Waterfalls, abandoned towns and geography shaped by ancient rivers can all be found within Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This national park is located between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, along the Cuyahoga River.
As always, this park visit began with a trip to the Visitor Center. Boston Mill Visitor Center is located in the middle of the park and easily accessible from the highway. Here you can find park maps, get information from the rangers and stamp your National Parks Passport book.
On the way to our first hike we grabbed some homemade peach salsa at a local roadside market, stopped at the Everett Covered Bridge and discussed the local history. Cuyahoga Valley is home to Helltown, a eerily deserted town from when the government took over the land as a national park. It’s got some other local folklore attached to it you can research before visiting.
Tracing History, Marveling at Geology: Ledges Trail and Beyond
Our first hike led us to the Ledges Trail, a path that gradually descended into the heart of the valley. While the vista from the trailhead was a sight to behold, the real spectacle awaited us below—stunning rock formations carved by the passage of time. As we made our way through crevices in the rocks, the exposed bedrock can be seen. If you look closely, quartz pebbles are visible in these 300 million year old rocks.
Roaring Beauty: Brandywine Falls
Next on our itinerary was the breathtaking Brandywine Falls—a majestic 62-foot waterfall viewed after a journey down stairs and a boardwalk into the gorge.
This area also has several picnic tables that we used to cook dinner and plan our evening away from the park.
This area also has several picnic tables that we used to cook dinner and plan our evening away from the park. We opted to set up the tent along the lake at a pier that allows camping overnight and get some rest before hitting the road early in the morning. The next leg of our trip will take us along Lake Erie up to New York.
