Welcome back to our guide to the National Parks! In this post, we’ll be making our first visit
to one of our country’s big fifty-nine National Parks, Cuyahoga Valley National
Park.
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| Park Entrance Sign |
It
may come as a surprise to people in other parts of the country that the
Cleveland area is host to one of the nation’s full-fledged National Parks, and
while it may not have the size or grandeur of its sister parks out west, it is
nonetheless a place of unique beauty and priceless historical value.
BACKGROUND:
Cuyahoga; A Native American name, sometimes difficult to pronounce,
meaning ‘crooked,’ that aptly fits the river that winds through the center of
both the Valley and Park that bare its name.
The valley itself stretches roughly 30 miles from Akron to Cleveland,
where the Cuyahoga empties into Lake Erie, with the river winding its way down
the middle.
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| The Cuyahoga River makes a turn around one of its many bends in Peninsula |
The
valley was created eons ago, carved by ancient forerunner rivers to the
Cuyahoga, which only appeared after the receding of the glaciers following the
end of the last Ice Age just over 10,000 years ago. In the following Millennia, the valley was
continuously inhabited by Native Americans until the first appearance of
European settlers in the late 1700s.
With
the beginning of white settlement of the area, the valley became more
industrialized, and its traditional role as a transportation route even more
important with the building of the Ohio and Erie Canal in the 1820s to link the
Ohio river with Lake Erie, and by extension the Erie Canal in New York. Soon the area began an economic boom, turning
Cleveland and Akron into major population centers. Over time, however, the canal saw less use
due to the advent of railroads as a more efficient means of transportation, and
operations ceased for good following the Great Flood of 1913 which wreaked the
canal beyond repair.
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| The partially frozen canal (left) and Towpath Trail (right) in winter. |
Nevertheless, the valley
remained an important industrial center, especially at its northern and southern
tips in Cleveland and Akron. However,
pollution caused by the very industry that had brought wealth to the area
nearly ruined the valley. Following the
infamous 1969 “Burning River” incident, a conscious effort was made to clean up
the Cuyahoga River and restore the valley to a more natural state. The work paid off, when in 1974, a large
track of territory in the valley was designated a National Recreation Area
under the overview of the National Parks Service. At the time the decision was quite contentious
as arguments over property rights raged between the Federal Government and
local citizens, but in the intervening years, the park has become a cherished
feature of the local community.
Cuyahoga Valley was upgraded to
full-fledged National Park status in 2000.
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| Brandywine Falls, the Park's signature natural attraction. |
THE PARK: Cuyahoga
Valley National Park has many unique features that differentiate it from most
of the other more well-known National Parks.
The main reasons for these unique characteristics have to do with the
fact that the park is bordered to its north and south by major metropolitan
areas, and surrounded by the accompanying suburbs. It has sometimes been described as the “Urban
National Park,” and has cultivated partnerships with its neighbors. As such, there are many private institutions
that operate within the park’s boundaries.
Several of the areas within the park are in fact run by the Cleveland
and Summit County Metroparks as these reservations were already in existence
when the park was first formed. In
addition to the local Metroparks, there is Blossom Music Center, a large open
air amphitheater which hosts musical performances, the Brandywine and Boston
Mills ski resorts, numerous private residences, and most exotically, the
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
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| Frozen Bridal Veil Falls located in Bedford Metroparks Reservation within the National Park boundary. |
The
most defining feature of Cuyahoga Valley National Park though, is the Towpath
Trail. Acting as the park’s spine, the
Towpath, which follows the exact route of the original towpath used by workmen
and animals to pull boats along the Ohio and Erie Canal, is the park’s most
popular and identifiable feature. The
entire Towpath trail is in the process of being completed to span the entire
length of the historical canal, but it is within the boundaries of Cuyahoga
Valley National Park that it receives its most visitors. It is popular for both hiking and biking,
even in the winter. In addition, the
park has many other numerous trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding,
three golf courses, and a Boy Scout Reservation.
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| The Towpath Trail in spring |
TRAVEL TIPS: How
you visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park will depend on the amount of time you wish
to spend there, what sites you wish to see, activities to do, and of course the
weather. Generally it is recommended to go in the summer to be able to view all of the Valley's scenic areas without difficulty, however Boston Mills and Brandywine Ski Resorts and The Winter Sports Center at Kendall Lake towards the Park's southern end provide winter activities.
One
of the two most identifiable features of the park is the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic
Railroad. Running parallel to the river
on its west bank, the railroad provides visitors with a leisurely ride through
the length of the park, stopping at several points along the way, including the
always popular town of Peninsula, nestled in the very center of the park. The Railroad is a private entity, and tickets are available online or at several rail stops within the Park.
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| The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad pulls into Peninsula Depot |
The
most advantageous way to travel the park is by car. All Visitor Centers and trail heads include a
brochure that gives you the route for an abbreviated car tour of the major
locales within the park. Generally, any
trip to the park, be it the scenic railroad, a car tour, or an excursion on the
Towpath, will take up most of a day.
Starting
at the north end of the park and working your way down, the first stop for any
visitor should be the Canal Exploration Center.
This is the first of three Visitor Centers in the park. The main focus of this Visitor Center is the
history of the Ohio and Erie Canal, with exhibits about the canal inside the
former canal stop store. Outside the
Visitor Center is a fully restored canal lock used to demonstrate how the canal
functioned.
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| The Canal Exploration Visitor Center and restored Canal Lock |
Further
down the Valley, past the ski resorts is the small village of Boston, and the
second Visitor Center, Boston Store.
Another store along the Towpath trail, this is the main Visitor Center
for the park. Inside are exhibits on
canal boats and a short film on the history of the park. A short distance to the south from Boston
Store is the town of Peninsula, a favorite stop for the scenic railroad and
bicyclists on the Towpath with several restaurants. Also within the area to east is Brandywine
Falls. Cascading down a small gorge, the
Falls mark the site of an early settlement in the Valley which attempted to use
the Falls to power industries. The ruins
of those industries still lie at the top of the gorge, however they do not mar
the beauty of the park’s most scenic view.
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| Boston Store Visitor Center |
Beyond
Peninsula is another popular area of the park known as Ledges. This is a horseshoe shaped plateau, the edge
of which forms a sharp series of ledges where rock has split away from the
plateau from the effects of glaciers thousands of years ago.. Within close proximity is
Kendall Lake, the location of the Winter Sports Center, but it is also a
popular spot for recreational fishing.
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| Ledges |
The
southern end of the park includes the Hunt House, a small farm house which acts
as the third Visitor Center. Nearby to
the west is Hale Farm and Village, a living history reservation managed by the
Western Reserve Historical Society to show visitors how people lived in the
area during the early 19th century.
Also near the Hunt House is Beaver Marsh, a wetland naturally restored
by beavers after it had once been an auto junkyard.
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| Beaver Marsh |
The
sites mentioned above are only some of the many historic, scenic, and natural
locations within Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Whether you are taking the railroad, enjoying a brisk bicycle ride on
the Towpath, or wandering a scenic trail there is much to enjoy in this urban
National Park. Always remember to pick
up a park map/brochure so you can navigate around the park easily. If you collect stamps for your National Parks
passport book, you will find them at the three major Visitor Centers and the “Trail
Mix” gift shop in Peninsula.
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