Ohio? What?
Yes, Ohio, the 5th most populated state, Ohio home of the Cleveland Browns, amazing wineries that run along the coast of Lake Erie, the crooked river (Cuyahoga) that caught fire in the 80's, beautiful parks that feature 30+ cliffs made of sandstone that frequent rock climbers from near and far, home of the OSU Buckeyes, the HQ of Goodyear, Amish villages, and home of the Bridgestone Invitational among many other things is also home of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is on the same list of U.S national parks along with Yellowstone, Yosemite, Big Bend, The Black Canyon, & the Grand Canyon and many others. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has as much history and beauty as do other much more popular national parks. But much like Ohio, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is underrated & unpopular to the average traveler.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park has over 32,000 acres of land & was designated as a National Park in 1974 by Gerald Ford. John Seiberling whose grandparents were F.A & Gertrude Seiberling (founders of Goodyear) aided in starting the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. A big portion of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath which has over 80 miles of trails.
The Ohio & Erie Canal began in 1825 & underwent construction for 2 years. The main purpose of the Ohio & Erie Canal was to transport goods & services from Cleveland to Cinncinnati then to the Ohio River onto the Mississippi river down to the Gulf of Mexico. Mules & horses would often trot on a trail near the canal boats to pull them down the canal. Locks were a big portion of the canal as well. A lock was a portion of the canal that was able to lift and lower boats by opening & closing a gate to either drain or flood water. When a canal boat pulled into a lock a crewmember would manually close a gate, let the water flood, the canalboat would raise & goods were able to be extracted off the boat. Unfortunately for the Ohio & Erie Canal the rise of transporting goods via railroad made the Canal obsolete.
Fortunately for the Ohio & Erie Canal a non-profit organization that focuses on the preservation of the canalway revived the Ohio & Erie Canal in 1989. The members of this organization created a hike-bike-jog trail called the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail that begins in Cleveland & when construction is finished will end in New Philadelphia, which is over 100 miles of trails. Currently the towpath offers over 80 miles of outdoor fun that also include great photo opportunities, bird watching, nature watching, & people watching. During the autumn visitors get the chance to see beautiful breathtaking fall foilage & in the summer visitors can see bald eagles & blue herrons flying above making nests in nearby trees. If you decide to hike in the evening time don't be surprised if you see a deer with her young eating right off the trail! Or you may even see a herd of bucks in a field nearby! Deer are very common to see along the towpath as are: squirrels, muskrats, beavers, turtles, ducks, geese, birds, raccoons, & even skunk! But the winter months offer breathtaking views as well. Visitors can overlook the Cuyahoga Valley with snowcovered trees & streams that are frozen in certain parts. During the spring time on the canal everything comes alive with flowers blooming & trees boasting beautiful full green leaves & the smell of lavender & honeysuckle as you run, walk, or bike through the path. But what if you're not the outdoorsy type & want to stay off the trail but still want to take in all the sights & sounds of the park? Well you still have options.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers a scenic train that offers visitors 2 hour tours through the park. Starting @ only .00 visitors can hop on board & be whisked away to see the natural beauty of the park & wave to joggers on the towpath. But for those adults that want to unwind & enjoy a libation or two can also pick from the Ales on Rails tour or the Grape Escape Tour. The Ales on Rails tour serves up several samples of beer & teaches guests about the appearance, bouquet, body, flavor, & finish of beer. There is also a professional chef on board that serves up some mouthwatering appetizers. If beer isn't your thing well you can also enjoy the "Grape Escape" tour. This tour serves up over 5 different tastings of wine, & also teaches guests about the "legs", body, & finish of the wine. But before guests begin to enjoy their wine they are treated to cheese & crackers. Then in between each wine tasting the chef prepares delectable appetizers to enjoy. After the wine tasting guests are able to enjoy a wonderful dessert also prepared by the chef. Both of these tours begin @ dollars but are well worth it. Ok so those are some great examples of what the park has to offer. But aside from the towpath Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) also has some amazing hiking trails. I would like to share with you my favorite trail to hike on in the park.
My favorite place to hike in the CVNP is the Brandywine Falls/Stanford Hostel Trail. Brandywine Falls is a 60 foot waterfall that cascades over layers of sandstone. The falls offer breathtaking views via boardwalk year round. Bursts of red, yellow, and orange leaves serve as a backdrop to the falls in the Autumn. Snowflakes dance on the water & icicles form around the falls in the winer months, & during the spring & summer months flowers & buds on trees bloom offering a ton of rich vibrant color around the falls. It is just absolutely an amazing site to see. But there is more to the falls then meets the eye.
Brandywine falls formed around 350-400 million years ago. The shale rocks that are behind the falls were once mud on the sea floor that eventually formed into rocks as the water eroded away. The falls are carved by the Brandywine creek. But fast forward in time to the 19th century & the Falls were able to be used to power mills & create a bustling little town, one of the earliest settlements in the Cuyahoga Valley. Unfortunately, the town eventually became isolated with the construction of the major highway system Interstate 271.
The Stanford Hostel is a part of the Brandywine Falls trail which creates a 4 mile loop of moderate difficulty due to steep hills & winding turns on the path. The Stanford Hostel is located in Sagamore Hills as well right & is right off the towpath trail. The Stanford Hostel is an 1843 Greek Revival home that was built by Connecticut farmers who relocated to be near the Western Reserve area in Ohio. The home was purchased by CVNP in 1978 & is available for viewing year round. There are so many trails in the CVNP too many to list, but I'm going to give you a brief summary of a few other trails that are as amazing as Brandywine Falls.
