Rabbit Run Loop Trail

The Rabbit Run Loop Trail (recognizable at signposts with a blue "blaze" and rabbit logo) starts from the Penitentiary Glen parking lot. The trail begins just left of the Nature Play area and is a well groomed crushed gravel trail. The trail passes by the Gorge Rim Loop Trail and multiple connectors. The trail soon enters the forest and descends down into Penitentiary Glen. At the bottom of the park's namesake ravine, the trail can get muddy depending on recent weather (stay to the trail and do not expand the trail by trying to avoid the mud) and includes one creek crossing that you can often rock hop across if you're careful. Shortly after the creek crossing is a short, but very steep hill. As the trail crests back out of Penitentiary Glen it resumes its doubletrack character and soon comes to a junction with the Kirtland Connector Trail on the right (this is a great way to extend your hike). Stay left and continue heading east. There are several connector trails to the Red Fox Loop Trail as you enter the large meadow in the SE corner of the park. Continue to follow the blazes as they take you along the perimeter of the park and past two ponds. After going around the second pond, the trail turns NE and parallels Booth Road. This is the only section of the trail that does not double as part of the 1,444 mile Buckeye Trail. The trail re-enters the woods, and continue to stay right at junctions to stay on Rabbit Run Loop Trail. Veering to the left in this section will put you on the Halle Home Trail, a more scenic and better maintained (though shorter) trail in this section. Rabbit Run Loop Trail parallels Booth to its intersection with Kirtland Chardon Road and then takes a left, rejoins the Buckeye Trail, and parallels that road through the grassy field back to the parking lot. Sam and Blanche Halle, wealthy Clevelanders who owned the Halle Bros. Co department store (closed in 1982), bought the Penitentiary Glen land in 1912 as their "summer estate" away from the city. In the early 70s, the land was leased to the Cleveland Land Trust and in 1975 Penitentiary Glen was purchased by the Lake County Metroparks. Check out https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/488#.WYsS34jyvIU for more history. The trail is open to horses; give them the right of way and step off the downhill side of the trail and wait to allow the horse to pass. The trail is popular, so please be friendly and say "hi" to everyone else out enjoying the forest!