About us

Red Raider Trails is committed to preserve and protect the community’s natural beauty. As a part of this commitment, Red Raider continues to maintain over 3.5 miles of trails some of which are connected to Silver Creek and the West Woods Parks. Horse enthusiasts and nature aficionados alike frequent these meandering trails to catch sight of the ravines, unique foliage, winding creeks, and the waterfall.

During the initial phases of growth, Transcom Developers sought to capture the unique and serene beauty of this community and hired Dr. Edward J.P. Hauser, Biologist and Environmentalist from Lakeland Community College, to assess the unique characteristics the land had to offer. Excerpts from the original Red Raider Trails brochure describe the scenery in the following way.

“Bedrock materials and plants from Canada – it sounds unlikely, but it’s true. The gorges along the scenic walkway at Red Raider Trails allow the hiker or naturalist an opportunity to enter a rare ecological community. The area resembles southern Canada and the Allegheny Region of New York and Pennsylvania. Bedrock exposed 60 or more feet vertically is infrequently encountered in northeastern Ohio.

The unusual feature at Red Raider Trails is that the Silver Creek watershed has cut a deep gorge and ravine through the bedrock. Origin of the bedrock can be traced back 300 million years. At that time, strong streams from Canada carried sediments of sand grains and small quartz pebbles of gravel size. These materials became loosely cemented and became the bedrock which geologists call the Sharon Conglomerate Sandstone Formation. Because sandstone is hard or tightly bonded, erosion has created the deep gorge and ravine character of the area. The vegetation growing along the gorge and ravine has a more northern floristic affinity. On these sites the Canada Hemlock grows as if it were at home in southern Canada.

Under these rare growths of hemlock can be found Canada Mayflower sometimes called “false lily of the valley.” It blooms around Memorial Day. As part of the ground-floor cover, many sweet-scented violets blossom in the spring. A common evergreen vine is the Partridge Berry, conspicuous in the fall with its glossy red berries. Plant ecologists feel that this classification of Canada Hemlock and other unusual species found a home along the cooler, drier gorges and ravines of Geauga County after the glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago.

As you walk this nature trail, imagine yourself in a remote part of Canada or the Allegheny Region. Such a small spot has been preserved for you at Red Raider Trails.”