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Cuyahoga Valley National Park

, Ohio

NPCA REGION: Midwest Regional Office

Acreage: 32,860.73

Category: National Park

Date Established: 06/26/1975

More Info: http://www.nps.gov/cuva

A short trip from Cleveland, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio’s only National Park, provides solitude and great outdoor recreation. The Cuyahoga River, “crooked river”, winds through the park, surrounded by lush forest and gently rolling hills. There are over 125 miles within the park for visitors to hike, and multiple trails to bike. The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows the historic canal and offers a lovely bike route. Park visitors can hop on a train and take an excursion through the park on the scenic railroad tour.

Come to find refuge from the urban lifestyle or to find a new appreciation for the state of Ohio!

—Caroline Griffith

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Comments

I spent my childhood in the park before it was a park. My dad sold his land to the park - one of the first to sell. He saw the value of preserving the land. I still go out and visit "The farm". When I was a child, my dad and a neighbor were talking about the huge trees in the ravine. My dad asked him if the trees had ever been cut. The neighboor said that they were never cut because the ravine was too steep to get the logs out. I asked a park ranger from CV what he thought. His response was "maybe" this was virgin forest. I think it virgin forest based on the size and types of trees.

Submitted by Dan at: February 26, 2010

I've been hiking the trails in the Virginia Kendal area with my dog over the last week or so,one day in near white out conditions around the base of the ledges. It was all the adventure of a hike thru a remote wilderness with the convenience of trail markers and 4 bars on my phone,and all less than 50 miles from home. That day we didn't see anybody for over 4 hours,it was beutiful beyond words. To the earlyer post; Dogs have been with humans for as long as most of these places have been as we know them today,there have always been dogs here.It's up to the owner to act responsibly and clean up after them,and control them.

Submitted by dan-n-charlie at: February 18, 2010

For the poster above, there's no "rest of the country to catch up with" where mountain bike trails and national parks are concerned -- they're almost always mutually exclusive. Personally, I think the stance represents proper "management", just as the common policy of pets being prohibited on trails (though, unfortunately, not as common as the bike restrictions) is the obvious duty of any overseer of parks or wilderness areas that are first and foremost nature preserves.

Submitted by Erik at: January 22, 2010

I have grown up around this park and it is truly amazing. I think a lot of people take for granted this beutiful majesty in our own backyards. I have walked almost all the trails from the towpath to brandywine, and cuyahoga valley is such a unique park and that is what i love about it.

Submitted by Jessica at: January 13, 2010

The camps at Cuyahoga are awesome! They hike every day, in the rain, wind and snow! Yet, it's beautiful anyway you look at that kind of nature!

Submitted by hghannahbanana at: December 4, 2009

The Brandywine Falls are really amazing! It's great that anyone can go and take a walk through nature and it's life. I go to the Brandywine almost every Thanksgiving that I'm with my dad. Every year it gets more and more interesting, and every time I notice smaller and smaller features of the park!

Submitted by Banana at: December 4, 2009

i liked the big article but it was hard to read!!!!!

Submitted by savvey at: November 2, 2009

Hen Falls is amazing but did you know that it has another name.Some people refer to the it as Tin Falls.

Submitted by ******* at: October 10, 2009

Blue Hen Falls is awesome. As a resident of Ohio 5 minutes from the Valley I continue to be shocked that there is not one Mountain Bike Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley. In fact, it is a felony offense to leave the flat, paved bike and hike trail for something with challenge. I hope we can catch up with the rest of the country!

Submitted by cstudent at: October 5, 2009

free your soul in a park

Submitted by Anonymous at: September 30, 2009

I found this article very interesting, would love to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Submitted by Anonymous at: September 29, 2009

We just returned home from a kids trip at Virginia Kendall. Our group did the "Who's Hiding" tour with Heather. The kids (and adults) had a blast! Loved the different stations and loved the hike through the woods. Heather was awesome!!!

Submitted by Kelly at: September 25, 2009

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is my salvation. It didn't exist when I left Akron in the 70s. Two years ago I returned to Northeast Ohio after living in California for 31 years -- a place where you EXPECT to find extraordinary national parks. Ours is every bit as stunning, peaceful and interesting. I have started taking my morning walks along the Towpath Trail and the other day, I discovered the boardwalk at the Beaver Marsh. It was such a glorious day and an equally delightful surprise, that I returned that afternoon with my camera and my lunch. Today I took the Scenic Railway train from Peninsula to Akron, to Rocky River and back. The well-produced audio recording reminded me of all the forgotten history of this area. If I didn't live in the neighborhood, I might never have discovered this jewel. Since my career was destination marketing, I am making it my mission to help spread the word.

Submitted by goldenst8 at: September 3, 2009