what to do in cuyahoga valley national park

Ane Perfect Day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

One twenty-four hour period in Cuyahoga Valley National Park is all the time yous need to visit the highlights. With ane mean solar day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you can hike one or ii short trails, spot wild animals in Beaver Marsh, visit a few waterfalls, and ride the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

Quick Facts About Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. In 2019, 2.2 1000000 people visited this national park, putting it 13th on the list of near visited national parks in the U.s..

The Cuyahoga River runs north – s, forming the backbone of the park. The Ohio and Erie Towpath and the Cuyahoga Valley Breathtaking Railroad run alongside this river.

This national park lacks the "remoteness" that you find in other parks in the The states. Houses, small communities, and markets share infinite with Cuyahoga Valley National Park, giving this park an urban feel. Simply that has its advantages. You will ever have cellular service and it's but a brusque drive to restaurants, or even back to your hotel, making this park very like shooting fish in a barrel to visit.

Also, in that location is no fee to enter Cuyahoga Valley National Park and no park entrance booths, and so yous don't have to worry about waiting in the dreaded long lines to enter the park.

I Day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Best Things to Do

With one solar day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, hither are the best things to run into and exercise:

Hike the Ledges Trail
Visit Brandywine Falls
Meet the Everett Covered Bridge
Hike to Blue Hen Falls
Visit Beaver Marsh
Ride the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

One Day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park Itinerary

How to Utilise This Map: Click the tab in the peak left hand corner of the map to view the layers (places to get and the driving routes, of which at that place are several). You tin click the cheque marks to hide or show layers. If yous click the icons on the map, you tin get more information about each point of involvement.

If you click the star next to the title of the map, this map will be added to your Google Maps business relationship. To view it on your telephone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu push, go to "Your Places," click Maps, and yous will see this map on your list.

Morn: The Ledges Trail

The Ledges Trail is our favorite hike in the park and it is a bully introduction to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

For most of this hike, the trail follows along massive walls of moss-covered sandstone, aka the Ledges. As the trail loops effectually these massive walls, the view is always changing, which helps go on things interesting.

This hike is ii.6 miles round trip and it is rated as moderate. Kids equally immature as v tin handle this hike. It takes 1 to 2 hours to hike the entire loop.

The trailhead is located in the Virginia Kendall area of the park, which is a 10 minute drive from Hudson.

Tardily Morning: Everett Route Covered Bridge & Beaver Marsh

From the Ledges Trail, head west into Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Just west of the Ledges Trailhead you will laissez passer Kendall Lake. It's a pretty lake but information technology'due south skippable, if you only desire to see the highlights. If you lot choose to finish here, it simply takes a few minutes to popular out of your auto for the view. There are also hiking trails that start hither, simply there are amend ways to spend your fourth dimension today, and then I recommend keeping your visit here curt.

Kendall Lake

Proceed the drive to the Everett Route Covered Bridge. From the parking lot, it is merely a short walk to get to the bridge.

The Everett Road Covered Bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in Pinnacle Canton, Ohio. In the 1800's, Ohio had over 2,000 covered bridges.

Go along south to Beaver Marsh.

Park at the Beaver Marsh Parking lot on Riverview Road. To get to the viewing platforms, take the Ira Trail from the parking lot and plough left onto the towpath. Information technology takes between 5 and 10 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the boardwalk overlooks. Overall, information technology is a 0.75 mile round-trip walk from the parking lot to the viewing platforms.

Beaver Marsh was once a salvage yard. In the 1980's, volunteers of the Sierra Club removed the old cars and materials from the surface area. Around the same time, beavers built a dam across the Erie and Ohio Canal, which caused flooding. Wetland plants flourished, wildlife returned to the area, and this is now i of the best places in Cuyahoga Valley to spot wildlife. Keep a picket for beavers, great blue herons, and otters.

Midday: Lunch

You take two options for dejeuner. You tin can either visit Szalay's Farm and Market or the Howe Farmers Market (if they are open) or you tin can exit the park and have luncheon in one of the nearby towns.

Both Szalay's Farm and Market and the Howe Meadow Countryside Farmers Market are located near Beaver Marsh.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from early June to Labor Day Weekend, Szalay's runs an eatery, where you can purchase turkey burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and more. If your visit is in the summer, but not over the weekend, yous can withal visit the farmer's market to pick up fresh produce. In the fall, run across if y'all tin can notice your style through their 3 acre corn maze. Learn more on the official website.

Just down the road from Szalay's is the Howe Meadow Countryside Farmers Market place. Every Sabbatum from early May through October, you lot tin store from more 50 farmers, artists, and chefs. Learn more here.

If the markets are non open during your visit, or if you prefer to grab luncheon somewhere else, there are a few options outside of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

We had luncheon at Piada Italian Street Food in Cuyahoga Falls. This eating house serves create-your-own Italian dishes with a similar idea equally Chipotle. Also in Cuyahoga Falls are the Blue Door Bakery, which serves European cuisine and pastries for breakfast and lunch, and First Watch, which serves healthy breakfast and brunch options until 2:30 pm. Cuyahoga Falls is a 12 infinitesimal drive from Beaver Marsh.

The Mustard Seed Marketplace and Café is a good selection for vegetarian nutrient. This is located in Montrose and information technology is a 15 minute drive from Beaver Marsh.

