Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Ohio
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.2 h fully dark
Hikes
Moderate
🟡
Crowds
high
Open today
Open
Entrance
Free entry
Current East Rim Trail Status: Open
As of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the East Rim Trail System remains open. For more information, visit the website linked below. In good conditions the mountain bike trails are open 6 am-11 pm for bikers and as posted for other trail users. In wet or hazardous conditions, the trail will close to all users to prevent damage. Be flexible; conditions may change throughout the day.
Official NPS alert →Expect Crowding
Parking lots and popular destinations are crowded especially on weekends and days with warm weather between 10 am and 3 pm.
Vehicle Break-in and Theft Warning
Car break-ins in Cuyahoga Valley have tripled since 2022, resulting in theft of personal items like credit cards. Do not leave valuables in your car. As a last resort, lock items in your trunk before arriving. Thieves target parking lots regularly.
Though a short distance from the urban areas of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park seems worlds away. The park is a refuge for native plants and wildlife, and provides routes of discovery for visitors. The winding Cuyahoga River gives way to deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands. Walk or ride the Towpath Trail to follow the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal.
Activities
Topics
No entrance fee.
Hours & seasons
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is open everyday, 24 hours a day with the following exceptions: Brandywine Falls, Ledges, Octagon, Kendall Lake, and Kendall Hills close from dusk until morning opening.
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 4407173890
✉ cuva_info@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Dec
Typical crowds: high
Weather now: ⛅ Partly cloudy, 74°F
🌫️ 88°/63°
☁️ 89°/67°
🌧️ 83°/70°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
26%
Feb
26%
Mar
50%
Apr
62%
May
80%
Jun
89%
Jul
100%
Aug
90%
Sep
74%
Oct
77%
Nov
44%
Dec
35%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
🟡 Go Mountain Biking in Cuyahoga Valley · 2.3 mi
Ride the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
Go Snowshoeing in the Cuyahoga Valley · 2.5 mi
Hike the Brandywine Gorge Loop · 1.5 mi · 160 ft gain · <p>Take as much time as you need for this hike. We recommend one to two hours for the shorter routes. Longer routes from alternate starting locations may take more time.</p>
Become a Cuyahoga Valley Junior Ranger · <p>You can take as much time as you need to complete the handbook or activity sheet. We recommend allowing up to three hours, when completing it as part of a park visit. If you are short on time, do as many activities as possible in Boston and then pick one other location to do the rest.</p>
Hike the Ledges Trail · 1.8 mi · 80 ft gain · <p>Take as much time as you need for this hike. We recommend one to two hours for the shorter routes. Longer routes from alternate starting locations may take more time.</p>
Visit Cuyahoga Valley Farms and Markets
Visit Canal Exploration Center · You can explore the exhibits for half an hour, or spend longer and hike the Towpath Trail.
Visitor centers
Boston Mill Visitor Center
Canal Exploration Center
Hunt House
Accessibility
95 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Parking
Boston Mill Visitor Center Main Lot · 106 accessible spacesaccessible
Brandywine Falls · 90 accessible spacesaccessible
Canal Exploration Center Lot · 92 accessible spacesaccessible
Hunt Farm Lot · 40 accessible spacesaccessible
Indigo Lake Lot · 12 accessible spaces
Ira Trailhead Lot · 47 accessible spacesaccessible
Kendall Lake Lot · 190 accessible spacesaccessible
Ledges Trailhead Parking · 233 accessible spacesaccessible
Lock 29 Trailhead Main Lot · 43 accessible spacesaccessible
Octagon Lot · 104 accessible spacesaccessible
Station Road Bridge Lot · 134 accessible spacesaccessible
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Cuyahoga Valley National Park — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
Trail profile
Each dot is a trail — distance vs. elevation gain, by difficulty.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Cuyahoga Valley National Park — each spans a cross-park journey.
Carl B. Stokes: Ground-breaking Cleveland Mayor
— Ohio, Midwest, ClevelandColonel Charles W. Whittlesey
— Ohio History, Archeology, Native American HistoryHarriet Keeler
— Cuyahoga River, Ohio, Womens HistoryJane Edna Hunter
— Ohio, Midwest, African AmericanJanet B. Hutchison: Park Founder and Long-time Volunteer
— Ohio, Midwest, Environmental MovementJohn Malvin
— African Americans, Captain, Ohio Erie CanalPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Boston Mill Visitor Center
🎫 Canal Exploration Center
🎫 Hunt House
Places to see
Akron Northside Station
audio
Alexander-Wilson Mill
audio
Bath Road Heronry
audio
Beaver Marsh Viewing Platform
audio
Beaver Marsh, North Boardwalk
audio
Boston Mill Station
audio
Boston Run Trailhead Information
audio
Boston Store Trailhead
audio
Boston Store Trailhead River Access
audio
Boston Street View Panel
audio
Boston Trailhead
audio
Boston Village Exhibits
audioAudio & media
🎧 One-Room School House ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Planting Tomatoes for Earva Bender ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Farmer’s Market in Akron ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Building a Community ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Playground ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Going Up and Coming Down ↗ · 0 mintranscript
🎧 Father's Decision to Buy the Farm ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎧 Jaite Mill Products ↗ · 1 mintranscript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
Discover the innovative and exciting programs of the recipients of the national and regional 2011 Freeman Tilden Awards for excellence in interpretation.
In 2012, seven rangers were awarded the national and region Freeman Tilden Awards for innovative and exciting interpretive programs. Learn their stories and more about their award-winning programs.
Every year, the National Park Service benefits from the extraordinary contributions of dedicated volunteers. Meet the six recipients of the 2012 Hartzog Awards honoring that service.
Celebrate 50 years of the NPS Volunteer-in-Parks Program, and learn about the contributions of the volunteer recipients of the 2019 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service, for work performed in fiscal year 2019.
The National Park Service is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
View the 2023 recipients of the National Park Service Excellence in Education Awards, which recognize expertise within the field of education.
The National Park Service congratulates the regional recipients of the 2023 Excellence in Volunteerism Awards. These nominees embody the values of service, engagement, and stewardship fundamental to our national parks.
They are back! The birds, bugs, and turtles are thriving. But this was not always the case. This is a story about transformations – of a toxic waste dump to a wild and species-rich ecosystem, and of a National Park Service (NPS) cleanup practice that ensures public lands are protected and restored when impacted by contamination, and that those responsible pay for the cleanup.
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
Biological Indicators
Open →
HERstories of Cuyahoga Valley: the Suffrage Movement and Harriet Keeler
Open →
Introduction to Citizen Science
Open →
What's in the Water?
Open →
When War Hits Home: The Ohio & Erie Canal Town of Peninsula, and the Civil War Election of 1864
Open →
Why Water Matters
Open →
How Cuyahoga Valley National Park connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
Park
Activity
Topic
State
VisitorCenter
PassportStamp
ParkingLot
Trail
ThingToDo
Alert
Similar parks
Share activities & topics with Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
