Discover Cuyahoga Valley: Top 15 Amazing Fun Facts About Ohio's National Park Gem

1. A Waterfall Wonderland

If you're chasing waterfalls, Cuyahoga Valley National Park has your "TLC" covered, making your heart cascade with pure bliss: With around 100 waterfalls sprinkled throughout the park, nature lovers will be busy snapping shots and admiring the spring-fed scenes that make these flowing beauties even more attractive in every way possible.
Source => beaconjournal.com

2. Bridge Makeover Extravaganza

Ever witnessed the bridge version of a fashion makeover? Well, buckle up, folks, because we're traveling back to a time when bridges wore roofs, donned in stunning 19th-century Ohio architecture: Behold the Everett Covered Bridge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a beautifully restored reminder of Ohio's whopping 2,000 covered bridges from the 1800s. Boasting the rare 1869 Smith Truss design, this wooden wonder got a fabulous facelift in 1986—after a troublesome flood washed away its former glory—and now serves as a tranquil spot for history buffs and Instagram explorers alike.
Source => nps.gov

Discover the thrilling "Subway" adventure in Zion National Park where Jurassic Park meets the Polar Express – without the dinosaurs or train! Prepare for a challenging 9-mile round-trip journey through water and boulders that's worth the "ticket" for nature lovers! 🏞️💦🎢

=> Fun Facts about Zion-National-Park

3. The Ledges' Rich History

Before the Ledges met Hayward, they had no Kendall: The beloved Ritchie Ledges in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, once a 19th-century hotspot for recreation, caught the attention and the wallet of industrialist Hayward Kendall, who transformed the area into the beautiful Virginia Kendall Park we know and love today for hiking, playing, and admiring awe-inspiring sunset vistas.
Source => nps.gov

4. Grasses Galore

If you build it, they will come (for the grass): Cuyahoga Valley National Park spans a whopping 50.9 square miles in Ohio, showcasing an array of eye-candy landscapes from lush forests to wetlands, with over 90 species of native grasses like Indian grass and big bluestem, enticing avian attendees such as the Bald Eagle and the endangered Eastern Bluebird to party like it's 1799!
Source => audubon.org

5. Chuckle on the Steam Express

All aboard the chuckle express: Cuyahoga Valley National Park hosts the annual Steam in the Valley event, treating passengers to a ride on a majestic, 15-foot-tall, 404-ton steam locomotive from the good ol' times - but you'll have to wait until 2024 for the next time it chugs through the park due to changing conditions.
Source => cvsr.org

6. All-Season Animal Party

Beavers, and otters, and birds, oh my! It's a wild party all year round at Cuyahoga Valley National Park's animal hotspot: The Beaver Marsh is home to an astounding array of species throughout the year, with over 50 different bird species nesting during summer, beavers and muskrats making appearances in spring, otters and water snakes basking in summer glory, and even winter-adapted waterfowl and sparrows chilling in the marsh's frosty cattails.
Source => nps.gov

7. Mini-Niagara's Village Past

Move over, Niagara Falls! There's a smaller, almost-forgotten sibling in Ohio that once powered a thriving village: Brandywine Falls, now nestled in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, fueled a bustling community in the early 1800s with waterpower but gradually faded into obscurity as the Erie Canal and railways stole the spotlight. The remnants of its past live on in James Wallace's house and barn, which have now been transformed into the enchanting Brandywine Inn.
Source => trekohio.com

8. Mother Nature's Off-Limits Buffet

If Mother Nature had a grocery store, Cuyahoga Valley National Park would be the produce aisle: teeming with wild edible plants and fungi, like dandelions, nettles, ramps, white pine, and milkweed. However, this all-you-can-eat buffet comes with a serious catch: picking, harvesting, or gathering these natural treats is strictly off-limits.
Source => conservancyforcvnp.org

9. Bat Cave Drama

Batman and the not-so-secret cave: The Cuyahoga Valley National Park was once a haven for cave explorers, but now the Ice Box Cave at the Ledges is indefinitely closed due to the spread of white-nose syndrome – a fungi-driven disease that's turned the park's bat populations upside down. The northern long-eared bat lost its top spot to the big brown bat, which seems to have a natural immunity against the disease and thrives in manmade structures.
Source => nps.gov

10. Magical Train Ride

All aboard the Hogwarts Express—err, the Cuyahoga Express: The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad lets you channel your inner Harry Potter as it whisks you past magical creatures like majestic eagles, gentle deer, busy beavers, and stealthy herons in their natural habitat, all while serenading you with the soothing sounds of the Cuyahoga River rushing by.
Source => nps.gov

11. Aqua-tic-tac-toe Revival

In a shell-shocking turn of events, the Cuyahoga River is about to go from merely swimming to making serious waves in the world of aqua-tic-tac-toe: Cuyahoga Valley National Park is now considering reintroducing freshwater mussels and lake sturgeon, some of Ohio's rarest aquatic life, to the area as recent efforts have led to the major revitalization of river health. This is mussel-ing in as a true testament to the power of conservation and collaborative partnerships!
Source => nps.gov

12. "Jaite" Weddings

Looking to tie the knot in a national park? You might just strike "Jaite" at Cuyahoga Valley: The Hines Hill Campus within the park offers unique event venues, like the Hines Hill Conference Center, Stone Cottage, and Hines Hill Tent, that can hold up to 150 guests. Originally built as a summer home for the Jaite family—who owned the Jaite Packaging mill in 1904—these historic venues provide a serene setting for guests to unplug from life's daily grind and bond over the beauty of nature.
Source => conservancyforcvnp.org

13. Ancient Park Chill Sessions

Before ancient tribes decided to "Cuyahoga and chill": Cuyahoga Valley National Park has a human history dating back nearly 13,000 years, with the valley being one of the most populated areas in ancient times, leaving behind artifacts for archaeologists to study, but no clues as to why they eventually disappeared.
Source => conservancyforcvnp.org

14. Fairytale Wildlife Adventures

If you've ever fancied a romp through the Shire with Shrek in tow, Cuyahoga Valley National Park just might be your dream destination: Hosting over 125 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails amid forests, wetlands, and rolling hills, this wonderland is home to a fantastical assortment of creatures including beavers, foxes, and white-tailed deer – not to mention fishing in the Cuyahoga River, picnicking sites, and seasonal events for weary travelers.
Source => case.edu

15. Saving Endangered Heroes

In a twist worthy of a Batman comic, the dark and mysterious Indiana bat and high-flying bald eagles swoop in to save the day at Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Providing a refuge for these endangered heroes and 19 other threatened or endangered bird species from the clutches of extinction, this park is truly their bat cave and eagle's lair combined.
Source => us-parks.com