Red Brook Metropark

Tips for Birding

There is ample parking as this is the former Ashtabula Country Club and the former clubhouse has been a restaurant (Martini’s) for 10 years.

Volunteers have been maintaining trails through the former fairways which traverse along Red Brook which is a small, direct tributary to Lake Erie. Handicap accessibility is limited to a view of the valley from area near parking lot. Red Brook Creek is the main water feature. Mature forest of oak and maple dominates the slopes of the valley. The main attraction for birders is proximity to the Lake, lending well as a stop for migrating passerines.

It is a great place to walk, and the valley is somewhat sheltered from wind off of the Lake. If birders are visiting Walnut Beach, this new park is a good stop, before or after.

About this Location

Red Brook Metropark, a former country club and golf course, has three miles of paved trails, beautiful forests, meadows, and floodplain protecting two miles of Red Brook. As a public park and nature preserve; just steps away from Lake Erie, Red Brook Metropark has a sledding hill, a favorite running and walking route, and is a haven for fishing, neighborhood picnics, and birding hikes. Winter sports include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snow biking.

Western Reserve Land Conservancy helped Ashtabula County Metroparks acquire this former country club and golf course with the intent to convert the property to a 145-acre public park for outdoor recreation and education. The Red Brook Metropark may be used for hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching, photography, identifying flora and fauna, and picnics. The park contains opportunities for education of the general public including the study of oak-maple-ash forest typical to northeast Ohio, old field habitat, and approximately 7,604 linear feet Red Brook that feeds directly into Lake Erie. The park also provides a unique small stream fishing experience through anadromous runs of steelhead and other species. In addition, the park has three miles of paved trails (former golf cart paths), beautiful forests and meadows (former fairways). As a public park and nature preserve; just steps away from Lake Erie. Red Brook Metropark has a sledding hill, a favorite running and walking route, and is a haven for fishing, neighborhood picnics, and birding hikes. Winter sports also include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snow biking.

Red Brook Metropark has a one mile ADA accessible loop.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

Content from Official Website, Western Reserve Land Conservancy Parks and Preserves webpage, and Marc Hanneman