The West Creek winds eight miles through heavily developed areas of Parma, Seven Hills, Independence and Brooklyn Heights before unceremoniously joining with the Cuyahoga River through a pipe under a building. It’s a reminder of how many creeks and rivers, not so long ago, were buried below concrete. Today, a few daring visionaries believe Northeast Ohio is hungry for something new— a connection to more parks and nature close to home.

“We know that we can never completely restore West Creek to the way it was back in the 1800s. But we can make it so that people want the stream to be a part of their lives,” Neal Hess, watershed coordinator for the West Creek Preservation Committee, explains in the documentary film, “The Return of the Cuyahoga.”

Hess, David Vasarhelyi and Dave Lincheck were the dreamweavers of restoring West Creek and, with a small army of volunteers, spent years knocking on doors, organizing support, and finally building an organization to create a West Creek Reservation.

Cleveland Metroparks assumed management of the 400 contiguous acres of greenspace in the West Creek Reservation on January 1, 2006. The Park District's goal is to effectively protect, restore and enhance the ecological integrity of the West Creek Valley. (Read more).

Location(s)

Choose from a 23-mile leisurely bycicle ride complete with a trip on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad or a 10-mile family friendly ride complete with an ice cream stop at Thornburg Station. Following the rides enjoy a BBQ lunch, giveaways and live entertainment. 

Fee. Go here for more details and to register.

A 15.9 mile connector trail linking West Creek Reservation and the following cities to the Towpath Trail:

• Village of Brooklyn Heights
• City of Independence
• City of Parma
• City of Seven Hills

The following information was provided by Building Cleveland by Design (BCbD), a project of Cleveland Public Art and Parkworks that is leading the public space design process in the Flats District (along with stakeholder groups like the city of Cleveland, which is leading the Canal Basin Park District Plan and Cuyahoga County which is leading the public space design at Wendy Park on Whiskey Island, including connections from the West Bank of the Flats).

An important consideration is how to improve connections between anchor developments like Flats East Bank and Stonebridge to beautiful and functional public spaces. This document sets goals for public space design in waterfront districts such as the Flats. For specific BCbD public space and connector design projects, see this page.

Neighborhood Overview

Cleveland’s riverfront, long dominated by industry and a source of shame after the Cuyahoga River caught fire in the 1950s and 1960s, is now being refashioned as a place for residents and visitors to see and touch the water. The upper Flats neighborhood, in particular, is one of the most compelling places in Northeast Ohio—the place where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie. With its historic buildings, bridges, barge traffic and steep hills, it has long captured the imagination of locals and visitors. The area now has a chance to achieve its full potential as a 24-hour neighborhood, with multiple private and public developments planned or underway.

Public Space Considerations

Well-designed public spaces will play a pivotal role in reclaiming the Flats and connecting proposed new developments. As the first major development likely to break ground in the neighborhood, the Flats East Bank will set the standards by which future projects are judged.

Public meeting and open house to help plan the extension of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail north from Harvard Road.

More information.

The Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI) is the most far-reaching attempt in Northeast Ohio to imagine — through the lens of sustainability — how people, cities, economic activity, and nature will co-exist in the future. The County Planning Commission is already working on pilot projects that support this vision centered on the restoration of the Cuyahoga River, the Valley and the river tributaries, including plans to establish an eco-friendly industry cluster.

In order to turn concept into action, the planning commission is in the process of designing a new organization that will restore the economic, social and environmental health of the Cuyahoga Valley.

The intention is for any new organizational capacity to work on the entire Valley and be designed to complement, not duplicate, the work of the many organizations currently active in the Valley’s revitalization, writes the commission’s director Paul Alsenas.

The commission is inviting those connected to or working in the valley to participate in the process of building the new organization. Local social networking guru Valdis Krebs of Org.net built a “network map” of Valley activity to increase awareness of who, is working on what, with whom in the Valley. If you have a connection to the valley, log on here and take the 5-10 minute survey – you can help build the infrastructure for a healthy valley.

We had to show off this drawing that Ohio Canal Corridor is using to promote its RiverSweep clean-up day this year. The tag line is: "Don't just scream about the environment...Do something about it!"

For more about volunteering at RiverSweep on May 6, go here. It's a great way to help clean up places in the Cuyahoga Valley where someday a new trail or park will be built.

Ohio Canal Corridor invites you to make a difference -- to support RiverSweep 2006, its 17th annual clean-up event where volunteers from neighborhoods, businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations and schools come together to clean those places within the Cuyahoga River Valley where one day a new park or trail will be built.

For information on how to volunteer, call 216-520-1825 or visit Ohio Canal Corridor.

2006 Canalway Symposium: Implementing regional innovations.

Learn about the new Ohio & Erie Canalway Website, Visitor Guide and America's Byway signage program. Discover how these tools can work for your organization. Workshops will provide updates on partner projects and opportunities.

Registration information.

This section will discuss the development of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the cool excursion train that runs from Akron almost to downtown Cleveland.