History and nature trace a path through Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is quite close to one of Ohio’s most heavily urban areas, with its proximity to Cleveland and Akron, but the natural setting along the crooked Cuyahoga River makes the city seems far away.

The name of the river, a corruption of the original American Indian name, aptly describes the 90-mile river that winds from Cleveland through forest, farmland, hills and flows in a “U” shape as it passes through Akron.

There are at least a few vantage points in the park where you can clearly see the Cuyahoga curve as it wends its way through the valley.

The park sits along the historic Ohio & Erie Canal. The history of the canal, a major artery for freight traffic in the area from 1827 through 1861 before railroads replaced it as a transportation and freight route, makes the area a fascinating place for those interested in the development of the United States as the young country moved into its adolescent period of growth.

The canal played a major role in opening up access for Ohio from the then-more settled eastern United States.

The canal remained an important source of water for industry and people in the area until 1913, when flooding destroyed much of the canal and led to its abandonment.

Today, visitors learn about the history of the canal and transportation in the area at sites in the park that include visitor centers and restored buildings with interpretive exhibits and information about park activities (much of the information in this article comes from a National Park Service brochure I picked up at park visitor center). View remnants of the waterway or travel the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal by following the park’s Towpath Trail. The Towpath Trail is open to walkers, runners, bicyclists and, in some sections, to horse riders. The trail follows the same path used by the mules that towed boats loaded with freight along the canal.

My park brochure reports that more than 100 species of birds nest in the valley, so it’s a great place for bird watching. We visited the park early one spring and spent some time taking photos of great blue herons nesting in an area rookery.

While we were at the park too early in the year to take an excursion on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the railroad offers travelers a full schedule of theme trips and a relaxing way to explore the park in a vintage train car.

Bicyclists can ride the Towpath Trail in one direction and ride the train in the other direction for a small fee by flagging down the train at a boarding station. I would love to return to the park in warmer weather with my bicycle and do this trail-and-train trip.

We especially enjoyed visiting the Cuyahoga Valley National Park because it offered a great blend of a natural setting with trails, wildlife and the beautiful Brandywine Falls (which I’ll cover in another post), plus the historic sites where we learned how this area of the Midwest developed and connected with the rest of our country.

© Dominique King 2009

Comments

[Susan]

I love how you can find such drastically different places to be so close. The town in which I grew up has tons of farmland on one side and one of the largest malls in the country on the other. The mall part isn't the better half.

[Dominique]

Susan-
I definitely didn't expect a National Park to be so close to Cleveland, but that made it close enough for us to do over a weekend.
Tim's a real history buff, so this park was especially nice for him because of the historic connections.

[JimmyK64]

A National Park in Ohio? Who woulda thunk it?

Actually tho', the dreamers who envisioned the opening of the west by using canals to create commerce trails, really did a service to our young nation. It's good to see this history preserved and cared for.

Thank you for the narrative.

[Dominique]

Jimmy-the park is definitely a must-do for early American history buffs. Tim's major area of study when he goes back this fall will be the Early Republic period...so I'm thinking I should drag him back down there soon.