Winter Sports

To learn if sledding and skating areas are open, scroll below and follow @metro_parks on Twitter.

Winter sports update

Last updated February 8, 2023.

All sledding and ice skating locations are currently closed.

Borrow snowshoes

You can borrow snowshoes – for free – from the Liberty Park Nature Center (9999 Liberty Rd., Twinsburg). Click here for building hours.

Snowshoes may not leave the park, may only be used on Bluebird Trail, and must be returned by 4:45 p.m. on the date of the loan. A signed waiver is required.

Please call the nature center for availability and an inventory of sizes: 330-487-0493.

The best conditions for sledding include frozen ground with at least two inches of snow cover. Remember to walk up the side of sled hills, not in the center where you may be in the path of moving sleds. Sledding is prohibited on trails and wooded hills. 

• Cascade Valley Metro Park / Oxbow Area (lighted): 1061 Cuyahoga St., Akron
• Firestone Metro Park / Tuscarawas Meadows Area: 2620 Harrington Rd., Akron
• Firestone Metro Park / Warner Road Area: 200 E. Warner Rd., Akron
• Furnace Run Metro Park / Brushwood Area: 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield
• Goodyear Heights Metro Park / Main Entrance (lighted): 2077 Newton St., Akron
• Munroe Falls Metro Park / Lake Area (lighted): 521 S. River Rd., Munroe Falls
• Sand Run Metro Park / North Hawkins Area (lighted): 800 N. Hawkins Ave., Akron

Never skate on a pond or lake unless signs indicate it is open for skating. Ice must be four inches thick and free of snow, and temperatures must remain several degrees below freezing for long periods of time. Wear properly fitted skates with sharpened blades for enhanced control and safety.

• Furnace Run Metro Park / Brushwood Lake (lighted): 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield
• Sand Run Metro Park / Big Bend Area (lighted): 1337 Merriman Rd., Akron

Ice fishing is possible at your own risk, dawn to dusk, as conditions allow. Users may not light fires, take motorized vehicles onto the ice, or build/leave structures and shelters on park property. Temporary shanties may be moved only by hand from the parking lot to the lake, and must be removed daily. View the ODNR Division of Wildlife's ice fishing safety tips.

• Liberty Park / Tinkers Creek Area: 10303 Aurora-Hudson Rd., Streetsboro
• Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park / Lot C4: 5550 Christman Rd., Green
• Silver Creek Metro Park: 5000 Hametown Rd., Norton

Some areas are too steep to negotiate safely on skis. To help keep your skis from being damaged by sharp, uncovered stones, ski only when trails have at least two inches of snow cover.

• Firestone Metro Park / Warner Road Area: Redwing Trail, Walking Course and Willow Trail; 200 E. Warner Rd., Akron
• Furnace Run Metro Park / Brushwood Area: Rock Creek Trail and halfway around Brushwood Lake; 4955 Townsend Rd., Richfield
• Goodyear Heights Metro Park / Pioneer Area: Alder Trail: 550 Frazier Ave., Akron
• Munroe Falls Metro Park / Lake Area: Skiing is permitted on paved surfaces, fields, and on Indian Spring Trail to Heron Pond; 521 S. River Rd., Munroe Falls
• Munroe Falls Metro Park / Tallmadge Meadows Area: Meadow Trail; 1088 North Ave., Tallmadge
• Silver Creek Metro Park / Cross-country Course: 4579 Medina Line Rd., Norton
• Silver Creek Metro Park / Pheasant Run Area: Chippewa and Pheasant Run trails; 5000 Hametown Rd., Norton
• Springfield Bog Metro Park: Prairie Trail: 1400 Portage Line Rd., Springfield Twp.

Cross-country skiing is also possible on the 34-mile Bike & Hike Trail, the district’s 22.4 miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and the 6-mile Freedom Trail in Tallmadge.