By:
Submission
There are 2 primitive sites here.
The West Woods is a 902-acre park that protects the historic sandstone ledges of Ansel’s Cave, Silver Creek and its watershed, extensive wetlands and mature forests.
From Erie and points north: Travel I-90 to Route 306. Travel south on Route 306 for approximately 12.7 miles to Route 87. Turn east on Route 87, and travel 1.9 miles to the park entrance on the south side of the road.
From Akron and points south: Travel I-422 to 306 exit. Turn north onto Route 306, travel approximately 5.3 miles to Route 87. Turn east on Route 87, and travel for approximately 1.9 miles. Park entrance is on the south side of Route 87.
From Warren and points east: Travel Route 87 approximately 3 miles west of Auburn Road. Park entrance is on the south side of Route 87.
From Cleveland and points west: From Cleveland and points west: Travel I-271 N to US 422W. Exit 29 Chagrin Blvd. OH -87. Travel Route OH-87 1.9 miles east of Route 306. Park entrance is on the south side of Route 87.
We walked the Ansel's Cave Trail and the trail itself was a great hike! I would've brought my rating down to 3/5 because you can't actually walk back into the cave, there are signs prohibiting it :( . However, we came out at the wrong side of the trail on our hike back and ran into the nature center! Having 3 kids (ages 12, 7 and 3), this was a nice surprise to get into a cool place after our hike and get some hand on activity time. Thus, bringing my rating up to a 4/5! Follow me on IG @mother_beast
This park is a gem among many others in Geauga County, OH. Take the Ansel Cave Trail and enjoy spectacular views of a creek running between lichen-covered ledges. The cave itself is not much of a cave but more of a fissure surrounded by the rocks. The trail is not too crowded (we visited in October). A surprising benefit is a dense tree canopy - raining didn't feel too bad. Pavilions are mostly empty and make a great place for a small picnic.
I recently visited The West Woods for the first time to do some hiking. There is a beautiful air conditioned nature center building with some exhibits and very nice restrooms adjacent to a large parking lot. I hiked the Ansel's Cave trail which was a pretty steady uphill incline through the woods for about the first 20 minutes or more of hiking. There were also some steps involved before you finally reach the Sharon Conglomerate rock outcroppings. A plaque gave some information about the rock formations. There was also a scenic Creek nearby and a little wooden bridge and small boardwalk area near more of the outcroppings then the trail continues uphill with additional steps which were somewhat steep, so this would not be a great hike for folks with mobility issues. The trail continues through the woods and then loops back toward the park driveway and nature center area. I also did some hiking on the trails near the nature center area, and those were an easier hike. I definitely recommend bringing some water with you if you are hiking to the rocky outcroppings since a lot of it is uphill. This park is located near the border of Newbury and Russell but it was definitely worth the trip.
Amazing park for hiking. The Ansel's Cave trail is gorgeous & not too difficult. There are some steps but none too strenuous. The cave area is worth the trek.
