|
THE PARK:
Raise your hand if you knew that
America's first national park of the 21st Century was created
in...........................Cleveland? To the first people who
came here 12,000 years ago the Cuyahoga was the "crooked
river." Its steep valley walls inhibited settlement as easterners
poked into the region in the late 1700s. But a navigable water
link between Lake Erie and the Ohio River was a priority in the
early American Canal Age and in 1832 the Ohio & Erie Canal
became a reality. Ohio boomed and settlers poured into the area.
The canal was put out of business by the Great Flood of 1913
and the Cuyahoga Valley was left to recreational purposes. The
33,000 acres along the banks of the Cuyahoga River were protected
as a national recreation area so the heavy lifting for creating
the park was done before its designation as a national park in
2000.
WALKS:
As befits its history as a recreation
destination, Cuyahoga is a national park that permits dogs on
its trails. It doesn't have the feel of the grand American national
parks but instead evokes an intimate feel on the trails that
are squeezed between highways, farmlands and neighborhoods.
The main trail through the park is the
nearly 20 miles of the Towpath Trail along
the route of the historic canal. Ten trailheads make it easy
to hike the crushed limestone path in biscuit-size chunks. The
trail is a mix of meadows and forests and the remnants of locks
and villages.
Another long distance trail through the park is the Buckeye
Trail that circles the entire state of Ohio for over 1200
miles. About 33 miles of the
blue-blazed pathway wander the ravines and ridges of the valley.
Some of the best canine day hiking in the park is in the north
end of the Cuyahoga Valley, in the Bradford Reservation. A five-mile
all-purpose trail traverses the Tinkers Creek Gorge area, exploring
Ohio's most spectacular canyon. The gorge is a National Natural
Landmark, noted for its virgin hemlock forests. Short detours
off the main trail include an easy walk to Bridal Veil
Falls and the Hemlock Creek Loop Trail.
Other highlights include the dark and
mysterious 2.2-mile ramble around the Ledges (from the Happy
Day camp) and a short 1.25-mile loop through the Brandywine Gorge
that takes your dog to the lip of Brandywine Falls and 160 feet
down to the water level.
DIRECTIONS
O LIGHTHOUSE
PARK:
To get to Canal Visitor Center from
Cleveland, exit I-77 at Rockside Road. Go 1 mile east to Canal
Road; turn right. The visitor center is approximately 1.5 miles
on the right.
|
|