In the summer this area is full of Veery and Hooded Warblers, to the extent that you cannot walk without seeing them as well as hearing them. Not as common, but perennial, are Yellow-billed Cuckoos and summer nesting Dark-eyed Juncos. Several times in the last 20 years, during spring migration, there has been a visible singing Kentucky Warbler.

NOTE: As of October 2023 the existing trails have been completely removed and replaced by an adjacent set of trails, a project that was begun in the spring. 

Park in the Oak Grove picnic area off of Valley Parkway in Brecksville Reservation. Halfway back to the entrance, there is a path into the woods that is marked by a brown post. It is called the Salamander Loop Trail on the park maps. It may be muddy, but there is no climbing.

In March Spotted and Jefferson Salamanders migrate to this area. The road is closed during this migration, but the park offers a night walk where you can watch the migration and spot up to 4 species of salamanders.

From the oak-hickory forests on the ridge tops to the cottonwoods, willows, and sycamores of Chippewa Creek’s flat floodplain, Brecksville Reservation is a study of contrasts. The reservation is deeply cut by seven distinct gorges which have a wide variety of soil and sunlight conditions, fostering the growth of rare, unusual, and endangered plants. Chippewa Creek, in the northern section of the reservation, flows through a remarkable gorge that was left behind by the glaciers that once covered this area.

The reservation has an excellent and extensive system of trails, including a section of the Buckeye Trail. Squire Rich Home and Museum, managed by the Brecksville Historical Society, is located on Brecksville Road. Sleepy Hollow Golf Course and Seneca Golf Course are also a part of the reservation.