When trying to figure out what to do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, it is important to know that this park is different from the other national parks – there is no amazing “wow” moment, no natural features that are globally unique, no landscape that defies imagination. It is a fairly ordinary park, to be honest.Â
We did a quick end-of-summer road trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park since I was looking for an affordable road trip to close summer down. We always enjoy national parks, so I was targeting one in driving distance we hadn’t been to yet. Despite being surprised by some parks with lesser reputations, we all agreed that Cuyahoga Valley National Park isn’t there because it offers scenic glory. It is, instead, telling a story of mistreatment and preservation (and how humans can begin to undo legacies of harm).
During our visit in summer 2025, Cuyahoga Valley National Park was celebrating 50 years. It is a 32,783-acre park. It still has missing pieces as private landowners have not yet sold their parcels to make all of the land abutting the Cuyahoga River government-owned.
This is the 12th most-visited park in the U.S. and counts 2.9 million visitors a year. This is not surprising given its proximity to a major city.
The history of Cuyahoga Valley and the river is an infamous one, and one that shaped the nation. In 1952 and again in 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire due to pollutants (including factory run off and sewage) in the water. Think about it: a river CAUGHT ON FIRE. That’s crazy.
Eventually, citizens mobilized, and at the end of 1974, President Ford signed an order making this area a Natural Recreation Area, thereby protecting it. The burning of the Cuyahoga River also spurred the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In 1985, the National Park Service fully acquired the land, and further testing revealed that contaminants and toxins were still very much present. It was declared a Superfund site (meaning the dirtiest of the dirty) and closed in 1986.
But still, citizens persisted, through lawsuits, protests, lobbying, and petitions.
The Cuyahoga Valley parcel was officially made a National Park in 2000. Today, restoration and preservation work continues. While the river is obviously much cleaner than in the days of burning, it is not delisted and is still considered dirty. It is so sad to consider the immense amount of work, money, and energy it takes to reverse humanity’s utter disregard for natural resources in the pursuit of capitalist gains. And, of course, we can question if we have even learned that lesson or are repeating the same behavior?
That’s the story of Cuyahoga Valley National Park that you take in when you go: mistakes, rectification, and complication.
Getting Around Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Where to Stay
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is an easy trip from Cleveland, Ohio. We grabbed a cheap Airbnb in Parma – fairly equidistant from downtown Cleveland and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Parma, in and of itself, isn’t a destination per se, but it was affordable, clean, and safe.
If you want, downtown Cleveland has many options for hotels and rentals. We enjoyed the Ohio City area in Cleveland the most. (A post on downtown Cleveland is coming, so stay tuned.)
Akron, Ohio, is also convenient to the park and has many options for lodging. Akron is slightly closer to the park, but it will be more of a trek to get to downtown Cleveland if that is of interest.
There are many smaller towns adjacent to the park, but not many of those have hotels. There is no camping inside the park, but there are private campgrounds nearby.
Cleveland has a major airport that would be the most convenient for those arriving by air.
You will need a car, however, to get out to the park.
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Tips for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Fall and spring are going to be the best times to visit the park, but they can get crowded. We were there in the summer, and while it was hot, we were not uncomfortable. We also still found the parking lots to be crowded and full, but once out of the car on the trails, the crowds spread out quite a bit. Winter is going to be cold, snowy, and icy. The plus side = fewer people.
If you want to do the railroad, you need to visit June through October.
There is no fee to get into Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
We started at the Boston Mill Visitor’s Center, which is centrally located. On a summer Saturday, the parking lot filled up quickly (it’s a small lot), so we got there early.
You do not need more than one day to see the best of this park. But if you wanted to do some hiking and also enjoy the railroad and the towpath, then you will want to plan two days.
Start planning your trip using the Cuyahoga Valley National Park map.
What to Do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Table of Contents
Visit Brandywine Falls
Brandywine Falls are going to be the biggest bang for the effort when it comes to view and natural beauty. The ranger at the Visitors Center directed everyone here (and really only here).
The parking lot for the falls is small, so go early or late. Out of the parking lot, though, it is a short walk to the viewpoint of the falls. The trail is a boardwalk with a significant amount of steps up and down (those with mobility concerns may have to skip this), but it wasn’t too challenging as it wasn’t very long and was mostly shaded.
