One of the newer installments in the U.S. National Park Service system, Cuyahoga Valley National Park includes nearly 33,000 acres of rural landscape along its namesake river in northeast Ohio. In 2020, the attraction will celebrate its 20th anniversary of becoming an NPS-managed site.
The park debuted the new Boston Mill Visitor Center in late October. The state-of-the art facility is the hub of activities and programs, and includes displays that recall the time when the building was the Cleveland-Akron Bag Company general store at the turn of the previous century. The other welcome center, the Canal Exploration Center, has exhibits that detail when the building was a general store, a tavern, and a residence.
Active travelers can enjoy a variety of outdoor adventure. The park is home to more than 100 miles of hiking trails, which range from easy to challenging. The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail—a compact-gravel surface that is fit for bicyclists and runners/walkers—follows alongside the river and offers great views of the surrounding woodlands.
Another popular option is taking a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The train runs Saturdays and Sundays from January to April, then adds more days and departure times for the summer and autumn months.
The Cuyahoga Valley’s waterfalls are among the park’s most photographed spots. Brandywine Falls is a 65-foot waterfall with multiple overlooks, and the two-tiered Blue Hen Falls is reachable via Buckeye Trail.
To learn more, go to nps.gov/cuva.
Top photo: Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Brandywine Falls
Photo by CC Flickr/Erik Drost: bit.ly/35IUN5U
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