Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Part I

While it isn't nearly as big as the large western national parks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is still a fun place to visit in northern Ohio.  It was our last National Park to visit on the trip and made for a good conclusion to our expedition.

Though a short distance from the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park seems worlds away. The park is a refuge for native plants and wildlife, and provides routes of discovery for visitors. The winding Cuyahoga River gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. Walk or ride the Towpath Trail to follow the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal.
--from Cuyahoga Valley NP website

We started our visit at the area near the Boston Store visitor center.

While there is plenty of nature preserved in the park you're often quite close to "civilization" and developed urban areas due to the late date that the the land was preserved.  Still it is nice to find a national park like this in the east.

The area is a mixture of old buildings and natural settings, including some canal sections.

Inside the visitor center are a number of displays.

A series of models explains how canal boats were built and maintained.

It was quite pleasant to sit on the porch of the building while we planned out the junior ranger program for the kids.

We also spotted a new building while walking around.

As we didn't have too much time before the end of the day we picked a trail and headed to Brandywine Falls.

It was a very short hike along a boardwalk.

The trees were beautiful surrounding the boardwalk.

We did have to go down several stairs.

Before too long we reached the falls.

While not nearly as impressive as Niagara Falls we were quite close and the kids enjoyed the view.

Of course I made a long exposure shot.

I took a short video of the view.

Across the ravine was a nice view.

You can see a 360° view of the platform next to the falls.  After seeing Brandywine Falls we headed to our hotel for the night, having decided we would come back the next day before we drove for home.  More about that next time.

~Matt