We chose to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park to get our Fourth Grade “Every Kid in a Park” Pass in preparation for our trip out west in a few weeks.
Once we had the pass and our Passport journals, we watched the video presentation and looked through the visitor center displays. Cuyahoga Valley National Park sort of spread out, and we saw only a small amount of what it had to offer in the few hours that we had available. For this trip, we targeted some of the sights that are located near the Boston Mills Park Office.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is somewhat unique among the National Parks in that it is not really home to any panoramic scenic vistas or dramatic land features. This park was designated primarily for its historic significance. Lots of the information we found here was devoted to the westward expansion of the US, the significance of this area to transportation (railroads and canals), and early industrial development of the region.
There is still plenty of natural beauty to appreciate in the area, though! We took a short hike to Blue Hen Falls and then drove up to Brandywine Falls and carefully hiked the icy boardwalk to the lower viewing platform there.
