Cleveland Metroparks- Mill Stream Run Reservation Memories

Cleveland, Ohio is home to a beautiful park system. The Cleveland Metroparks provide over 60 miles of paved, all purpose trails. Perfect for walking, running, biking and in-line skating. I am lucky to be located right at the start of the Mill Stream Run reservation which lets me jump off the main roads and into a natural setting. While the paved trails are nice, I like to go deeper into the woods and share space with the horses on the bridle trail. Perfect for trail running, I slip into the woods at a picnic area in Berea and can follow the open trail through the forest, along the water of the Rocky River, for miles.

Watch the seasons change right in the heart of it all. These well-maintained trails are plowed and cleaned regularly. I love this natural resource right near my home. While I have a recreation center pass, exercising outdoors rarely feels like work. I enjoy the clean air, beautiful silence and scenary. Will take that over the humid air indoors, loud machines and blaring TV's at the rec.

Mill Stream Run Reservation also holds many memories. This is the branch of the Cleveland Metroparks that is located in Berea, Middleburg Heights, North Royalton and Strongsville. Several areas worth mentioning in this branch include Bonnie Park in Strongsville, which is full of history for me. I used to push a stoller though this area nearly twenty years ago with my first child, taught each my four children how to roller skate here and have thrown frisbees, flown kites and walked the trails alone and with friends hundreds of times. In fact, my husband proposed to me on a bench in the Metroparks. The same bench we used to race while dating, we are a competitive couple to this day!

Wallace Lake back in Berea, is the swimming hole and beach area. Swim, fish, canoe or relax after hiking the trails. My kids love to fish, but could care less about catching anything. Rather than call it fishing, we should just call it like it it, "casting competitions." As soon as one throws their line, the next tries to throw it harder and farther, reel it back in and try again. We rarely even put a worm on the hook, the fish don't have a chance.

The Chalet boasts an amazing toboggon adventure. The ice chutes are worth the trip. Easily substitute a winter run with a toboggon pass. Carrying the wooden sled up the stairs provides plenty of cardio and strength training for a day.

I see a lot of regulars on the Cleveland Metroparks trails. While I may not know their names, seeing them day after day is comforting. The man with his German Shepherd, the runner with the shuffling gait and the barking beagle, the laughting group of ladies, everyone has a time slot. January sees newbies with their New Year's Resolutions, hope some will stick around.

Fitness doesn't have to be expensive. Take a walk, hike the trails, run, whatever your fitness level, just move your body and watch the changes, inside and out.