The Pacific coast gets a lot of love for beautiful sunsets. And so do the Arizona deserts and the mountain vistas along the Rockies. Likewise, up and down the east coast are simply beautiful spots for incredible sunrises.
While we don’t have an ocean or mountain peaks around here, Cleveland definitely has some lovely spots to catch a vibrant sunset or a beautifully cool and colorful sunrise. Working Lake Erie into a sunrise or sunset viewing isn’t too difficult. Voinovich Park downtown and the Solstice Steps in Lakewood are both incredible venues to catch the setting sun over our Great Lake.
But there are also numerous hidden gem sites to catch the rising or setting sun in a little bit of local glory. I’ve taken a lot of such shots over the years, here are a few that are all fairly recent.
Sunrises
Bedford Reservation – Tinkers Creek
This spot is located near the intersection of Dunham Road and Gorge Parkway; it’s a beautiful spot for a sunrise but only for a few weeks at the right time of the year.
Bedford Reservation – Shadow Lake
This lake, really a large pond, is located on Hawthorne Parkway just a bit east of Richmond Road; it’s a nice spot for a sunrise just about any time of the year.
Bedford Reservation – Tinkers Creek Gorge Overlook
Located on Gorge Parkway, this spot sits high above the Tinkers Creek Gorge, a National Natural Landmark Site. However, due to its orientation, a sunrise view is only accessible in a very short window of the summer.
South Chagrin Reservation – Quarry Rock Falls
This location also offers a somewhat shorter viewing opportunity but is reasonably accessible from late spring through summer. And you might need to get your feet a little wet down in the Chagrin River for the best view.
Tinkers Creek State Nature Preserve
A lightly travelled site, this small preserve includes seven separate ponds along the trail and is absolutely beautiful in the fall. In the winter, if you can brave a cold morning, there are several outstanding spots to catch the rising sun through the bare trees.
Drone Shots
And if you happen to have a drone/quadcopter, here are a few selections that offer a good sunrise view along with an interesting foreground:
The Cuyahoga River Valley
Chippewa Creek
Tinkers Creek Gorge
So, if you’re up early and interested in sunrises, venture out to our beautiful, local parks and catch a glimpse of awe-inspiring beauty here in the CLE.
Sunsets
Here are a few hidden gem spots for good sunset views.
Astorhurst Park – The Bedford Reservation
This spot is a former golf course acquired by the Cleveland Metro Parks several years ago; it has been mostly allowed to go back to its natural state. The old cart path is now a hiking path through the park and it includes a couple of excellent spots to catch a sunset at almost any time of the year.
Liberty Park – Tinkers Creek Area
Located in Streetsboro, this park is the former Tinkers Creek State Park now managed by Summit Metro Parks. It includes a lake with a rustic hiking path encircling it. The orientation of the lake makes it a great spot to catch a sunset and the hiking path makes it easy to follow the setting sun over the course of the year.
Longwood Park
This community park is located in Macedonia and includes a tree lined pond, ballfields, a playground, and a couple of short-ish hiking trials. Uniquely, the trees and pond provide an interesting sunset experience once the leaves are down in the fall and then throughout the winter.
Know Before You Go
Catching an interesting or colorful sunrise or sunset is definitely a hit or miss endeavor. I’ve found that a little bit of cloud cover is best for what I like to see. But it also needs to be the right kind of cloud cover and nothing too close to the horizon. And again, personally speaking, a perfectly clear sky doesn’t offer a good sunrise/sunset pic for me.
Second would be a morning fog, not an area-wide heavy fog though, rather when low-lying area fog conditions exist. If so, the Cuyahoga River and some of its major tributaries tend to get a very interesting river of fog directly above the river itself. Oftentimes, this occurs when there’s no other fog at all in the area. To me, that’s very interesting, especially from a visual perspective.
We’re coming up on a good time of year to get out and catch the rising or setting sun. Right now, the sun is coming up all that early so it’s a little easier to get motivated and leave the house than in late June into July when it’s rising before 6a! And the sun is setting around 8p now, so likewise, not that late in the evening.
Enjoy these options and get out and find other beautiful spots to catch the sun early or late near you!
