Cuyahoga Valley
January 14 -16, 2023
January 14
Saturday 6AM departure from Baltimore
Arrive at park by 12PM
Park Address: 6946 Riverview Road Peninsula, OH 44264
Stop at Boston Mills Visitor's Center
get passport stamp
no entry fee for park!
The visitor’s center is warm and welcoming with an updated design and friendly rangers to assist you, and is next to a ski resort! It is also located at one of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, we would have loved to hop on, but it is not active until the spring.
These trails start near the welcome center. If you take the Stanford Trail loop, you will end up on about a 5.5 mile journey. This trail was picturesquely covered in snow this winter, which made everything worthwhile. However, you can access Brandywine Falls from that location’s parking lot if you want a smaller trek.
Check into hotel
Cuyahoga is an urban park situated between Cleveland and Akron, OH. There is no camping or RV parking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but plenty of hotels within 20 minutes of the park.
Have dinner
Carbrys Soulfood & BBQ large welcoming space with perfectly seasoned food, large portions, tender ribs, and crispy catfish! Call first because their operating hours sometimes change vs what’s presented online.
January 15
Visit Beaver Marsh
Beaver Marsh was once a salvage yard. In the 1980’s, volunteers of the Sierra Club removed the old cars and materials from the 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 one of the best places in Cuyahoga Valley to spot wildlife. Keep a lookout for beavers, great blue herons, and otters.
We didn’t see any beavers during this trip, but we received a tip that they come out at dawn and dusk. We did happen to see a paddle boarder and a few herons!
The Ledges Trail Ledges trail+ledges overlook (2.6 miles. The Virginia Kendall area of the park. Park at the Ledges Trailhead parking lot and this hike is done as a loop)
This trail was busy and well-maintained with clean bathroom facilities along the way. Very beautiful and unique rock formations at the Ledges trail. Although this trail was mostly free of snow watch for falling icicles in the winter!
Everett Covered Bridge (Park at the Everett Road Covered Bridge Parking Lot on Everett Road. It is a short walk on a paved path to get to the bridge.)
Summit County’s last covered bridge. A very important site for locals as we saw a couple taking engagement photos under the bridge. Adorable!
Dinner
Khaao Macha Resto Bar formerly a food truck now a brick and-mortar in the Radisson Fairlawn serving delicious Indian meals
January 16
Check Out
Visit Kendall Lake
As a bonus attraction the Pro Football Hall of Fame is only 30 minutes away in Canton, OH!
Leave for Baltimore
Reflections
Overall Cuyahoga was a wonderful and easily accessible park, with lots of friendly nature lovers also enjoying the area. There was also a series of smaller metro parks also surrounding the Cuyahoga area, with lovely lookout points and hikes. Though we only saw 2 other Black hikers the entire weekend at the park, my dad and I felt very safe and welcome enjoying the sights! When other park visitors saw us filming they were curious and friendly, and often stopped to direct us to more lovely landscapes to take in and other parks of interest in the area. Another parkgoer even mentioned that he and his daughter are on a similar journey and we compared which parks we had beach visited in the US National Park system.
