Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the Middle of Winter!

Bethany Davis
Apr 19, 2022
7 min read

My family and I celebrated my mom’s 50th birthday in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. When it comes to National Parks, CVNP (Cuyahoga Valley National Park) is pretty unique. Encompassing only 51 square miles, it is one of the smallest national parks in America, but is visited by more than 2.4 million people every year. Many people are attracted to CVNP because of the variety of activities to do within the park. You can kayak, ride a scenic railway, see a live orchestra, and hike ancient sandstone ledges all in one day. Our visit was in the middle of February after a relatively big snowstorm. The snow covered trees made for beautiful scenery, but not the best conditions for our favorite family pastime of hiking. The park stays open throughout the year because there are many options of winter activities, including skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing at the Boston Mills Ski Resort, Brandywine Ski Resort, or Polar Blast Tubing Park. Most trails in the park are used during the winter months for cross country skiing or snowshoeing.

Being sandwiched between two major Ohio cities, Cleveland to the north, and Akron to the south, when visiting CVNP, you are never far from amenities you may need. There are plenty of hotels and inns close by, but our family rented a cute house to fit all 9 of us on VRBO. Our group consisted of my parents, my sister, Beka, and her fiancé, Jesse, my youngest sister, Jordan, and her boyfriend, Landon, my grandma, my boyfriend Dylan, and myself. Friday night, we met up at the rental house and spent the evening eating pizzas, catching up with each other, playing games and laughing. My sisters and I made a quick Walmart run on Friday night and bought the necessities to make a birthday brunch and waffle bar Saturday morning for our Mom’s birthday.

On Saturday after brunch was cleaned up, we started our day at the main Boston Mills visitor center to get our national park passport stamps and mementos that we collect at every National Park we visit. We spoke to a park ranger about the conditions of the trails and picked up a few park maps. The visitor center is a great place to learn about the history of Cuyahoga Valley and the towpath. Downstairs there is a 3D model of the area on display and upstairs is an interactive kids corner with coloring pages, bird watching, and a wall to build a poem from word blocks. It is also great for all the kids at heart!

We decided to visit one of the most popular attractions in CVNP, Brandywine Falls. The trail to reach the falls is a short walk from the parking lot on a wood boardwalk and is one of the handicap accessible trails in the park, perfect for strollers and wheelchairs. In normal conditions, the trail is a short and easy walk, but there had been several days of heavy snow before our trip and the wood walkway was turned into a complete sheet of ice. The edges of the walkway closest to the railing were less slick, so even though it was much more difficult than we anticipated, we took it slow and were still able to make it to the falls. The flat upper boardwalk leads right to an overlook at the top of the falls. There is also a point where you can climb down a wooden staircase to view the 65-foot waterfall at the observation deck midway down the gorge. This is said to be the best viewpoint of the waterfall, but was closed during our visit for safety reasons due to the snow and ice. We lingered around the waterfall for several minutes taking in its beauty and the roar of the water pouring over the ledge. The trees and rocks surrounding the falls were covered in ice from the mist making it a very picturesque scene.

here are a few quaint historic towns within the park. After visiting the falls, we explored the town of Peninsula at the center of the park. The main street is lined with galleries, shops, restaurants and pubs. There is even a depot in the town to board the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. In the back of the Peninsula Art Academy they were selling handmade glass gifts. As we wandered through the shop, we saw a class taking place where an instructor was teaching participants glassblowing. Jesse is a very skilled craftsman and currently works with wood and blacksmithing, so he and Beka were especially intrigued by the class and would have participated if we had more time. Dylan is a huge popcorn enthusiast and was looking forward to visiting the gourmet popcorn shop in town, but unfortunately it was still closed for the season. The Purplebrown Farm Store is the perfect stop to pick up local and organic food. They offer a variety of produce, meat, bakery and dairy items from all over northeast Ohio. I purchased a loaf of bread which we enjoyed that night sampling different olive oils that we got at Olive My Heart in the town of Hudson, OH.

With a few hours of daylight left, we decided to soak in more of the natural beauty of the park on another trail. Our crew – minus Grandma, who, understandably, didn’t want to risk falling on the ice – hiked part of Ledges Trail. We set out with the intention of hiking the full loop, but the snow and ice slowed us down so much we cut it short. Even though we didn’t get to finish the full trail, the scenery that surrounded us was breathtaking! The evergreen trees seemed to glow against the white snow, which laid beautifully over the rocks and ground around us. Parts of the trail became very slick where cross country skiers had packed down the snow. I am already a very clumsy person and unfortunately I did fall on the slick spots a couple times. The trail starts on the top of the ledges, then leads you around and down the hill, until you are viewing the ancient sandstone ledges from below. The mossy, snow covered rock formations were gorgeous and worth the hike! Right before we headed up the hill to end our hike we came to a set of stairs formed from stones. There was a sign in front warning, “Caution: Steps may be slippery”, which we found ironic since they were covered in snow and ice. After our hike, we headed back to the house and prepared a delicious dinner together. Everyone was pretty worn out from the busy day, so it was an early bedtime for all.

Sunday morning we boarded the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Peninsula and rode it down to Akron and back. The tracks followed the Cuyahoga River for the majority of the way. Riding the railroad offers a new chance to take in the scenery and wildlife out your window from the comfort of your seat. It also allows passengers to hop on and off at any of the nine stops to explore the park and runs alongside several miles of the Ohio and Erie Canal towpath trail. In the summer months, you can bike down the towpath trail, then board the train with your bike and ride back to your starting point. Our family rode the railroad for about 3 hours to conclude our time in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Spring, summer, and fall are probably more ideal seasons to visit CVNP with more options of activities and better weather conditions, but visiting in the winter meant less crowds and a perfect break in the winter blues. Our time in CVNP was just what our family needed to connect, recharge together in nature, and breathe in fresh air. There were many laughs and smiles shared the weekend of February 11-13.

Happy 50th birthday to my beautiful momma! She has shared her passion for nature and the outdoors with me from the time I was young. I aspire to be half the woman you are.

If you are interested in learning more about Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Fodor's the Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA was a great resource when doing research in preparation for the trip.

History of the park:

CVNP was first owned as farm land and began turning into park land in 1927. Located between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, the park faced the threats of development moving in when population began rapidly growing and the river became very polluted. The Cuyahoga River’s claim to fame was when it caught on fire several times in 1969 from the pollution in it. These fires helped inspire the US’s first Earth Day. Many Ohioans and government officials began working to preserve the waterway and the valley around it. More land was added to the park and on October 11, 2000 the region was officially named a national park by congress. Unique from any other national park, there is a group of working farms within the park territory. (Anderson 240-241).

Top Reasons to Visit the Park:

According to Fodor's the Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA some of the top reasons to visit CVNP are:

Hike a historic trade route: The Ohio and Erie Canal towpath, originally constructed between 1825 and 1832, was used for mules pulling canal boats transporting goods on the Ohio River. This towpath made it possible to ship goods from Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mexico.
Enjoy the view: There are many sights to see within the park. Stand on top of sandstone ledges to taken the view of the Cuyahoga Valley. See ancient petroglyphs or climb a giant rock staircase - which was covered in ice when we visited.
Ski the slopes: The park is home to Boston Mills and Brandywine Ski Resorts where visitors can ski the slopes and get cozy by the fire at one of the lodges.
Take a farm crawl: there are 11 working farms within the park that participate in the Countryside Initiative, which is a partnership that allows smallholders practicing sustainable agriculture to lease part of the land.
Board a scenic train ride: If the weather isn’t cooperating, or you just want to give your legs a rest, you can take in the amazing scenery and wildlife aboard a Class III railroad.