Your parks provide numerous scenic trails to enjoy under saddle.
Please enjoy perusing the resources below, including a map of parks with equine trails, rules for riding, trailer parking addresses, mileage and trail notes, and any available naturalist-led horseback riding opportunities.
The Whitetail Trail makes a loop through woodland, meadow and overlooking wetlands. This gravel trail has gently sloping terrain and a small bridge.
The Creek Trail is a well-drained gravel trail for riding and includes hills and streams with breathtaking views of Big Creek and its valley surrounded by mature forest, wildflowers and wildlife. The Highline Trail, east to Robinson Road, has portions that are primitive with a challenging stream crossing, steep hill and ruts.
The Buckeye Trail is a 2-mile gravel trail with a bridge crossing and views of the East Branch Reservoir shared by horseback riders, hikers, bicyclists and Amish buggies. During dry weather, visitors can add variety to their ride by also traveling the primitive 1.4 mile Maple Bridle Trail west of the Buckeye Trail.
Note: To avoid the boardwalk along the Old Ironsides Trail, an optional horse bypass is available to equestrians who are comfortable with primitive trails. Click here to learn how to access Cleveland Metroparks’ South Chagrin Reservation from Holbrook Hollows.
The surface of The Maple Highlands Trail is asphalt; horses may use the unpaved berm on either side of the pavement. Bicyclists and Amish buggies also frequent this section, with bicyclists and walkers instructed to yield to horses. Access is best made through Headwaters Park in Huntsburg, but can also be made through the sugarbush side of Swine Creek Reservation in Middlefield. However, riders from Swine Creek must ride Bridge Road for 1.1 miles of the trail, and further north ride through the Village of Middlefield.
Open to riders are the gravel, nearly level Woodland Loop and Nassau Connector Trails, which travel through young forest past Nassau Astronomical Station.
The gravel Wagon Trail and more primitive Gray Fox Trail and Meadowlark Trails travel mature woodland ravines and meadows with wildflowers, birds, butterflies and maple sugaring in season.
Horse trails here are well-drained gravel with hills, bridge and stream crossings through mature forests, wetlands and ledges. The Pioneer Bridle Trail here is a 2.7-mile loop, with Affelder Link, Music Street Link and Ansel’s Cave trails radiating out from the main loop, and Tulip Trail is a 1.2-mile loop off of Affelder Link. Riding out and back on all the trails open to horses can provide more than 9 miles under saddle featuring habitat diversity and a wide variety of wildlife.
| Event | Location | Date | Time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horseback Trail Ride | The West Woods | 05/09/2026 | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm | Free |
| Horseback Trail Ride Connecting the Parks | Holbrook Hollows | 06/20/2026 | 10:00 am - 2:00 pm | Free |
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