Location: Cleveland, OH in Cuyahoga County
Length: 17.4 miles / asphalt (includes road routes)
Class: A1
The Lakefront Bikeway connects parks and attractions along Cleveland's north coast. In order to do this, the route utilizes road riding sections along Cleveland city streets. [Scroll past 'Trail Facts' to continue reading.]
Location: Cuyahoga County, OH
Class: A1
Length: 17.4 miles / asphalt (includes road routes)
Condition: N/A
Facilities: Available in the parks and marinas along the route.
Parking: Lakefront Fishing Area - E. 72nd St.. (See trail map for more options.)
Map: Cleveland Lakefront Trail or Sm Screen Version
Elevation: East to west
More Trails in this Region: NE OH Trails List
The route utilizes trail, bike lanes, wide sidewalks and road routes to stretch about 17 miles between Cleveland's corporation limits from west to east. This same expanse defines the boundaries of the Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Hence the name, Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway.
As you may know, this is not your typical Ohio multi-use bikeway where virtually all the riding is off road, separate from car traffic. The goal here is to keep you as close to the coastline as possible (when possible), while moving you from the east side of the city to the west, or vice versa.
Though trail is present in the parks and along a road section or two, connecting road routes are a challenge here and require serious urban street riding skills. Families are better served by sticking to the park sections of the route.
A large section of the trail on the eastside offers up several parks, some beaches, marinas, an airport and a cluster of attractions conveniently grouped between W. 3rd and E. 9th Streets. Those being the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, The Great Lakes Science Center (with Omnimax theatre) and the Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Trying to weave a bike trail between existing development in a limited space is always a challenge. Add a shoreline to the equation and you toughen the task. So, it's no surprise that road riding sections are used here. We hope that sufficient infrastructure in the form of signage, bike lanes, etc. is also available to allow cyclists to enjoy the full scope of the bikeway as safely as possible.
Construction of a lakefront trail in Euclid in 2019, bodes well for shoreline trail access and erosion control. It also sets the table for a possible trail link with the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway sometime in the future.
