Monday, April 22, 2013

Where We Ride: Rocky River - West Side Metroparks Loop

Century Cycles' store in Rocky River is located less than a mile from the Cleveland Metroparks. The staff there (as well as every Northeast Ohio cyclist) knows that the "Emerald Necklace" formed by the Metroparks contains some of the area's best riding.

This 36-mile ride starts at Huntington Reservation in the city of Bay Village. You'll enjoy views of Lake Erie at the beginning and end of the ride. You'll begin on relatively bike-friendly roads before making your way over to the Rocky River Reservation, one of the "jewels" of the Metroparks Emerald Necklace. Our route follows the Valley Parkway road through the park, but you can choose to ride on the All-Purpose Trail instead to avoid car traffic.


At the northern end of the Rocky River Reservation, you'll turn left onto Detroit Road, and pass by our Rocky River store in less than a mile, in case you're in need of any bike supplies. Turn right on Wagar Road, then after a short stretch you're back on Lake Road, on the shore of Lake Erie, to head back to your starting point in the Huntington Reservation.

The two Cleveland Metroparks Reservations that you'll ride through provide welcome places to stop for snacks or refreshments. The Rocky River Nature Center in the Rocky River Reservation has snacks, as well as park gifts, exhibits, and restrooms. During the warmer months, Mitchell's Ice Cream is open in the Huntington Reservation for refreshing post-ride treats.

You can check out the full details of the West Side Metroparks Loop on Century Cycles' Garmin Connect profile and download the route to your own Garmin device. Non-Garmin users can see the route on MapMyRide.com.


No comments:

Post a Comment