Early Afternoon: Brandywine Falls

Brandywine Falls is ane of the near recognizable landmarks in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

There are two different ways to see Brandywine Falls.

The quickest option is to walk out on the boardwalk trails to the viewpoint, snap your photograph, and and then head back to your motorcar.

Or, hike the 1.5 mile Brandywine Gorge Trail. This trail loops through the deciduous forest, crosses over height of the falls, and and so you finish on the boardwalk trail and overlook, before returning to your car (if you do this in a clockwise direction).

The Brandywine Gorge Trail is nice, but if yous are short on fourth dimension, or not all that into hiking, yous don't miss anything past skipping it. The highlight is the view from the boardwalk platform…just be prepared to walk down, and so back upwardly, quite a few stairs.

PRO TRAVEL TIP: The National Park Service says that this is the busiest place in the park to visit. If you lot cannot get a parking space, you lot can try once more later this afternoon or evening.

Mid-Afternoon: More than Waterfalls

Afterwards your visit to Brandywine Falls, you have the option to hike to Blue Hen Falls or drive the northern end of the park to see Bridal Veil Falls.

Blueish Hen Falls

To get to Bluish Hen Falls, park at the Boston Mills Company Center. Cantankerous Riverview Route and follow the signs to Bluish Hen Falls.

It is a two.8 mile out-and-back hike that is moderately strenuous to go to the waterfall. Along the hike, in that location is one long set of stairs. You lot will go downwards these on the way to Blue Hen Falls and then climb back up them towards the end of the hike.

Blue Hen Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

This makes a prissy alternative if you cannot visit Blue Hen Falls considering of the trail closure.

Bridal Veil Falls is located at the northern terminate of the park, then information technology volition accept 20 minutes to bulldoze here.

Park at the Bridal Veil Falls Parking lot, cross the street, and follow the boardwalk trails to the waterfall. It is a 0.25 mile walk from the parking lot to the viewing platform. A visit here lasts 15 to xxx minutes.

While you are in the area, consider adding on the quick visit to Tinkers Creek Gorge Scenic Overlook and/or the Canal Exploration Center.

While in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, please practise the 7 principles of Leave No Trace: plan alee, stay on the trail, pack out what you bring to the hiking trail, properly dispose of waste matter, exit areas equally you constitute them, minimize campfire impacts, exist considerate of other hikers, and do not arroyo or feed wildlife.

Late Afternoon & Evening: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs along the Cuyahoga River, cutting through the center of the park. It runs from Akron in the south to Rockside in the n.

From Wednesday through Dominicus, from June through Oct, the train runs from 9 am to 4:xxx pm on weekdays and until 8:30 pm on Saturdays. If you will be in the park on a Saturday, y'all have the selection to ride the train circular trip from Rockside in the tardily afternoon.

A round trip ride on the railway lasts 3.v hours. If this sounds like something you would like to do, you tin can adjust this itinerary to ride the train midday, if you will not exist here on a Saturday. Only note that the train does not operate 7 days a week.

Some other option is to take a "themed" ride on the railroad. Have your pick from wine tastings, beer tastings, Murder Mystery tours, or take dinner on the train.

For more information on the railroad train schedule, pricing, and special events, visit the official website.

If your timing does not piece of work out, or if you adopt to skip the breathtaking train feel, terminate your solar day with dinner outside of the park. We had a practiced dinner at Oak and Embers Tavern in Hudson. Too in Hudson, Flip Side (burgers and salads), Aladdin's Eating house (Lebanese, Mediterranean), and Zeppe's Bistro and Pizzeria all get great reviews.

Best Time to Visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park

If you want to visit the farmers markets and ride the breathtaking railroad, plan your visit from June through October.

Summers can be warm and humid. The average daily highs for July and August are in the mid-80'due south. Expect larger crowds on weekends and holidays, especially Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend.

Late jump and fall are wonderful months to visit, when the days are warm and the nights are cool. If you want to capture the park ablaze in fall colors, plan your visit for mid to late Oct.

Winters tin can be very cold and in Jan the high temperature can struggle to get higher up freezing. Await snow, frozen waterfalls, but low crowds.

Where to Stay

Cuyahoga Valley National Park tin can be visited on a mean solar day trip from Akron or Cleveland, if you happen to exist visiting ane of these two cities.

The hotels with the all-time reviews are located in the Stow-Akron area. This is where we stayed and it worked great. Within 15 minutes nosotros could exist at the top sights inside of the park, with lots of not bad dining options betwixt Hudson and Akron. Tim and I stayed at the Staybridge Suites Akron-Stow-Cuyahoga Falls, but the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Akron Stow, Hampton Inn Stow, and the Home2 Suites by Hilton Stow Akron too go very good reviews.

If you lot want to stay at a social club inside of the park, you take two options. The Stanford House offers moderately priced rooms and it is centrally located within Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Inn at Brandywine Falls is a bed and breakfast that offers half-dozen luxuriously renovated rooms. It is located near Brandywine Falls.

Applied Information

Park Hours: Cuyahoga Valley National Park is open 24 hours a twenty-four hour period, 365 days per yr.

Entrance Fee: There is no fee to enter Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Yous can support the park past donating to the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Go updates on route weather and trail closures, every bit you lot plan your trip and simply earlier your visit, on the National Park Service website.

Notation: This post contains affiliate links. When you brand a purchase using one of these chapter links, we become paid a small-scale commission at no extra toll to you.

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