Jun 19

Jun 19 Cuyahoga Valley National Park: The Photography Guide

Photography, Ohio, National Parks & Forests

Located between the major cities of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a place where urban meets wilderness and combines it into something truly spectacular. One minute you’ll find yourself walking under the Ohio Turnpike on the Towpath trail, next you’re deep in the woods on the trails or next to a waterfall.

While Cuyahoga Valley National Park may not be the first place you think of for beautiful places to photograph, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing here. If you’re not familiar with Cuyahoga Valley National Park, check out my Ultimate Guide to Cuyahoga Valley first.

Hiking & Photography Gear Needed

Hiking in Cuyahoga Valley isn’t too bad, some trails are easier than others, but you’ll still want the following basic gear to help you out.

Hiking boots & appropriate clothing
Plenty of water and snacks
Hiking poles (if needed)
Hiking bag or fanny pack
Safety gear (I always carry my knife & pepper spray)

When it comes to the photographer gear you’ll need, you don’t have to own anything super fancy, even a cell phone would be fine. But if you’re a photographer like me, you probably want to bring the following.

Camera: I use my Canon 6D Mark II
Camera Lenses: You don’t necessarily need a super long lens, but it couldn’t hurt to have one if you have the room in your bag, especially if you’re into wildlife shots.
Other Accessories: A tripod is a must if you want to do long exposures of the waterfalls. You might also want a shutter release cable, a tulip lens, or filters.

Cuyahoga valley national park: the photography guide

Determining when to visit the park will depend on the type of shot you want. Most of the trees here lose their leaves in the winter but there are many pine trees as well that will get covered in snow after a snowstorm. Because the leaves change, the fall colors

Brandywine Falls

Definitely, the most popular spot here in the park is Brandywine Falls, with the 65-foot waterfall and beautiful boardwalk. You have a few options here, you can take the boardwalk down into the gorge to face the falls directly or stay on the upper level to get a slightly further away view of the falls but nonetheless gorgeous (and probably less busy too). You can even keep walking a bit further down for a few more views of the falls, one right next to the top of the falls, and another on the bridge looking into the gorge (you can’t really see the falls this way but you can see the creek go over the cliff that makes the falls).

Best time to visit: I definitely recommend going early morning, since it’s always busy that’s your best bet for fewer people. I’d also like to note that many people that come here, come just for the falls and leave, so if you just wait for a bit it’ll clear up soon. I almost always can get the lower deck to myself at some point. Brandywine’s water flow is best after a good rainfall but going when it hasn’t rained lately produces a bridal veil effect at the falls.

Tips: Take the Brandywine Gorge trail for some more great views; you might not get views of the falls the whole way, but the short trail will take you all around the gorge where you’ll find some mini-falls and some great trail views. It’s also a heavily photographed waterfall, so try to be creative so your shot stands out.

>> Related: 10+ Waterfall Hikes In Northeast Ohio <<

Blue Hen Falls

Another waterfall here in the park, Blue Hen Falls is much smaller and more elegant. It’s a short hike down an old driveway, and there’s a bridge and a creek that also makes for excellent shots. The hike down is pretty easy, and there’s a wooden fence around part of the “overlook” of the falls. The park hasn’t made it clear whether they don’t want you to climb down to the bottom of the falls or not, but people have been doing it for years, and the parks social media accounts repost people’s pictures all the time so it’s safe to assume you can, as long as you don’t trash the area and are safe.

Best time to visit: The morning is your best bet, but honestly I’ve gone at 4:30 on a weekday and had a very short wait before having the place to myself for a bit of time.

Tips: This is the perfect waterfall to do a long exposure for that dreamy effect. It’s also one of the best places to view peak fall foliage according to locals.

Everett Road Covered Bridge

Covered bridges have probably always been a popular photo spot, but even more so lately it seems, so it makes sense that Everett Road Covered Bridge, the last remaining covered bridge in Summit County, is on a photography guide. If you’re not a hiker, then this is a great spot for you, simply park in the lot and it’s a quick walk to the bridge. The bridge is surrounded by trees and goes over a creek (you can even walk down to the creek for some awesome views of the bridge).

