Cuyahoga Best Hikes - Cuyahoga Valley

National Park Sightseeing

Introduction.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a relatively small sized park located between Cleveland and Akron Ohio. It is different from many of the larger national parks in that there are patches of residential areas that seem to be within the park boundaries and you pass in and out of them, at different times. That aside, the park has some great scenery, a variety of water falls, and provides some very interesting history about the Ohio & Erie canal. The intent here is to provide advice on what we feel are Cuyahoga best hikes, along the approximate 125 miles of trails.

General logistics information.

There are a number of different entry points into the park, so I will not provide any opinion on which one might be better, and depending on your choice of location, there are many lodging options in close proximity to the park. As far as food is concerned, the best options within the park are located in Peninsula, which has a couple of different restaurants and some small shops. Personal choice would be the Winking Lizard Tavern, which has a full selection of choices and the food is quite good. It would be negligent of me not to mention that if you are visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park, you are within one half hour of Cleveland. My point is, you really should consider a side trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Regardless of what era you grew up in, you will find an exhibit in the museum that will warm your heart and get a least one of your feet tapping. I strongly recommend this side trip.

Cuyahoga Best Hikes.

NOTE: Information listed below is in north to south order, but that is only for convenience of writing, and not intended to imply an order to your activities.

• The Canal Exploration Center, which was previously a Visitor’s Center provides a small shop and historical information on the Ohio & Erie canal along with information about what life was like for the people that worked on lived along the canal. Depending on the season, they have limited operating hours, so be sure to check their hours when you have planned your trip.

• A short distance from the Exploration Center is a roadway that will take you to Tinkers Creek Gorge. Be sure to stop at the pullout for the overlook for the view and some pictures.  Proceeding further along this roadway, you will get to the Bridal Veil Falls trailhead. This is a relatively short walk through a wooded area to get to the falls.

• Continuing to head south in the park, you will eventually come to the area where the Boston Store Visitor Center is located. This is very close to the Boston Mills Ski Resort, so depending on the time of the year of your trip, this might provide another activity for your traveling group.  Spend some time in the Visitor’s Center and check out Trail Mix, a small store located across the street from the Visitor’s Center.

• A short ride from the Boston Store Visitor’s Center is the trail for Blue Hen Falls.  This is another nice hike through a wooded area which takes you to the falls. The falls are not the highest in the park, but it is a very picturesque area and worth the effort. At the time of our visit, Blue Hen Falls were frozen in time.