There are affiliate links in here.  I get a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you.

There are affiliate links in here.  I get a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you.

LOOKING FOR THE BEST WAY TO SPEND ONE DAY IN CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK?

One thing that surprised me on our fall road trip was Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It’s not my favorite park by a long shot but it did exceed my expectations and it should definitely not be skipped on a midwest road trip.

While I’m sure there are tons of things to do here, I’m going to just be telling you how to spend one day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

One awesome jam packed day though. It’s going to cover the park highlights and include lots of hiking. (Don’t worry. If you don’t like hiking, I’ve got you covered, too.)

I would recommend starting this day pretty early, like maybe at 8, 9 at the latest because both hikes will take 2-3 hours and there is just under 40 minutes of driving if you see them in the order I’ve suggested.

National Park Goodies

• If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
• If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
• This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
• Doing a road trip? Want an adventure? Consider an Escape Campervan Rental! It’s a great way to see the parks and is perfect for couples and small (but close) friend groups. Book a campervan here!
• This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
• Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
• Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

National Park Goodies

• If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
• If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
• This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
• Doing a road trip? Want an adventure? Consider an Escape Campervan Rental! It’s a great way to see the parks and is perfect for couples and small (but close) friend groups. Book a campervan here!
• This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
• Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
• Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

Where is Cuyahoga Valley National Park?

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is right between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio. It’s about 30 minutes to the visitor center from Cleveland, about 20 minutes from Independence where we stayed, and about 25 from Akron.

It’s what I like to call a city park because it’s basically in a city. It’s spread out with tons of farms and houses and stuff in the park.

As you drive around the park, you’re on residential streets. It’s not a remote “in the middle of nowhere” park like you normally think of. Other parks I consider city parks are Hot Springs and Indiana Dunes.

Best things to do with one day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Here we go, the best way to spend one day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I mapped everything out to make sure I had everything in the most efficient order and what I have here is 38 total minutes of driving.

You can switch Brandywine Falls and the visitor center and the time is the same, it’s just two more miles of driving.

Stop at the Boston Mills Visitor Center

First up is the visitor center. You could also switch this and Blue Hen Falls because they’re at the same spot. Stop in here to get your postcards and stickers before learning a little more about this urban park and how it came to be.

Fun fact: this is the only national park visitor center I’ve taken a picture of. The buildings here are so pretty and the sky was perfect!

If you want and have time, you can wander around the little street to the left of the visitor center (if you’re facing it).

Hike to Blue Hen Falls

Next up is the three mile hike to Blue Hen Falls! The trailhead is right across the street from the visitor center so you can stay parked there while you do the hike.

While you will have interstate noise most of the hike, it was a very enjoyable trail through the glowy woods (the woods in this park really do glow) to a nice waterfall.

We only saw a few people at the falls and along the way there. This is a moderate hike so if you just want an easy one, the Ledges is a better choice.

See Brandywine Falls

A short boardwalk with a lot of stairs takes you down to check out Brandywine Falls. This is a must-see in the park but I thought it was just ok. There are plenty of other waterfalls I liked more. It’s still worth seeing though.

There is also a boardwalk that goes to the right (stairs go to the left) that is flat but takes you to a higher view of the falls.

If I cut one thing out of this list, it would probably be this. I was really excited to see it but it felt underwhelming to me.

Hike the Ledges

If you only do one thing in Cuyahoga, DO THIS! I absolutely loved this trail and will sing it’s praises all day.

This is a pretty easy 1.8 mile trail through the woods along amazing glowing mossy rock formations and witchy woods. If you can manage this in the middle of the day I would recommend that for the best lighting.

If you want to see this but are short on time you can just hike along the rock formations at the beginning of the trail without doing the whole loop.

Happy Days is a nice 0.5 mile addition to this trail, either the full loop or just the part along the formations plus Happy Days.

Stop at the Everett Road Covered Bridge

This is a nice quick stop. I put it in maps on my phone (Apple Maps, I think) and it took us way out of the way but to the wrong side of the bridge so we had to back track. Don’t do what I did. Put Everett Road Covered Bridge parking lot into Google Maps.

