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Black River Reservation Days Dam
4.7 ★★★★★ 770 Google reviews · Running trail in Lorain, Ohio · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- 4.5 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Black River Reservation Days Dam's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Park with a playground, picnic tables, and grills, plus paved and natural walking and biking trails, and a waterfall.
What runners say about Black River Reservation Days Dam
“I was pleased at how clean it was.”
“Lots of beautiful flowers blooming In this park & we saw a fuzzy Caterpillar so not sure if it fully one color what that means about the upcoming winter weather.”
Really nice trail to walk that crosses the river a few times. You may see deer, turkey, ducks, and signs of beaver activity.
Nice paved trail and grass waterfall trail. The trails to get close to the fall are too difficult with toddlers but looked fairly easy for an adult. Huge pavilion. Challenging playground for 3-5 year old (wears them out). Free parking on site. Clean park.
The Days Dam section of the park is beautiful - you can access it through the walking path by the river from Cascade (it's about a half mile walk on a paved path/sidewalk), or via the paved ramp down from the very small parking space up at the top of the hill.
This is a very nice park, The trail is paved and great for biking. The trail goes from Lorain to Elyria but not sure exactly how many miles that is, maybe 8 miles.
Trail conditions & character
“It has a few notable things to see, a giant tree that may be Lorain county's largest and oldest, and two waterfalls.”
“Little bit of a walk (paved path, then grass) to get to the waterfalls but very enjoyable.”
“Grass wasn't cut, playground was quite muddy, but the grandkids still had fun!”
“There is a well beaten path off the waterfall loop.”
“When entering the reservation there is a huge parking area.”
“The playground in the area isn't really safe/accessible/usable by little kids - there are climbing features and a slide but no real ladder or safety features.”
Plan your run at Black River Reservation Days Dam
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- Loop distance4.5 mi back to where you parked
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking, water — reported by runners
- Stroller / wheelchairReported as smooth and step-free enough for a running stroller or a chair.
- Websiteloraincountymetroparks.com
- Phone+1 440-458-5121
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
| Thursday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
| Friday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
| Saturday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
| Sunday | 6 am–8:30 pm |
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