Cleveland’s Wild Side: National Park
Yes, there is indeed a National Park in Cleveland. The same Cleveland where the river caught on fire (more than ten times, most recently in July, 1969). In the winding river valley that divides Cleveland’s east- and west-siders (that’s what they call each other), the National Park Service preserves and manages 33,000 acres, and it’s a well-used stretch of land.
Situated as it is between populous industrial giants Cleveland and Akron, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park sees well over a million pairs of feet on its trails each year.
There are trails that cater to cross-country skiers, horseback and bicycle riders as well as to hikers. None are designated for mountain bikers or off-road vehicles, but those are among the only activities visitors can’t enjoy here.
Inside the park are concessionaires and park service-owned amenities including a ski resort, a water park, an American Youth Hostel, a cozy bed & breakfast, a historic restored passenger train with daily excursions through the valley, a winery, several family-owned and operated farms, working canal locks (demonstrations run daily throughout the summer) and historical museum with highly believable actors who wear authentic period dress and who rarely break character.
Park programs range from photography to art (taught by artists in residence) to watershed management to how to handle a boomerang.
Physical and Natural Attraction
In the warmer months, Kingfishers and Great Blue Herons and turtles, snakes and coyotes can be found at various times along the river. In the spring, cars jam traffic on State Route 303 and other nearby roads to watch the Heron Rookeries during their busy season (early spring).
Conveniently placed in Peninsula, a quaint bedroom community with a cultivated 1800s appeal, Century Cycles began renting bicycles about the same time the park was designated a national treasure. Thousands of park visitors take advantage of the shop’s rentals to see part of the “Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor” every year. The corridor’s main draw is a restored towpath trail, first flattened by the horses and mules that towed boats along the canal. Nearly 60 miles of towpath is currently open to riders and hikers along the 87-mile corridor.
In the winter, the 19 slopes at Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resort are dotted with skiers and snowboarders while families careen downhill on rented tubes. Sledders take their turns on two designated sledding hills while skaters glide along Kendall Lake (equipment is available for rent in the winter sports center) and then, they warm up by the fire, often accompanied by a ranger or two, taking an opportunity to educate both locals and visitors about the area’s natural history, and its history.
While the national park is a source of pride for northeast Ohio residents, it’s not the only one. Clevelanders love their green spaces.
They cherish their own parks as much as the Nationally-governed land that sits on both sides of the river. The Cleveland Metroparks’ “Emerald Necklace” forms a ring around the city. Operated by the county, the park system offers amenities ranging from top-notch public golf courses to free swim beaches on the shores of Lake Erie. The Cleveland Zoo is also a Cleveland Metropark.
Each summer, cyclists can complete a “Tour of the Emerald Necklace” on the Valley Parkway, a two-lane road that connects the parks, from suburb to suburb. The park system even runs its own “Institute of the Great Outdoors,” which teaches classes from fly-fishing and kayaking to orienteering and stargazing.
Not surprisingly, many Cleveland visitors are wary of the weather. The average temperature in July is just 72 degrees; in January, it’s 24 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, visitors to Cleveland generally discover that no one here lets little details like that keep them inside.
Small wonder. If a burning river didn’t scare these people away, nothing will.
