June 2022, Brecksville, OH

Located in northeast Ohio, in an area that in the 1830s was the most prosperous part of America, Cuyahoga Valley is Ohio’s only National Park. It stretches between Cleveland and Akron, following the Cuyahoga River through beautiful sections of deciduous forest. Like the Indiana Dunes, this park is somewhat of an “urban” park, not far off the highway. Because of its easy access, this 50-square-mile park is one of the most-visited national parks in the United States. It has 125 miles of hiking trails through mossy wetlands and limestone ledges.

After touring the Visitor Center, we hiked the 2.7-mile loop trail to Brandywine Falls. It was a hot and humid day for a hike, so we were glad when we found what we were looking for……. a scenic waterfall cascading 65 ft. into a lush gorge. The viewpoint from the upper boardwalk was perfect for a short nap!

We lodged at the Inn at Brandywine Falls, which sat just above this falls! We stayed in the Granary, a carriage barn suite in a small building a few steps behind the main house. It was elegantly rustic, with wide plank floors, hand-hewn beams, and a sleeping loft with a king-size bed. It had windows overlooking a hemlock grove and a double-size Jacuzzi tub, which we soaked with many bubbles!! This was our most unique (and expensive) lodging for this trip! We did not even leave for dinner but made some salmon salad (from the pantry in our car!) and combined it with nuts, fruit, and a few drinks!

There is a lot to do in this park. The path that mules used to tow boats up the historic Ohio & Erie Canal in the 1800s has been turned into a multi-purpose hiking and biking trail, and there are scenic train rides on specific weekends of the year. We were disappointed that the 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 was temporarily closed…..it is there we could have learned more about the history of the people who lived and worked along the canal in the mid-1800s and about the mules that used to pull boats along the canal. A reason to stop again in the future…especially since there are so many great hikes left to take!