5 Things to do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in One Day
There are tons of things to do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park but the purpose of this post is to help you isolate the top 5 activities if you are only intending to spend one day there.
Basic info:
- Name: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Location: Ohio
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hotels? See best options
- Tours? See best options
Top 5 things to do:
- Start with Brandywine Falls.
- Explore Kendell Lake.
- Do the Ledges Trail.
- Kayak across Cuyahoga river.
- Take the Cuyahoga Valley scenic railroad tour
Brandywine Falls:
This was the first major stop on my visit to this park. The good news is that it’s very popular (maybe that’s the bad news), has a large parking lot and the trail to get to the actual waterfall is pretty short and easy to reach (it’s called Brandywine Gorge Trail). It only took me 5 minutes to get to the overlook of the waterfall, which was pretty awesome to check out. I didn’t stay long and continued to look around at what else was possible to check out nearby.
The only thing (and this may be something you can do) is that there is a bike trail available across the park that you can take and it crosses over the top of this waterfall. Otherwise, if you enjoy simple trails (and crowds), then checking out Brandywine Falls is a pretty good way to start your visit to this park. There is a gorge area underneath it and I don’t know if it’s possible to reach, but that could be dangerous, so I wouldn’t do it.
Kendell Lake:
My next stop would be to Kendell Lake, located further south in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I had to browse many blogs, images and do a lot of quick research to learn about this place, and that most of the amazing pictures I saw of this park were located near it. After figuring this was the next place to do, I took my car and traveled there. Luckily, the road was easy to drive on, and the parking lot to this lake was also pretty wide.
This area of the park wasn’t as filled with tourists, was very peaceful and was a great spot to go fishing, or just meditate. But in my case, I had no time to do any of that and needed to go to the next destination. Luckily as I found out, there were 2 hikes near Kendell Lake which just so happened to be exactly what I sought to discover in this park in the first place:
Hike the Ledges Trail:
If you see pictures of amazing looking trails in this park, odds are it’s the Ledges Trail you’re looking at. In fact, with regards to the best hikes in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Ledges trail is number 1: In my case, I explored it after another connecting trail. I left my car parked at the Kendell Lake parking lot and proceeded to head to a different trail which intersected with the Ledges Trail (it’s called Pine Grove Trail). Sadly, the Pine Grove Trail was pretty boring to explore and I spent about 30 minutes running the 2 mile loop.
But it does cross into the Ledges Trail and just so you know, you can actually park right by the Ledges Trail itself (I only later learned this). Anyway, the Ledges trail is a loop hike you can take which in my opinion will show off the best stuff this park has to offer, from beautiful boulder structures, to the hike itself being out of this world. I made sure to take my time on this trail, as it does take you to a giant field, and “famous” overlook area which I didn’t find all that interesting. Overall, for me the Ledges Trail was the most beautiful thing I saw in the entire park that day, and the boulder areas which are pretty much across the entire loop are what’s worth looking at most.
Kayak the Cuyahoga river:
This and the next activity are what I didn’t have time to do, but only later learned this was an available activity. In this case, there is a very long river you can kayak across which goes through the park and has you seeing great views. Even if I had the time, I wouldn’t be able to do this alone as I would need a ride back to my car from wherever I started. But overall, if you’re into kayaking and water sports, Cuyahoga Valley National Park has that opportunity for you to check out and there’s a lot to see while you kayak here.
Do the Cuyahoga Valley scenic railroad attraction:
One of the main attractions you’ll find in this national park is a train ride that takes you across the area and it’s known as the Cuyahoga Valley scenic railroad (it also runs close to the Cuyahoga River). It’s available for tourists and I recall hearing it many times as I hiked across the Ledges Trail. This particular activity is awesome for families and people seeking to just sit back and enjoy this park’s beauty instead of hiking there or not knowing what else to see. It will take you through very scenic areas from what I saw and is highly recommended. Again, for me, this was not something I had time to do, but in the future will. I do know in hindsight that this is one of the best things to do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park and if you mix that together with hiking the Ledges trail, those 2 activities are probably the best way to explore this NP.
Can you do all 5 of these things in in one day?
Absolutely. Considering you begin early and don’t wait on any particular activity too long, as well as go with others so they can pick you up if you do the kayak or train ride, then you should be able to do that. Of course, Cuyahoga Valley National Park has much more to explore than just these 5 things, but by starting with this list, you will be checking out some of the most popular (and beautiful) parts of this park. Overall, I was very happy that I stumbled onto this place on my road trip, and in hindsight, it just gave me another opportunity to explore another gorgeous spot.
I hike CVNP regularly, and it is truly a hidden gem. Lesser known trails are Blue Hen Falls and Buttermilk Falls, both of which you can get to in one hike. Believe it or not, winter is also a great time to Hike there (cleats recommended on hilly trails, especially Blue Hen). All of the falls are gorgeous when frozen over, and the many pine and hemlock groves are stunning when covered in snow.
Terry you rock! Thanks so much for sharing these other trails/attractions in Cuyahoga Valley!
The only thing I want to add is a recommendation for Tinker’s Gorge in the north area of the park. It has some spectacular views. You’d have to drive there from the areas listed here, though, as the park is scattered around the area.
Thanks for mentioning the gorge! I took a look at the pictures and they seem pretty nice 🙂