May 29

May 29 Spend the Weekend in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Post Summary: Everything you need to know about spending a weekend in Ohio’s only National Park; including when to visit, where to stay, and the top sites to explore.

Whether you’re a National Parks traveler or an outdoorsy couple needing a weekend getaway, why not visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park? Nestled halfway between the major cities of Cleveland and Akron, you probably never even heard of the park, let alone expected it to be located in this part of Ohio. But this surprising 33,000-acre hidden treasure is filled with waterfalls, trails, farmland, historic sites, and more.

Since Cuyahoga Valley National Park isn’t very large (compared to other National Parks), it’s entirely possible to see everything in one day but to truly appreciate it if you’re coming from out of town, you’ll want two days. So I rounded up the top sites to see, along with where to stay and eat, for an amazing weekend in the Valley.

Know Before You Go

When to Visit

The best part about CVNP is that it’s a river valley located in the part of the country that changes colors with the seasons. Summer brings out gorgeous greens with temperatures averaging between 60-80 degrees. Fall brings out stunning foliage and colors that you can’t miss. Winter makes the park look like a winter wonderland with temps ranging from 27-48 degrees. And Spring is when everything is blooming. I’d recommend the spring or fall though, with fewer crowds and plus it’s cooler weather. Best part? All year long the park is free entry!

Where to Stay

While the park isn’t known to be a camping park, we do have some pretty cool spots you can stay. The main place to stay is the Inn at Brandywine Falls, built in 1848 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s been renovated over the years, with 6 rooms available for stay. Official camping used to be located behind the Stanford House, but the park no longer offers camping; this includes backcountry camping and overnight parking in RV’s. Unofficially, Heritage Farms site located in the park also has camping and cabins available. They have one Garden Apartment, 10 primitive campsites, and 3 camp shelters all that can be reserved. Down the road from Brandywine Falls, is the Shady Oaks Farm Bed & Breakfast that is another option to stay at. When in doubt, there’s quite a few hotels nearby or Airbnb’s.

Where to Eat

Food options within the park boundaries include Winking Lizard or Fisher’s Cafe & Pub, both in Peninsula. Other options require leaving the park, most options will be in Hudson or Macedonia, depending on how far you want to drive for food. There’s also numerous shelters and picnic areas located throughout the park at most of the sites.

Getting Around

Getting around the park involves either a lot of hiking or driving since it’s a pretty decent-sized park. You can get to most places by hiking the towpath or buckeye trail, but I’d recommend driving so you have more time to see the sites.

Day One Itinerary

Start your morning at the Boston Mill Visitor Center

You can’t visit a national park without stopping by the visitor center! Here you can learn about the park, get recommendations from the park ranger or naturalist, have your passport stamped, and more. Boston Mill was just recently built in 2019, the old visitor center (Boston Store) is right next door and is now a Canal Building Museum since the town of Boston used to be a canal town. You can also find out if there’s any road or trail closures in the area that you may need to know about.

Visit some beautiful waterfalls

Blue Hen Falls and Brandywine Falls are the parks two waterfalls, located on both sides of the visitor center.

Blue Hen is a smaller, more elegant falls, with a short downhill hike on an old driveway. There’s a few benches you can sit at and enjoy the falls, or lean up against the railing for a better view.

As for Brandywine, you can either take the boardwalk down to the falls (there’s a few different views of it on the boardwalk) or take the Gorge trail to loop around and it’ll lead you to the boardwalk. I’d recommend adding a few miles to your hike by taking the Stanford trail, which is connected to the Gorge. It leads you to the Stanford House, one of the historical sites in the park and the trail is lightly trafficked most days. If you head down the stairs on the boardwalk you can get right up the falls on the viewing platform (closed in the wintertime though), or instead, keep walking as if you’re headed to the Gorge Trail for a view of the top of the falls.

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

Stop by the Canal Exploration Center

Cuyahoga Valley and the river are known for being canal towns, specifically the cities of Peninsula and Boston. Canal locks are located all along the Towpath trail, some you can view from above and some you can walk in and get up close to the historic locks. At the Canal Exploration Center, you can learn more about the canals and their history through interactive maps and games, and more.

Immerse yourself in history and enjoy a sunset

Head over to the Virginia Kendall Ledges, where you can walk through the millions of years old Sharon Conglomerate ledges on a 2-mile hike. The towering ledges show the ripples of the ancient sea that used to cover Northeast Ohio. Along the trail you’ll come across Ice Box Cave, you can walk up to it but it is permanently closed to help the spread of White Nose Syndrome in the bats. At the end of the hike, you’ll come across the overlook, which is one of the most popular spots in the state for sunsets.

Day Two itinerary

Catch a sunrise at Kendall Hills & go for a hike

Kendall Hills looks out on the meadow and is another local favorite for sunrises. Afterward, you can either walk down through the meadow down to Kendall Lake, or you can drive to the parking lot there. The lake is a beautiful area, with a fishing pier and pine trees surrounding the shelter. You can take the mile-long loop trail that goes around the lake, or take the 4.5 mile Salt Run trail if you want more of a workout.

Next up: explore the town of Peninsula

Peninsula is a cute little town with some shops and a few places to eat. You’ll also find a boarding station for the Scenic Railroad if you come during the summer. The Trailmix store is the park’s gift shop, run by the Conservancy for CVNP.

Here you can hike along part of the historic Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath trail or wait for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to go past (depending on the season you visit you can catch a ride). This part of the Towpath will lead you to a few of the old canal locks, one of which you can actually walk in. The Towpath Trail runs along the entirety of the park (and more) and has many different trailheads.

Go hiking at a local favorite trail

The Plateau trail in the park is one of the favorites for those that love to hike, it’s about 4.5 miles with a few little ponds and a stunning row of pine trees. But you can also shorten the trail by taking the Oak Hill loop instead.

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

Explore a covered bridge

While not actually a creepy bridge, it is rumored to be haunted. But the Everett Road Covered Bridge is always cool to check out and get some pictures. You can go hiking here too along the Furnace Run Trail, which leads you up a lot of stairs before becoming a fairly easy hike.

Look for some beavers at the Beaver Marsh

What used to be filled with car parts and other junk was transformed by humans and beavers into the thriving wetland it is today. The Beaver Marsh is another favorite, where you can walk along the Towpath trail from the Ira trailhead, to the boardwalk on the marsh. The critters tend to hide during the day, but coming here in the early morning hours or around sunset, you might just see or hear the sounds of beavers and otters, and other creatures. During the summer months, you can also find Great Blue Herons and other birds flocking to the wetland.