much larger Native American travel network known as the Muskingham Trail, an important north-south indigenous trail through what is now Cuyahoga Valley. The trail entered the valley from the south and traveled north through roughly the same landscape occupied today by Bath Road, Hale Farm, Everett, Furnace Run, and Riding Run. It wasn't simply a little footpath connecting nearby settlements. Indigenous trails formed a regional transportation network linking villages, hunting grounds, waterways, and other major routes. During the 1600s and 1700s, tribes such as the Delaware, Ottawa, Wyandot, and Oneida most certainly used this corridor for these purposes.
If you've hiked Riding Run, you know how dissected the landscape is. There are steep hillsides and deep little ravines everywhere. Traveling randomly east-west across these hills would have meant constantly climbing and descending. Following a stream valley like Furnace Run offered a more natural route through the terrain. So, as you hike Riding Run today, you're traveling through a landscape that once served as an important corridor for Native Americans moving through the Cuyahoga Valley hundreds of years ago.
Around mile 2.2, the trail bends left and begins a long, gentle descent. Moss-covered logs line the path, and I catch the faint sound of Riding Run bubbling somewhere off to the east.
This section brings variety: two small wooden footbridges over dry creek beds, massive oaks with crooked limbs, and a junction with the connector trail to the Perkins Trail.
The Riding Run Trail continues straight, but hikers interested in a quick detour can turn right toward the Perkins Trail. After heading downhill for about 0.15 miles, look to the left to spot an old brick chimney standing above the west bank of Furnace Run.
Exactly what the chimney was used for—or who it once belonged to—remains unclear. Several of its bricks bear stamps indicating they were manufactured in Wooster, Ohio, likely during the late 1890s or early 1900s. While the age of the bricks does not necessarily establish when the chimney itself was constructed, they suggest that the structure may date to the early 20th century.
Back on the Riding Run Trail and roughly three-quarters of a mile past the junction, I step off the main trail and begin an easy descent down the slope to my right, heading toward Riding Run. There’s an old abandoned cabin near the water I’ve been wanting to check out for some time. After about 225 yards and a bit of light bushwhacking, I find it—its roof caved in but still standing—at approximately 41.206422, -81.590060.
Little is known about the cabin’s history, though some say it was built by a couple in the 1950s as a weekend getaway—long before the area became part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area and nearly half a century before its designation as a national park.
The cabin’s south, east, and west walls, along with a large stone fireplace, remain in surprisingly good shape given their age. The north wall, however, has completely collapsed, and most of the roof is gone.
Hidden from the trail, the cabin is seen by few hikers, though evidence shows that it’s been visited occasionally over the years.
After wandering around the site for a while, I make my way back to the main trail. By the 3.2-mile mark, the loop closes, and I retrace my steps along Old Everett Road—back across the bridge and eventually to the trailhead.
There were no dramatic views on the Riding Run Trail, but I still enjoyed the quiet and the time alone in the woods. It’s not the most scenic option in the park, but for those looking to escape the crowds and stretch their legs, it serves its purpose. Linking it with the Perkins Trail would make for a more varied and enjoyable loop—something I’ll come back for when the valley's fall colors are nearing their peak.
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