Located along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) attracts over 2 million visitors each year, making it one of the most popular national parks in the country! Conservation efforts to the region began as concern over the notoriously polluted Cuyahoga river mounted. Local citizens then joined with the government to create a protected National Recreation area in 1974. The region was eventually established into a National Park in the year 2000, making Cuyahoga Valley one of the nations newest national parks. My first trip to CVNP was with my fiance in April of 2022. This park offers a scenic weekend getaway for us Buffalonians as the drive is just over 3 hours. Furthermore, unlike most National Parks, access to CVNP is FREE! Leaving Friday afternoon, we stopped for a craft brew flight and some delicious hoagies at Erie Brewing Company before checking in at our weekend basecamp, the Country Inn and Suites in Macedonia. The hotel was close to the park and cheap, costing less than $100/night with our medical personnel discount. It provided a good complimentary hot breakfast, had friendly staff, and met our needs. The hotel definitely required updating, exhibiting several cosmetic and mechanical issues (the windows wouldn’t lock), thus travelers wanting a classier stay might look elsewhere. This is our two day itinerary for a great weekend in Cuyahoga Valley National Park!
Itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Day 1
Our first full day began by driving a short distance to the Boston Mill Visitor Center. We were able to read up on the history of the park, enjoy several small exhibits, and finalize our weekend plans with the very helpful Park Ranger Gene. Park Rangers are excited to offer specific insights on activities in the park, current trail conditions, and provide a great resource for those particularly visiting a park for the first time. After Park Ranger Gene advised against hiking a particularly muddy trail to Brandywine falls, we decided to drive to the parking area and hike the Brandywine Gorge Loop instead. Brandywine falls is a highlight of the park and accessible via a well maintained short boardwalk trail down the gorge from the parking area. The waterfall’s 65 foot drop is impressive and we spent about 10 minutes enjoying the view and taking pictures before embarking on the 1.4 mile moderate Brandywine Gorge loop trail.
Our next stop was for coffee and baked goods at Open Door Coffee Company in the picturesque and lively city of Hudson. Hudson was awesome! The center of the town spans across the First and Main Downtown shopping district. Here you can find luxury clothing brands, upscale restaurants, lively nightlife, unique shops, art galleries and much more!
Well caffeinated and snacking on gourmet cookies and cream popcorn (I kid you not), we then made our way to the Ledges Shelter parking area to start another highlight of CVNP, the Ledges Trail. The Ledges trail encompasses a 2.2 mile relatively flat well maintained loop. Sand and pebbles compressed together over millions of years and then slowly eroded by nature, creates the conglomerate rock formations emblematic of this fascinating hike. A western facing lookout near the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed Ledges shelter offers beautiful sunsets over the park as well.
The last leg of our day involved a quick stop to explore Appalachian Outfitters before heading back to Hudson for dinner. We opted for dinner and drinks at Comida Restaurant and were rewarded with great service, live music, and an exceptional steak and blue cheese burrito!
Itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Day 2
Our final day started with a little confusion. We checked out of the hotel and realized the Century Cycles bike rental location in Peninsula did not open until noon. After a quick google search, we were off to the Bridal Veil Falls within the Cleveland Metroparks system. This was a rather unassuming waterfall which we coupled with 0.8 miles of the Buckeye Trail to add a decent view at Tinkers Creek Gorge Overlook. We were graced with beautiful weather for April and had fun! The Buckeye trail included some hills and an impressive grove of very large trees, however in hindsight it was not within CVNP, added a decent amount of driving to the day, and we would now instead have opted for the Kendal Lake Loop trail as a short hike prior to our bike ride.
Century cycles in Peninsula is centrally located within the park and presents an excellent launching point for biking the widely acclaimed Towpath Trail. Flat and well maintained, the Towpath Trail is composed of concrete and compacted pebbles. The trail is popular and bustled with walkers, runners, and bikers of all ages. The trail offers an easy bike ride. It runs through the heart of the CVNP and provides access to many of the park’s attractions as well. Century cycles offers several options for bike rentals. I rented a traditional mountain bike and my fiance opted for an electric bike with pedal assist. She had a blast, frequently and effortlessly blowing past me on the trail, cackling away. We biked approximately 20 miles total from Peninsula to the Canal Exploration Center and back in about 3 hours. We enjoyed stopping and enjoying certain sights along the way. After completing your ride, treat yourself to some well deserved brews and eats at the Winking Lizard Tavern before closing the book on your perfect 2 days in Cuyahoga Valley National Park!
Itinerary for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Highlights From Our Trip
Ledges Trail
Towpath Trail bike ride
Brandywine Falls with gorge loop hike
City of Hudson
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