Feb 5

Feb 5 Cuyahoga Valley National Park: 5 Spots You Can't Miss on Your First Visit

Post Summary: Some quick tips for visiting Ohio’s only National Park, as well as the top must-see spots when exploring.

Visiting a National Park can be intimidating for the first time. “What do I see? What do I do first?” While Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Kai-a-hoga), or CVNP for short, here in Ohio is smaller and less known, there’s over 30,000 acres of land and over 125 miles of trails here, so there’s a lot to see; from waterfalls to ledges and more.

Know before you go

Luckily CVNP is a free national park, so you don’t need a permit or pay to get in. The park was also just named the “Most Accessible” National Park in 2019.

When to visit

The best time to visit is honestly any season. The best part about CVNP is that it’s located in a part of the country that changes colors with the seasons. Summer brings out gorgeous greens; Fall brings out stunning foliage and colors that you can’t miss; Winter makes the park look like a winter wonderland; and Spring is when everything is blooming.

Where to eat

The town of Peninsula offers a few restaurants within the park otherwise you’ll need to leave park boundaries to the surrounding cities for more food choices. The Conservancy for the parks runs two Trailmix stores in Boston and Peninsula which offer snacks. There’s also plenty of picnic areas throughout the park, located at almost all trailheads, some with grills.

Getting around

There’s multiple entrances to the park, with parking lots almost at every attraction, or on the side of the road if needed. Depending on where you’re coming from, you’ll want 271, 77, or I-80. Parking is rarely an issue in the park unless you visit on a very nice weather day in the summertime, especially on a weekend. Most of the time though, you shouldn’t have any issues finding a parking spot since there’s parking at every major attraction. The closest airports are Akron-Canton or Cleveland Hopkins International. Uber 0r Lyft would be able to take you to the park if you need a ride from the airport.

I only live about 20 minutes from the park, so I frequent here often. The park may not be huge when compared to other parks, but that doesn’t mean there’s not much to explore. Here are my top five most recommended spots to check out on your first trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Brandywine Falls

The most notable attraction in the national park, Brandywine Falls will not disappoint. The 65-foot waterfall looks amazing whether it’s frozen, just after rainfall, or more of a bridal veil effect in dryer conditions. A short walk from the parking lot, you have a few options. You can walk all the way down the boardwalk steps to a close-up of the falls, or you can keep walking on the boardwalk for different views up top of the falls. Better yet, if you have the time, take the Brandywine Gorge Trail that takes you all around the falls and the creek, which takes less than an hour and there’s a good change of elevation. You can also extend the trail to the Stanford House, one of the historical sites in the park.

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

Virginia Kendall Ledges

Just like Brandywine, this is another can’t miss spot and one of the most popular. From the parking lot you have two options: cut across the field straight to the overlook, or take the Ledges trail through the woods, where there’s little side trails as well, all of which will eventually lead you to the overlook. I recommend the trail, while the overlook definitely is a must-see, the ledges themselves are a beautiful sight to see. Quite a bit of northeast Ohio has ledges, leftover from a glacier back in the day, but there’s something amazing about these ledges. Filled with history, the ledges are from an ancient time and are fun to explore. Climbing is prohibited for obvious reasons, but there are many spots where you can walk through the ledges for stellar views.

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

Blue Hen Falls

Another favorite here in CVNP, Blue Hen Falls is a smaller waterfall that is worth the visit. It’s not too bad of a walk down to the falls, it’s a fairly rocky downhill trail but it’s not difficult. There’s benches above the falls for relaxing or you can go against the railing for better views. Depending on the season, you’ll find people playing in the creek.

There’s a small unpaved lot across the street from this trail, but if it’s full you’ll have to park down at the Boston Store and hike up the hill to reach the trailhead.

>> Related: Northeast Ohio: The Fall Hiking Guide <<

Everett Road Covered Bridge

If you like covered bridges, then Everett Road Covered Bridge is the place for you. This bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in Summit County, where there used to be over 2,000 in Ohio in the 19th century. Getting here is easy, there’s a parking lot with a short walk to the bridge. You can even take a little side trail below the bridge to hang out by the water.

There’s a few hiking and bridle trails that also start near the Everett parking lot.

Beaver Marsh

Park at the Ira Trailhead and head over to the Ohio + Erie Canal Towpath trail and make your way to the Beaver Marsh. I’ve heard early mornings or later at night is the best time to go if you want to see any wildlife. But any time of day this is a great place to explore. You can learn about the marsh on the side of the boardwalk or just enjoy the views. This is also a great location for sunrises and sunsets!

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.

Spending more than one day in CVNP?

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 at 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 RVs. Unofficially, the 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.