Cuyahoga is located just south of Cleveland and is often overlooked in stories about national parks out of respect for older giants who enjoy the brand's greatest fame, such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Yellowstone. Of course, in a list like this, no national park can compete with the Great Smoky Mountains, which have occupied first place since 1944.
However, Cuyahoga remains one of the most visited national parks in the country, and its place in the top ten for 2020 is not as new as some outlets suggest. Statistics show that the park, which covers an area of about 32,950 acres, ranked in the top ten out of 21 visits since it officially became a national park in 2000, and even ranked third in 2004. For the past nine years it's been quiet. I got a place of 11 to 13 but didn't leave the top 15.
The Ledges is an iconic trail that can be combined with other area trails for many miles of hiking. This national park that you've probably never heard of is one of the top 10 most visited. The Main Ledges Trail is a stunning 2.2-mile sandstone slope with high views of the park. The edges glow in bright green because of the growth of the lichen on the face of the rock.
The Paths of Lake Kendall are a mix of trails that include a beautiful lake and a cross-country hiking trail, plus a salt run of beautiful forests, rocky terrain, and hills. There are extensive cycling trails in the park, including the East Rim Trail System, which features stunning scenery, varied terrain, and obstacles.
If you're in waterfalls, you'll find them in all sizes throughout the park, but the real platform is the 60-foot Brandywine Falls, which is surrounded by many hiking spots and can be reached by car or bike.
Winter sports are an important attraction in Cuyahoga, where you can go skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and ice fish, and in Boston Mills and Brandewyn ski resorts, there are downhill skiing and snowboarding. It's not necessarily the height and level of chipping you can get in Banff, but it keeps the park all year in the state.
Cuyahoga's status as a national park originated in the early 2000s, but the land was designated as a national recreation area in 1974 by President Gerald Ford. The rise of the industry along the Cuyahoga River to Cleveland polluted the area so badly that the river caught fire. 300 years ago, you can still find black bears and bison.
Less than 200 years ago, when Cleveland was on its way to becoming the fifth-largest city in the country, the industry arrived and chemicals were thrown, the neighborhoods were built, animals were pushed south, and widespread pollution made it impossible even to eat fish caught in the river.
Just over 50 years later, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of Ohio's most successful rebuilding attempts. Fish are safe to eat, and the river flows freely again, where dams have been removed making water sports possible, and slowly, though rare, the black bears are making their way back to the area.
BOOK DIRECT AND SAVE