On the morning after the wedding we woke slowly with an air of fulfillment, smiling often at the thoughts of our dear friends’ beautiful union the night before. With no other plans in the hours before our evening flight home, we were quick to accept the chance to bond over some fresh air when hometown friends suggested a short trip to a nearby National Park with them. Being in my 30s and somehow never having been to a National Park, Cuyahoga Valley wasn’t exactly at the top of the list in conversations of travel, but it’s one I’ll now remember forever. Don’t let the nearby mills or overhead power lines stunt your imagination on the ride in, whether it’s the sights, sounds or smells that surround you, you’ll be swept up in Cleveland nature from the moment you reach the parking lot. Climb down to discover and feel the history of Brandywine Falls as the water crashes upon layers of rock formed over hundreds of millions of years. Trek north to Bridal Veil Falls Overlook to afford a view of a creek that boasts rock layers a little different (but very similar to) those beneath the Falls. Stop to read the nature sign. Whether left, right, backward or forward, your first step out of the car is the right one, and those staying overnight can rest assured knowing the park’s facilities seem to function just fine. While our time there was short it certainly didn’t take long to know and appreciate the lengths of Cuyahoga’s majesty. I’ll be returning home with a hunger to explore more National Parks going forward, and knowing now how special these endangered places can be, I hope to one day see them all. Who would have thought that this hidden gem tucked between Cleveland and Akron could bring so much truth to the well-known ancient saying “You can’t tell how far a frog will jump by looking at him.”

Just had a little bit of time so went over to the park and hiked the Ledges trail. Beautiful, even in late winter/ early spring. Definitely worth a visit and a few hikes or a train ride. Interesting history, beautiful scenery with a variety of options to see it.

We have been traveling to National Parks for years now and stopped here because we were in the area for a family thing. First, the park is spread out and each area is a little different. From the canal visitors center in the north to the Beaver Marsh in the south. We hike a few trails and went to all the visitor centers. Second, there are quite a few trails that are really good. FYI you are going to hear cars driving by on a lot of the trails but it really does not take aways from the beauty of the area. The ledges is a must-see if you are going and the history of the area is quite impressive. Definitely worth the stop and we only spend 1 1/2 days here but saw everything.

This is a small National Park interspersed with cities and highways, but it has a lot to offer. We saw Brandywine Falls which was impressive, then we took the Ledges Trail which was enjoyable with some nice scenery. We visited the Visitors Centers and stopped at the Canal Experience and learned about Canals and Towpaths. Overall great experience, all donein a 4-5 hour period. If It's a National Park, we'll try to visiit

We loved our time in Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park. While this park does not have your typical grander of some of the NP’s out West, it is still worth a visit. Our family, with young children, loved how easy it was to access the sights, hikes and experiences that we come to expect from visiting our National Parks. When we visited (mid week) the park was not overcrowded. I could imagine that on the weekends it could get busy. A couple stops worth visiting (check those spots for my reviews) Ledges trail (our favorite) Blue Hen Falls Brandywine Falls Hale Farm and Village

Some amazing beauty and sights. Waterfall(s) were such a nice sight, the ability to hike in natural setting was really exhilarating. We really enjoyed our mini-visit here, and look forward to a return visit. Our lab, Riley, truly enjoyed the surroundings, smells and other creatures found in the valley. Really enjoyed our visit.

If it wasn’t a National this would be a 5 star State Park. The highlights are easily the Brandywine falls which fall in a stair like pattern 60 feet off the ground, and the Ledges which looks like it could resemble scenery in a magic forest straight from a book with his huge mossy rocks and thick vegetation. The rest of the trail is your typical forest, which while nice doesn’t quite hit the grandeur of most National Parks. Anyone who likes nature that is in the Cleveland/Akron area should make a stop here though, completely worth a half day visit

Our goal is to see all national parks. We have done a number of UT, CO, AZ and other national parks for context of this review. This park is a 9 hour drive for us vs. flight. So the expense was low and that was helpful as this park should not be one’s only destination. Be sure to experience other area offerings. If you are driving maybe and are targeting national parks, you could add VA and WVA. So, on the park, there is a trail for walking and biking. There is a general store ice cream and snacks. On the trail you will see the former Erie Canal locks and nature taking over. You could ride the train in the park as well. I’m glad we went. It wouldn’t be a return destination on our list. This would be a half day visit at the most.

Cuyahoga May be a small National Park but it’s not short on beauty, attractions, or history. For those who have visited Great Smoky Mountains NP, this is similar in many respects on a smaller scale. Lush vegetation, mostly a “drive-thru” park (which makes it FREE to all!) but this park has current family residences within its bounds whereas GSMNP homesite areas have reverted to the National Parks system since owners either moved or completed their life estate rights to occupy. Cuyahoga will likely be the same in 30 years. We started on the south side of the park visiting the Everett Covered Bridge first and enjoying the company of picnickers and children wading in the crystal clear stream beneath. We meandered north towards the Visitors Center and enjoyed the history and grounds and friendly Park Rangers. Next, we traveled a short distance mostly east to Brandywine Falls. All the sites we visited had excellent short-distance trails and paths to the feature attractions and appear navigable even to wheelchairs. Brandywine is very near a highway which we could have used to return to Cleveland, but we chose the slower 40mph pace of the scenic roads through the middle of the park to the north entrance/exit. Reading other reviews, I do wish we’d known about and visited The Ledges, but we did see a great deal and enjoyed every relaxing moment away from the madness of the ordinary world. I’d recommend 3-4 hours total for this park which is perfect if you spend the other half of your day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton (we did so that morning) or perhaps in the scenic areas near Bedford to the north.

Best things: Free, Ledges trail is amazing, Brandywine falls is pretty, helpful rangers, nice nature walks, mostly shady **However it’s important to know that this park seems more like a state park. You can hit all the highlights in one day. (For comparison, we usually spend at least three days in the other national parks we’ve visited.) Also, the park is not contained in one area. To get to the different trailheads, you have to drive on regular roads/highways to get to the towns where the sites are located.