Trip Across America

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located in Northeast Ohio, wedged between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. Many people are surprised to learn that Cleveland has a national park in its backyard, and justifiably so. When picturing America’s national parks, the mind gravitates towards wild and remote places, far away from the country’s industrial centers. While that generalization is true for most national parks, it certainly doesn’t describe Cuyahoga Valley.

The centerpiece of the park is the Cuyahoga River, which winds its way through Northern Ohio, before emptying into Lake Erie. At only 100 miles in length, the Cuyahoga is diminutive compared to great American rivers such as the Missouri or Mississippi, but in 1969 it briefly became the most famous river in America. In June 1969, the heavily polluted Cuyahoga caught on fire. At the time, this wasn’t actually much in the way of news. Since the Civil War, when Cleveland established itself as a great manufacturing city, the Cuyahoga had caught on fire more than a dozen times.

Cleveland certainly wasn’t alone in having its river catch fire, similar fires had happened in many American industrial cities. But Cleveland and the Cuyahoga would end up being the most notorious, due to some unfortunate timing. Just a month after the fire, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, one of the greatest events in human history. Time Magazine covered both events in the same issue, meaning most Americans ended up reading about the Cuyahoga River fire.

The fire on the Cuyahoga River captured the attention of the nation, and galvanized the environmental movement. Within 3 years, Congress would pass the Clean Water Act and establish the Environmental Protection Agency. Of course these actions weren’t solely in response to the Cuyahoga River fire, but the event was so visible that it certainly played a role. While the fire ended up being a huge embarrassment for Cleveland, 1969 would end up being a turning point for the Cuyahoga River. It would be a long journey, but over time the Cuyahoga has been transformed from the site of an environmental disaster, to being part of a beautiful national park.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Its origin story alone makes Cuyahoga Valley National Park fascinating, but there’s plenty more to see. In addition to the river, Cuyahoga Valley is home to the remains of the Ohio & Erie Canal. A modern marvel in its day, the canal connected Lake Erie with the Ohio River. The Towpath Trail runs parallel to the canal, and makes for an excellent hike or bike ride. Most of the canal has been reclaimed by nature, and is filled with interesting wildlife. Cuyahoga Valley also has its own scenic railroad, which operates inside the park. I didn’t get a chance to ride the train this trip, but I’ll be back later to check it out.

Hiking along the Towpath Trail was my favorite part of visiting Cuyahoga Valley. The river and surrounding scenery are beautiful, and the canal adds an interesting historical aspect. Being so close to the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, I didn’t anticipate seeing much wildlife, but I was pleasantly surprised.

My favorite wildlife interactions were with the beavers. Between the river and the canal, I spotted 7 or 8 beavers in just over an hour. The highlight of the day, was when a beaver swam up right in front of me to eat. He got out of the water not more than 5 feet from where I was standing (see above). He clearly wasn’t bothered by me, and I hung out for 20 minutes watching. In addition to the local beaver population, there were plenty of deer, and all sorts of birds.

My trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park was relatively brief, but it made a lasting impression. With an interesting history, beautiful scenery, and plentiful wildlife it’s well worth a visit. I’ll almost certainly be back again in the fall, to see everything i missed this trip, and maybe to catchup with my new beaver friend, we’ll see what happens.