There are a couple of viewpoints, but the one all the way at the top was not very impressive. Be sure to take the turn off the boardwalk and down some steps to take in the view midway.
If you prefer, and if the parking lot is overflowing at the falls, you can hike on the trails to the Brandywine Falls. This link details how to hike to the falls from either the Visitors Center or the Boston trailhead.
Hike The Ledges Trail
This was the hike I was most eager to do. It isn’t a hard hike, but it is full of fun and interesting formations. It reminded us of our hike in the Channels of Virginia when we stayed in Abingdon. But way back then, we were hiking without kids. They enjoyed the slots and the rocks on the Ledges trail and we know they’d love the Channels now.
This is a great blog post on how to hike The Ledges trail that we (mostly) followed. We went clockwise, but we ended up taking a pipestem to get on the trail earlier than we had intended, so we missed just a bit of the top of the loop.
We made it to the overlook, but during the summer, there was no view at all – just looking into some big trees.
Internet feedback is that this trail is very buggy and full of mosquitoes, but we must have lucked out as we had no issues with bugs on our walk.
We ended up hiking 2.5 miles with a 279-foot elevation change. We took our time, the kids climbing on, over, and through the rocks. It was beautiful.
We found the hike easy and gentle. While there were other people on the trail, it never felt overcrowded.
Break for Lunch
There aren’t too many places to eat around the park. Many mention Szalay’s and other farmers’ markets as the places to go, but we wanted to sit down and be served some French fries!
We had lunch at Fisher’s Restaurant in Peninsula, Ohio. It’s been owned by the same family since 1958. It was about a 20-minute wait on a hot, summer Saturday, and service was correspondingly slow. But I enjoyed my meal and the vibes. It has a down-home diner feel that was perfect for the moment. It’s not going to be a quick lunch, but it was convenient and appreciated.
Head to Bridal Veil Falls
Getting to Bridal Veil Falls from the Visitors Center area is about a 20-minute drive, and you will feel like you have completely left Cuyahoga Valley National Park. When we pulled up, we were confused by the signage (branded as Cleveland Metroparks), but it was definitely the right place! Again, the parking lot was small, but the area seemed to be less in demand than Brandywine Falls.
From the parking lot, there isn’t much of a walk to get to Bridal Veil Falls at all. There is a boardwalk with a few steps, and within moments, you are at the falls.
Visitors arrive at the top of the falls, where those who want can dip their toes into the water and skip rocks.
When we were there, things were a bit dry so there wasn’t much water pouring over the sides of the falls. What we did experience was peace and rest. Things were calmer here than elsewhere in the park, and we sat for a while, looking out at the gorge and listening to the water trickle. (It reminded us of what Watkins Glen could be without the crowds.)
There are quite a few trails and paths in this area of the park, which looked beautiful. I could have spent more time here if it hadn’t been the end of our day. Learn more about Bridal Veil Falls here.
Popular Things We Didn't Do (and why)
We did not hike to Blue Hen Falls. This is a hike of almost 3 miles from the Visitors Center, and by the time we had seen Brandywine, hiked the Ledges, and had lunch, we wanted to be out of the heat of the midday sun. Plus, we’ve seen a lot of waterfalls – and there are many in our “backyard” at Shenandoah National Park as well. You can read more about that trail here.
We did not go to the covered bridge. We weren’t that interested (remember, I have teenage boys), and it was inconvenient. If you are interested, though, the Everett Covered Bridge is in the southern section of the park.
What We Would Have Done with More Time
Biked! We love biking on towpaths and rails-to-trails. (See here, and here, and here.) The Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail is 20 miles within the park, and you can shuttle using the railroad. It sounds great! There are quite a few local bike shops that will rent bikes. Learn more about biking the towpath here.
The scenic railroad. I was excited about doing this (remember when we opted to take the train all the way to Florida just for the adventure?), but time and logistics didn’t work out. It is, however, something completely unique to this national park. Not only can you use the train as a way to get around the park, stopping to see major sites, but the train also offers special events that look like a lot of fun. Learn more about the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad here.
- For more on Cuyahoga Valley National Park, visit the official NPS site at: www.nps.gov/cuva
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