Best time to visit: I’d recommend early mornings and around sunsets, it’ll be less busy so you can get your picture.

Tips: Lots of people like to photograph or visit this bridge, so you might have to wait a bit depending on when you visit, but if you go down to the creek you can get different views of the bridge and it might not be as busy.

Boston Mills Visitor Center

Like with all national parks, you should visit the visitor center. Probably not what you expected to be on a photography guide, but our visitor center makes for great pictures in my opinion. The center was just built in 2019; the previous one is now a canal-building museum (also makes for a good photo op).

Best time to visit: I think it really just depends on what day you go since this is the central hub of the park, but mornings and late afternoons are usually the best like most places, especially since the center will likely be closed and fewer visitors there.

Tips: A little bit up the road you can go under the Ohio turnpike for some amazing views of the Towpath and river; the turnpike has some beautiful architecture and really adds to the uniqueness of CVNP.

Virginia Kendall Ledges

My personal favorite spot for photos; I love getting shots of the ledges or the trail, and definitely the overlook. The Ledges are a great photo spot because it’s in the woods and the ledges always look great no matter the time of day or time of year. The Ritchie Ledges are of Sharon Conglomerate, in which ancient seas and streams brought the sand and quartz pebbles. You can even see the waves of the ancient sea in the ripples of the ledges.

Best time to visit: If you’re looking to beat the crowds, I’d recommend the morning or late afternoon. It tends to get a bit busy all day long since this is one of the most popular trails in the park. Although this is one of the top locations in the state for sunset so plan to get there early to set up.

Tips: Don’t be afraid to go at high noon, the sun rays will peak through the leaves and it makes for some stunning shots. If you’re looking for a sunset shoot at the overlook, get there early because it can get pretty busy with other sunset watchers.

>> Related: Hiking In Cuyahoga Valley National Park <<

Beaver Marsh

You can’t have a CVNP photo guide without the Beaver Marsh! It’s an excellent spot for wildlife photography, but the boardwalk makes for great photos as well. At all hours of the day, you’ll spot photographers here looking for a beaver or turtle, etc. Head on down to the Beaver Marsh and look for some wildlife on this 70-acre wetland. This is another popular destination, due to the scenery of the Ohio + Erie Canal Towpath trail and the marsh. I’ve heard mornings and nights are best to locate the wildlife. Simply park at the Ira Trailhead lot and take a left onto the Towpath and you’ll pass one of the historical canal locks before reaching the marsh. This is a great location for sunrises and sunsets as well.

What was once an old salvage yard was turned back to a marsh in the 1980s by volunteers and returning beavers, who had built a dam across the canal. Today, you’ll find beavers, Great Blue Herons, otters, turtles, and more here at the beaver marsh. It was also designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.

Best time to visit: Definitely the sunrises or sunsets! This is another hugely popular spot in the park and everyone tries to group together on the boardwalk making it hard to get your shots.

Tips: Go before sunrise or at sunset and you might be able to spot the animals that live here, they don’t usually come out to play during the day when lots of people are there.

Horseshoe Pond

I think Horseshoe Pond is honestly a little hidden gem of CVNP, people hike the trail and enjoy the view for a bit but I don’t think it gets enough recognition. There’s a little boardwalk-type pier with a bench to enjoy the pine trees (most of the pines in the park are located here since it used to be a tree farm).

Best time to visit: It’s not as busy of an area, so really any time of the day would be fine, but I think mornings are your best bet.

Tips: This is one of the best spots for sunrise, with the sky reflecting into the pond with the evergreen trees in the background. Also, take the Tree Farm trail and you might find a few hidden gems along the way.

Other Photography Locations

There are definitely more spots to get your beautiful shots in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but you’ll just have to go exploring to find them! CVNP is full of amazing little hidden gems and other spots worth checking out.