Trails Now Fund

NPS DJ Reiser

Trails Now Fund: Responding to Visitor and Park Needs

Photo: Brynn Melfi

Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) offers visitors over 140 miles of hiking, cycling, and horseback riding trails that are used and loved by millions every year. CVNP continues to see increased visitation from hikers, joggers, riders, and bikers who love our trails.

The Conservancy established the Trails Now Fund, which provides crucial funding for trail maintenance, visitor amenities, and new trailheads. There are many ways for CVNP lovers to support various Trails Now projects.

Below are the Conservancy’s current Trails Now projects. Click on each project to learn more and donate, or scroll down to the bottom of the page to give a gift to the general Trails Now Fund. Money donated to the general Trails Now Fund will be used for the project with the greatest need.

Thank you in advance for your commitment to improving our trail system!

Ted Toth

Trails Now: Bridle-Hiking Trails Fund

With nearly 30 miles of combined bridle-hiking trails, one of the Conservancy’s first Trails Now Projects was to ensure the safety and well-being for horses, riders and hikers on these popular trails. In 2021, Ray and Jan Dalton made a $100,000 gift to the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park to address the much-needed maintenance and repairs to the CVNP bridle-hiking trails. The Dalton’s generous gift, paired with individual gifts, and volunteers from the Medina Chapter Ohio Horsemen’s Council resulted in successful repairs to the Valley Bridle Trail, Langes Run Trail, and Wetmore Trail. In 2022, Dalton’s and the Conservancy raised an additional $175,000+ toward Perkins, Riding Run, and Valley Trails. Work completed included repairing bridle trail surfaces, installing armored crossings, repairing and cleaning trail bridges, cleaning and installing trail drainage features, trimming of trail corridors, removing trees, and improving trail signs.

The Conservancy is continuing to support bridle-hiking trail improvements this year with your support. Please join us in the opportunity to raise an additional $50,000 for bridle-hiking trail improvements on Butler Trail and Tabletop Trail, benefiting the riders, hikers, runners, joggers and walkers of Northeast Ohio who enjoy them.

Make your tax-deductible gift to the Conservancy for CVNP today and make an impact now!

Donate

Trails Now: Pedestrian Footbridges

The Conservancy began raising funds to help CVNP replace pedestrian bridges within the park in 2020. Through the support of individual donors and the Trails Forever Fund, we raised over $60,000 to assist the park in replacing Old Carriage Trail, Plateau Trail, and Stanford Trail footbridges. Wooden bridges were replaced with fiberglass truss bridges and new wood decking. These new bridges ensure safer and more secure footing across a number of creeks that intersect the trails.

Give a gift to the Trails Now Project

Money donated to the general Trails Now Fund will be used for the project with the greatest need. Once fundraising needs have been met for any current trail projects, any remaining funds will be applied to our general Trails Now Fund. Thank you in advance for supporting our trails!

Photo: Jerry Jelinek