Cuyahoga Valley Spring

Cuyahoga Valley was a very unique park. It is little known as a national park, but its popular with the locals. It's basically a very large city park. It is situated between Cleveland and Akron and is very mixed into the towns. To get from trailhead to trailhead, there is a lot of driving through residential neighborhoods. The entrances to two of the main attractions are right next to people's driveways. So, it was an interesting experience that I never really got used to, but the park was still beautiful and fun to explore.

My first hike and definitely my favorite in the park was to Blue Hen Falls and on to Buttermilk Falls. The trek to the first waterfall was nice, but pretty uneventful, but the hike to Buttermilk Falls was really great. It involved multiple stream crossings and some fun, bumpy terrain. There was no clear path over the streams, so I jumped from rock to rock and at one spot I walked across a log. Buttermilk Falls was really pretty and peaceful and I loved getting there.

After that adventure, I went to the visitors center to learn about the park. I learned the park follows along and protects the Ohio-Erie Canal that follows the Cuyahoga River. The canal connects the Ohio River, on the southern border of Ohio, to Lake Erie and the Erie Canal of New York. This canal dramatically improved the economy of Ohio. Before the canal was completed in 1832, Ohio was one of the poorest states in the country. Then a few years later, Ohio became the third most prosperous state. Farmers could now sell their products. The park protects the old locks, surrounding land, and historic buildings from the canal's hey day. The mule towpath is now a long hiking and biking trail that is very popular. The Canal Exploration Center on the north end of the park also had a lot of information. There I learned how the locks worked and what kind of goods were transported on the canal.

My next hike was at Brandywine Falls. This is the tallest waterfall in Ohio and it was a pretty one. But I've never met a waterfall I didn't like. The walk to the falls was short but I kept going on the trail to follow the stream. I saw a few wildflowers, some nice trees with their fresh new spring leaves, and my first reptile of the trip, a snake. My last hike of the park was in the Ledges area. This section is named after the rock formations that form steep drops to make ledges off the hill. I walked in a big circle around the area and was impressed by the dark crevasses and the really cool textures of the rocks.

Cuyahoga Valley was a neat park. I really enjoyed learning about the history. It is one of the most visited national parks because of its close proximity and popularity with the locals. There were a lot of people out hiking, biking, and picnicking. It was a great place to have a nice spring experience out of ice and snow and into some green. Although, I was getting pretty used to the cold and snow, I'll miss that.