Cuyahoga: Getting There

Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Distance: 600 miles
Drive Time: 9 hours.

Cuyahoga National Park is located right outside of Cleveland, OH. It showcases remnants of the Ohio-Erie Canal which ran from Lake Erie in Cleveland to the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio. It is also one of the newer parks, given that designation only in October 2000. It is also one of the smaller parks, with a size of only 133 square kilometers. Because it is so close to a major city, it is essentially surrounded by small towns and suburbs. There is even the village of Peninsula which is located right in the center of the park. The park was not without it's share of controversy. In creating the park in a populated area many people were forced to sell their homes and relocate. It is also consistently rated as one of the worst National Parks, because of its lack of unique natural beauty. But despite that, there is still a lot of history, trails, and things to see at this park.

Starting at the source, one quickly realizes that there are a lot of short recreational activities to do. The park is based around three things. The Cuyahoga River, the Towpath Trail, and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Around these three, all the rest of the park revolves. The Ohio-Erie Canal is mostly overgrown, but there are specific places where the canal locks can still be seen. There are also several small hikes available, and finally there are several visitor centers showcasing different aspects of the Park.
Coyahoga Valley National Park Brochure:
Part 1
Part 2

Being so close to civilization, there were many motels we could have stayed at. However, that is not the experience we were looking for, so we decided on the KOA of Streetsboro, OH. This KOA is located about 15 minutes away from the park and had the perfect facilities for people who wanted a nice camping experience without the bother of tents. There was one drawback, especially for Stacy. The cabins came without running water. Showers and restrooms were available, you just had to walk to them. Stacy did a great job figuring out how to wash dishes without a sink and got us ready for our trip.

We arrived at the campgrounds at around 8:00pm. The cabin was small, but fit our needs. It had two rooms, one with a twin bed and one with two bunk beds. The sun didn't set until after 9:00pm, so we had plenty of light to unpack. After unpacking and looking around it was time for bed. We all went to sleep looking forward to our next two days at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.