There are two main access points to the Salt Run Trail where there is parking:

• At Pine Hollow/Virginia Kendall Hills on Quick Road
• At Kendall Lake on Truxell Road (also called Kendall Park Road)

The first photo shows the access to the west of the Pine Hollow parking lot, and the second photo shows the lodge building that you must pass behind to get to the Salt Run Trail access behind the lake (the southwest side of lake).

It’s an enjoyable 2-hour walk on the Salt Run Trail through a mixed forest of pine, oak, hickory, beech and fabulous old hemlock. The trail offers a respite from the busier trails thus offering a better chance at viewing the area’s white-tailed deer, wild turkey, coyotes, and a variety of bird life including pileated woodpeckers, warblers, and even the colorful scarlet tanager.

The elevation change of this trail is 160 feet dropping you into low-lying areas where fern, moss, and lichen cling to moist rock. The sunnier open meadows offer a chance at spying yellow wood-sorrel ((Oxalis stricta) and common cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex).

Directions from Kendall Lake: Travel OH-303 out of Hudson turning south (left) onto OH-8 (Akron-Cleveland Road). Take OH-8 less than a mile turning right (west) onto Truxell-Kendall Park Road. You’ll see a large RV dealer located on the east side of OH-8. You’ll head west! Travel 1.7 miles west to reach Kendall Lake. Begin on Lake Trail which is found behind the large shelter. Hike it about midway around the lake. As the trail turns from woodland to field on your left, you’ll see a trail sign for Salt Run Trail.

Directions from Pine Hollow Parking Area, Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Travel south out of Peninsula along Akron-Peninsula Road about 1.5 miles turning left (east) onto Quick Road. Travel a short distance to Pine Hollow parking area. Signage is good.

Though a short distance from the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park seems worlds away. The park is a refuge for native plants and wildlife and provides routes of discovery for visitors. The winding Cuyahoga River gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. Walk or ride the Towpath Trail to follow the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal.

Warning: All areas of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park are prone to deer ticks from the early spring until late fall, so prepare accordingly before birding.

Restrooms at locations identified on Cuyahoga Valley National Park map. Most areas have non-flush toilets; there are flush toilets available at the Pine Hollow parking lot on Quick Road and the Virginia Kendall Lake lodge building.

The Salt Run Trail is a moderate to difficult hike traveling over 3.25 miles of woodland, meadow, and rugged hills. The footpath has two trailheads: one off Lake Trail on the far side of Kendall Lake and the other from the Pine Hollow parking area on Quick Road.