We got to the Park at about 10:00am. We quickly learned that the train is not a park of the National Park and they do their best hinder communication between the two as much as possible. We started the day at the Peninsula Station, where we learned about the park and the best activities to do while there. We decided to hike from the Boston Store to Brandywine Falls. It was a 4 mile round trip that would take us most of the day to complete, but it seemed perfect for our family of three young kids. The day was hot and sunny, but the kids did great on the hike. Rebekah, with her little legs, did struggle a bit. But she did very little complaining and the waterfall was well worth the hike. I let Matthew and Elisabeth hold the camera and take pictures. They thought that was the best part of the trip, and at every log asked if we could stop and take pictures.
Brandywine Falls is probably the most spectacular attraction at Cuyahoga. It is a 65-foot waterfall and has a nice observation deck for great views.
Cuyahoga has a neat activity called Questing. They give you a brochure with clues on it and you follow it to find hidden items and learn about the area you are walking through. I had brought one of these for this hike, but we were running out of water on a very hot day. I had expected there to be a water fountain available at the falls (since there was a parking lot and restrooms there). Without a fresh source of water, it was important that we got back as soon as possible. So we had to skip this activity. Maybe next time. To help with morale, I promised ice cream when we finished the hike.
When we got back to Boston Mills, stamped our National Park book and watched a video on how Cuyahoga Valley National Park got started. The history of the area revolves around the Ohio-Erie canal. It heavily used throughout the 19th century, but eventually was replaced by the railroad. At the turn of the 20th century it had fallen into disrepair and despite an effort to revive it, it was destroyed in 1913. Today a few of the canal locks remain. It would have been forgotten expect in the 1970s a group decided that this area needed to be preserved and after much fighting got President Ford to declare it a National Recreation Area on December 27, 1974. However, unlike Mammoth Cave or Yosemite, the focus of the park was not immediately obvious. Because of this the park struggled with its identity for many years. Eventually it was determined that the park would be bike trail that ran alongside the Cuyahoga River, and is essentially the go-to destination for all bikers in northern Ohio. Then in 2000 it was declared a National Park. In my opinion, it should have kept the former designation as that more closely represents its usage.
After the video we went back to Peninsula Station, bought our train tickets for the next day and got ice cream. We still had a little time after that, so we went down to Beaver Marsh and looked for beavers. We didn't find any, but we did see its home and a turtle resting in the water.
Once back at the campground, we made a dinner of hamburgers and then swam in the lake until dark. The kids loved it, there was a slide in the lake that all three kids used over and over again. There was also a high pier that you could jump off. Matthew was brave and jumped off right away, but Elisabeth was scared and needed me to hold her hand to jump. The lake had some fish in it, and while the active kids never felt them, if you held very still the fish would come up and bite you. I swam with the kids, while Stacy cleaned the cabin and rested for a little while. KOA had WiFi available, so Stacy and I watched an A-Team, before going to sleep. The kids on the other hand went to sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
It was our last night at the campground. Tomorrow we would sleep in a nice comfortable bed at Granny & Grandpa Stinson.
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