If you live in Bedford, or any of our neighboring communities that originally comprised Bedford Township, you have some of the best access to recreational areas in Northeastern Ohio. We are fortunate to have the Bedford Metroparks Reservation in our backyard, which offers hiking, golf, horseback riding, bird watching, kayaking, picnic areas and bicycle trails, just to name a few options, and of course the Bedford Reservation adjoins the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. With over 2,200 acres in the Bedford Reservation alone, the opportunities for outdoor recreation are vast. But did you know that you can ride a bicycle from Bedford to downtown Cleveland or downtown Akron and be on a bike path or dedicated bike lane almost the entire way? We also have almost ten miles of single track for those who want to try their mountain biking skills; even better, the single track is comprised of discreet sections of trail between .34 miles and 1.24 miles in length, all connected by a dedicated shared-use paved trail separate from the roadway. What this means is that you can ride the single track for as much or as little as you like, you aren’t committed to the entire ten-mile loop. This makes the trail great for beginners, while still providing a challenge for more experienced riders.
If you’ve explored everything there is to see in the Bedford Reservation, The Cuyahoga Valley National Park boasts over 32,000 acres of green space, along with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Construction of the Towpath Trail began in 1825, and was completed in 1832. It is 110 miles long, and originally connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River, and was used to transport goods to Lake Erie waterfront in Cleveland. Today the Towpath is a fantastic resource for equestrians, hikers, runners and cyclists free from any automotive traffic, and even offers educational opportunities at the Canal Visitor Center, where lock 38 has been restored so visitors can see how it looked when the Towpath was in its heyday.
One glance at a map makes it clear that Bedford borders the largest contiguous park system in Northeastern Ohio, but many folks in the area don’t realize the range of outdoor activities available out their back door, or how beautiful and varied our local parks are. If you want to explore the Bedford Reservation on a bicycle, The Broadway Cyclery, located on Broadway Avenue in Historic Downtown Bedford is a full-service bike shop with a great selection of bikes and accessories to make your outing a success. They offer bike repairs to get your bike up and running, and bike rentals if you don’t have a bike of your own. Whether you want to hike, walk your dog, ride a horse or ride your bike, Bedford is the place to do it.