The Blue Hen Falls trail is near Brandywine Falls & is in the Sagamore area as well. This trail is 1.2 miles round trip. These falls aren't as large but are still beautiful. The falls cascade over 15 feet of sandstone rock, & a ravine along with a forest surround the falls. Virginia Kendell which is located in between the Peninsula & Hudson area offer towering sandstone cliffs, Kendall Lake, an icebox cave, redpine forest, & characters from the past carved into rocks. Virgina Kendall offer many miles of easy to difficult hiking. But both of these trails are worthwhile seeing as well as everything else is in the CVNP. While CVNP offers numerous hiking trails, there are other ways to entertain yourself during your visit.
Blossom Music Center is nestled in CVNP in between Akron & Cleveland. Blossom is an outdoor music venue with major acts like: Tom Petty, Journey, Aerosmith, Heart, Sugarland, Phish, & Def Leppard that rock out every summer from May-September. Blossom also puts on a wonderful 4th of July symphony followed by booming cannons & a beautiful firework display. Porthouse Theatre which is a part of Blossom invites you to delve in the arts a bit & enjoy broadway shows like: Chicago, The Westside Story, Sunshine Boys, & Hello Dolly. Another fun & educational activity that's located within CVNP is Hale Farm.
Hale Farm is a little "trapped in time" village nestled in the Peninsula area which is in between Akron & Cleveland like the Blossom Music Center. Hale Farm is an old pre Civil War settlement founded by Jonathan Hale. Jonathan Hale was a Connecticut farmer that moved his family to Ohio in 1810 for better opportunity. Three generations of the family lived on this property until after the Civil War. The Western Reserve Historical Society preserved this land over 50 years ago & turned it into a living museum with 19th century period dressed actors that spin, weave, cook, and make candles as they would have in the 19th century. Visitors can learn games that children played in that time period & really see what it was like to live in that time period. There are still cows that graze the fields, flocks of sheep sharing the same field & horses trotting along the gravel streets in the village. Hale Farm & Village is among one of the National Register of Historic Places in Summit County Ohio. It is a fun & educational place to visit. Hale Farm is also up the road from an old covered bridge that was constructed in 1870. There used to be over 10,000 covered bridges in the U.S, but currently there are only a few hundred left. After a long day of hiking & sightseeing you sure can work up your appetite. Luckily, there are several restaurants that run along the Towpath & are located in & near CVNP.
First up is Hoggy's BBQ joint located in Valley View OH, right off the towpath trail. Hoggy's restaurant looks like a big red barn & has bike racks to park your bike after coming off a long ride on the towpath. Now this is a great place to pig out (no pun intended)! They serve up some AMAZING chili cheese fries, mouthwatering ribs slathered with tangy & sweet bbq sauce, homemade sides, & sweet & moist cakes & pies. You will NOT leave here unsatisfied or hungry. This restaurant is delicious!
Next, is another one of my favorite restaurants along the towpath trail is Winking Lizard, which is located in downtown Peninsula Ohio right next to Century Cycles bike rental. This place is always packed especially in the summertime. The Winking Lizard looks like a little wooden shack with a wraparound porch, & amazing inviting smells ooze from inside the restaurant to your olfactory glands. It's right next to the Cuyahoga Valley scenic railroad track & behind the parking lot sit old time stationary train cars. But like I mentioned earlier this restaurant is located right next to Century Cycle Bike Rentals so it's a great place to go for dinner after a long bike ride. Winking Lizard is mostly known for their wings, pizza, beer, & burgers but I really love their spinach artichoke dip & wraps. I love the heavier greasy stuff too but I really crave the dips & chips. Also when you walk in, there is an old popcorn machine that is always serving up fresh popcorn that the hostess brings to your table. Winking Lizard has a full bar inside & serves up some great mixed drinks too. This is a really great restaurant to completely gorge on after burning a lot of calories on the towpath trail.
Lastly, I'd like to mention Scorchers which is a wing joint in the Valley, which is part of Akron Ohio & is right off the towpath trail. Recently, Scorchers merged with Wing Warehouse & is now a part of Wing Warehouse. Scorchers serves really meaty wings dripping with a variety of tasty & spicy sauces. Scorchers also serves the "dry rub" wings which are great too. The appetizers are great here too & they include: fresh cut fries, loaded potato skins, & fried mushrooms. Scorchers has a full bar too & serves up draft beer & other libations to quench your thirst. There are pool tables & dart boards to entertain you after you eat. Well after a long day of hiking & enjoying a big meal I bet you are ready to turn in!
Two places that I would recommend staying are the Sheraton Suites on Front street in Cuyahoga Falls, & the Inn @ Brandywine Falls. The Sheraton Suites sits right in front of the Cuyahoga river & falls. The hotel is also near Route 8 which will take you into CVNP in minutes. Rooms start around 0 dollars a night. Next is the Inn @ Brandywine Falls. This historic bed and breakfast was built in 1848 & is on the National Register of Historic Places in Sagamore Hills Ohio. The Inn actually overlooks Brandywine Falls. The b&b offers 6 rooms for their guests & they are decorated with Ohio antiques. The innkeepers serve up a fresh hot breakfast to their guests each morning & treat as though it is the guests' home.
Well I hope I have given you a thorough description of some of the beauty & wonder that the CVNP & surrounding area has to offer. This is such a wonderful place to visit for couples & or families alike. I have included photos of CVNP along with some photos of when I went on the "Grape Escape" wine tour. If you make your way or have visited CVNP please share your comments and/or feedback of what you thought. Anyways please feel free to share this info with your family & friends, and as always Happy Travels!!!
