Lots of things come to mind when I think of Cleveland, Ohio: Lebron James, A Christmas Story, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, and bad sports to name a few. The last thing I think about is a national park.
About the Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the 12th most-visited National Park according to the National Parks Service. It boasts some of the best fall foliage, gorgeous waterfalls, and over 125 miles of hiking trails. The Cuyahoga River was originally used by the Lenape Native Americans for fur trading. Once Akron and Cleveland got more populated, the area was used as a way for people in the cities to escape to nature. The area along the Ohio and Eerie Canal was used for boat rides, carriage rides, and hiking. That came to a screeching halt in 1969, when the river caught fire due to factories dumping toxic sludge into the Cuyahoga River. In an effort to heal the river and surrounding land, President Ford worked with environmentalists to dedicate the area as a National Recreation Area in 1974. The area was officially named a National Park in 2000.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is scattered throughout the rural areas in between Cleveland and Akron. You will most likely drive through neighborhoods and small towns to get to the next hike.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a FREE National Park,
Getting There
The closest airport to Cuyahoga Valley National Park is Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. CLE has some of the longest security lines that my husband and I have encountered. Granted, we were leaving with all of the Browns fans headed to an away game. You might want to give yourself plenty of time to get through security! Flights can cost $245 – $430 from DFW. You can rent a car from CLE using all the major companies. The car rental exit can be tricky when you land at 1 in morning. It is a 30-minute drive from the airport to the Boston Mill Visitor Center. For a more scenic entry to the park, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs from Independence, Ohio (20 minutes south of Cleveland), right into the park with several stops along the way.
Where to Stay
If staying in the National Park is your thing, the Stanford House and the Inn at Brandywine Falls are calling your name! Cuyahoga Valley also has plenty of campsites. With Cleveland being a major city, you’re sure to find a hotel room almost anywhere. When I visited with my husband, we stayed at the Comfort Inn in Independence. It was very reasonably priced and had the cutest greeter outside in the morning.
We booked with the app HotelsTonight. It gives you a discounted rate on hotels that are trying to fill up for the night.
Use my code for HotelsTonight and get 20% back from your stay – KAYERS61
Featured Hikes
Brandywine Falls (1 hour – 2 hours) 1.5 miles roundtrip
This hike is a great beginner-friendly hike with a great reward at the end. It doesn’t have much of an incline change and is even paved towards the Falls. Take the shortcut for a quicker view, or wind your way along the river.
Beaver Marsh (30 minutes – 60 minutes)
This wheelchair accessible hike is perfect for any ability. You can go as far as you want and even continue on the Towpath Trail. Lots of wildlife inhabit this area including ducks, herons, and beavers. Your best chance to see a beaver is at dusk and dawn.
Ledges (1 hour – 2 hours) 1.8 mile loop
Enjoy some gorgeous rock formations on this loop trail. If you don’t have enough time to complete the entire loop, you can take one of the many offshoots. This hike includes many caves that you can feel a definite temperature drop once you step inside.
Blue Hen Falls (1 hour – 2 hours) 3 mile loop from Boston Mill Visitor Center
This trail is part of the larger Buckeye trail, 1444 mile-loop around the state of Ohio). Start at the Boston Mills Visitor Center and cross Riverview Road. This hike is more moderate with almost 500 feet of elevation change. You can stop at Blue Hen Falls or continue on to Buttermilk Falls.
Passport Stamps
The National Park Service has a passport available at all National Parks. Each park and National Historic Site has a stamp you can use as a keepsake from your journey. My husband and I started ours in 2022 at the Gateway Arch. It stays on our packing list for every trip. Stamping your book is free, making it the easiest and cheapest souvenir.
You can find stamps for Cuyahoga Valley National Park at:
- Boston Mills Visitor Center
- Canal Exploration Center
- Hunt House
Wildlife
If you’re anything like me, being outdoors means being anxious about what animals you might encounter. Aside from the giant birds, this National Park ranks in my top 5 of least-scary animals. Here’s a list of some you might see:
- Beaver
- River otters
- Deer
- Raccoons
- Coyotes
- Skunks
- Muskrats
- Foxes
- Possums
- Herons
- Peregrine falcons
- Bald Eagle
Cuyahoga Valley National Park has some of the best birdwatching areas in Ohio.
Other Things in the Area
One of the coolest things about this park is the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. You can choose from excursions that are 90 minutes long to 3 hours long. This historic railroad takes you through the National Park and surrounding areas. Ticket prices vary based on what excursion. Typical coach seats are $18 for adults, $13 for kids. You can also get a one-way fare for as little as $5.
The Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is an excellent place for music lovers of all kinds. You can view iconic memorabilia from different genres of music and some of the world’s most famous artists. Tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for kids.
The House from A Christmas Story is preserved from one of the best Christmas movies of all time. You can take a tour of the house used in the film, visit the gift shop across the street, or just stop by for a picture. Ready to shoot your Red Ryder BB gun? Spend the night in the iconic house or even in the Bumpus house next door.
If you’re like me, you might have visiting every MLB ballpark on your bucket list as well. The Cleveland Guardians play just 25 minutes away from the National Park. If you’re more into football, the Cleveland Browns play 25 minutes away, as well. Don’t forget about the Cleveland Cavaliers. They play, you guessed it, just 25 minutes away from the park.
Cleveland offers a wide variety of activities to do with all ages. Check out their awesome website here!
How I Spent My Time
Josh and I flew in to CLE on a Friday night/Saturday morning and drove the 15 minutes to Independence for the night. We woke up in time to get to the park a little bit before the buildings opened at 10:00 AM. It was raining, so we enjoyed watching it pour all over the Ohio residents trying to get in their morning bike ride.
Thankfully, it stopped raining in time for us to get our classic National Park sign picture at the Boston Mill Visitor Center. Inside, we got our passport stamps, bought some souvenirs, and asked the park ranger what hikes we should do.
We knew we had to hike to Brandywine Falls, so that’s where we started. There are a few ways to get to the falls. We chose the long way so we could see more scenery. We made several stops along the way to throw rocks in the river, take pictures, and watch herons take off. Once we got to the falls, we spent a good 30 minutes just in awe of how beautiful it looked. We got lucky and made it to the falls before too many other people. We left once it started getting more crowded so everyone else could have a good view.
I really wanted to see a beaver, so we headed to the Beaver Marsh next. We enjoyed our stroll through the wetlands. We saw lots of ducks and herons, but no beaver. The locals told us where to look and said they don’t see beavers all that often. The marsh has several benches on the boardwalk, so took our time to examine each ripple in the water.
We wanted one more hike, so we headed to the Ledges. This hike has so many easy turnaround spots, which fit our time constraints perfectly. The rock formations were beautiful and Josh really enjoyed going in to some of the “caves”. We met some other hikers along the way and we got to compare notes on the National Parks we’ve visited. That’s one of my favorite things to do when visiting a park.
On our way back to the airport, we stopped to do a little sightseeing in Cleveland. My top priority was the house from A Christmas Story. We didn’t have the time to tour the house, nor did we want to spend $20+. The gift shop across the street had some pretty cool collectibles. We settled for some magnets for family and a leg lamp ornament.
Our last few minutes were spent looking at Lake Eerie and driving by the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. The grounds outside the HoF were packed! Next time we’ll have to visit.
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