Although Hinckley Reservation isn’t far from our old stomping grounds in Akron, Tom and I had never been there. Hinckley Reservation is the southern-most of the Cleveland Metroparks. It is also one of the largest, with 3,200 acres. When we were deciding where to meet our friends Chris and Bill, Tom suggested Hinckley Reservation.
Hinckley Reservation is very diverse, with miles of hiking trails, equestrian trails, and multipurpose trails. There are also two lakes with kayaking and swimming. We decided to meet Chris and Bill at Whipps Ledges and hike the short trail there.
The day that we met Chris and Bill was the prettiest day so far in April. The sun was shining and the temperature was close to 70 in the afternoon. Perfect for a walk in the woods. The forest flowers were blooming and the trees were budding.
Whipps Ledges is an area of rock formations with ledges towering 350 feet above Hinckley Lake. The hike had a lot of ups and downs. Even though it was short, the climb up the hill was challenging. After all, I spent the last three months on the very flat at sea level St. Simons Island. It was good practice as Tom and I prepare to head for Cumberland Gap which has some very challenging ups and downs. I thought it was my first time there, but Tom reminded me that we had been there back in 1986 or 1987 with the youth group from Lake Brady United Methodist Church.
It was fun to explore the ledges and admire the gorgeous views over the valley. With few leaves to block our view, we could see a long way. There was some tricky footing with wet leaves and hidden roots. Tom helped me over a few rough patches. We were disappointed with the amount of graffiti sprayed on the ledges. Some carved graffiti had dates from the 1800’s, but most of it was spray-painted in garish colors. Jarring amid the beauty of the woods.
After completing that hike, we wanted to walk along the lakeshore a little bit – hoping for flatter. We found the multipurpose trail easily, but it was harder to find the lakeshore trail. Some of it was closed and not much of it followed the actual lakeshore. We came to one scenic overlook which turned out to not be very scenic because the lake is mostly drained while the spillway is being repaired. By the time we walked a mile on the lakeshore trail, I was ready for lunch.
Hinckley Reservation is a beautiful, sprawling park. It would be a good place to go again and try some of the the other trails. Worden’s Ledges has unique carvings made in the 1940s by Noble Stuart, son-in-law to the namesake of the ledges, Hiram Worden. That would be an interesting trail to hike. Buzzard Roost is the place where the buzzards are welcomed back to Hinckley Reservation. The event occurs March 15, dating back to 1957. The buzzards are welcomed back to by the Cleveland Metroparks official buzzard spotter. I wonder if that is an honorary or earned position.
We enjoyed our time at Hinckley Reservation very much. The best part, of course, was time with Chris and Bill. Whipps Ledges was a great place to hike and we saw many signs of spring.