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."