If you just want to see the covered bridge, it’s a short walk from the parking lot, like less than half a mile round trip.

You can continue walking on the other side of it or go see Furnace Run (the water under it) before heading back.

We saw this in late afternoon/early evening and the lighting was really nice. I always think of Beetlejuice when I see this bridge.

Walk the Beaver Marsh Boardwalk

Finally we have the Beaver Marsh. This used to be the home of a car garage that left behind all kinds of car trash that had to be hauled out for the restoration.

This will legit make you feel like you’re on a Florida boardwalk and you’ll be wondering where the gators are. Well, they’re not here.

This is a 0.5 mile round-trip walk from the trailhead along the Towpath Trail. If you want to bike in the park, you can do that along this trail and stop at the marsh along the way.

It’s a nice place to end the day, watching the sun set and looking for wildlife. It’s also a great option if you want to do some biking in the park.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park entrance fee

There is no entrance fee for Cuyahoga Valley! This is one of the parks that is free.

Where to stay near Cuyahoga Valley

Sheraton Suites – This is a great option in Cuyahoga Falls (near Akron) with a view of the Cuyahoga River. They also have a restaurant on site.

Comfort Inn – This is where we stayed and I liked it. I’d stay again. It’s a nice but not fancy option at the north end of the park with plenty of restaurants nearby.

Candlewood Suites – This is a nicer option in Independence and the rooms have kitchenettes if you want to make your own food instead of eat out. And it’s close to the Interstate.

Residence Inn – This is another nice Akron area choice (Fairlawn) and also has a kitchen in the rooms if you want to be more self-sufficient.

Camping in Cuyahoga Valley

There is no camping of any kind (including backcountry) in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. But there are campgrounds nearby. Here are a few:

• Punderson State Park
• Heritage Farms
• Valley Overlook
• Silver Springs
• Willow Lake Park
• West Branch State Park
• Findley State Park

Is visiting Cuyahoga Valley worth it?

Yes! I think everywhere is worth visiting at least once and while this isn’t a top five park for me (by far), I still really liked it.

The Ledges Trail is one of my favorite national park hikes and I ever really liked the Blue Hen Falls trail. Most people have low expectations of Ohio but it’s definitely worth visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

What to bring to Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Hiking poles – These will be helpful on longer hikes that are on the steeper side.  They’ll be good if you have bad knees for when you’re going downhill and will give you something to lean on going up the hills.

Water bottle – It’ll be hot and you’ll need to stay hydrated.  Even if it’s not hot you need to stay hydrated.  A Hydro Flask will keep your water ice cold all day long.

Sunscreen – If you plan on being outside, you’ll want sunscreen.  I like the Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch a lot AND it’s reef safe! If you’re sensitive to fragrance though, it’s not a good choice. I also like the same one but specifically for your face.

Hat – You’ll want some kind of hat to keep the sun out of your eyes, or a visor.  A baseball hat should be fine but I like my giant sun hat, too.

Sunglasses – This is a must no matter where you are.

Light Jacket – Because you just never know.  Weather can change quickly depending on where you are, time of day, and season.  I usually use my rain jacket for this.

Headlamp – I tend to carry my headlamp around all the time when we’re hiking, just in case. 

Tips for visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the fall

• Temperatures can change quite a bit throughout the day at Cuyahoga in the fall so be prepared with layers.
• The best time to catch the fall colors is about the third week of October. You can still catch some before and after but that’s usually the peak time.
• If you’re there on a weekend you might be able to catch a farmers market in the park!
• There are farms in the park and in the fall you can stop at some to buy pumpkins and other fun fall things.
• Mid-day is actually a nice time to hike here because you get the sunlight shining through the trees. If you go too late in the day it can just be dark and a little hard to photograph, if that’s what you’re there for.

Have you been to Cuyahoga Valley National Park? What did you think of it? If you only had one day there, what would you recommend not be missed?