Cuyahoga Valley
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
lies along the Cuyahoga River between the Ohio cities of Cleveland and Akron. It is very interesting because it is the opposite of how most parks came to be. Most parks are built to preserve the land, Cuyahoga was built to reclaim the land. The Cuyahoga River and Valley was the dumping ground for big factories, over time it was cleaned up and made beautiful and whole. This is a perfect example of how we can restore America back to it’s original glory. It became a national park on October 11, 2000 and protects nearly 33,000 acres.
Overview
I think we owe it to Cuyahoga to describe what this park and what it isn’t so we set the expectation right from the get go. What it is, is a large park spread out over a mixed use area. Subdivisions old and new, a golf course and small shops are scattered about and park has blended itself into the backdrop. It is always here and again there is 33,000 acres worth of park that has made that blend. This was made a park after the fact and it came a long way to make it here. It is not Yellowstone, it is not the vast frontier full of untouched raw beauty nor the Rocky Mountains with her purple mountains majesty. It is the heart of the damaged Great Lakes, rust belt that was destroyed and built anew again. It is the Phoenix raising and it is a perfect example of how the future could and should be. If the rest of the country came here and took notes a lot could be learned and we could change the destiny of our republic for the good.
Brandywine Falls
Okay so it is not Niagra or Victoria but you know this going into it. It does satisfy your inner spirit and gives you that calm, peace which is why you came.
The Ledges
The Ledges is a 1.8 mile trail and is the best attraction in the park as far as Im concerned.
Layers in the landscape
An ancient sea covered what’s now northeast Ohio 400 million years ago. Big toothy fish and sharks swam there. Silt, mud, and other sediments washed into the salty waters and settled onto the sea floor. Over time the weight of the stacked layers of sediments crushed and squeezed them into a dark gray rock called shale. The white shiny rocks in these layers is white quartz.
The Lost Meadows
Nothing over the top here, just an open field full of wild flowers and a secluded spot to gather your thoughts.
