Shaker Lakes Blog

I love going for walks alongside Doan Brook. The ravine downstream of Lower Shaker Lake is one of my favorite places in the world, and honestly, I've easily spent more time there than I have at the lakes. We're so lucky to have a place like that where you can feel like you're out in wild nature even though you're still in the middle of a city. Here are some pictures I've taken on walks in the ravine:   It's such a magical place and I just love it so much. The ravine isn't the only place to go for a nice walk by Doan Brook. The Nature Center, of course, also provides that opportunity. There are also other lesser-known spots such as the valley downstream of the dam at Horseshoe Lake (note that in the currently existing park, there's a trail next to the brook):   And the section of the brook west of Lee Road, between the two lakes, is another really nice spot:   As the section of brook perhaps least altered by humans, this shows roughly what the brook would...

That the Cleveland Metroparks are a shining asset to our communities is one of those rare things that almost every Northeast Ohio resident can agree on. Everyone has complaints about how our cities and other institutions are run, which is obviously not unique here but is true anywhere, but the Metroparks? I've heard people say that everything they touch turns to gold, and if you remember what Edgewater Beach was like before the Metroparks took over, it's easy to see why. In my very first post on this blog, I briefly mentioned the man-made pond at Garfield Reservation where the Metroparks recently did a restoration to once more allow people to enjoy this historic body of water. The fact that they did this is a clear example of how people who are experts at managing parks recognize the very high value that bodies of water bring to the human experience of spending time in a park. There are two other Metroparks at which notable restoration projects have happened in recent years, a...