Cuyahoga Valley NP is one of the closest National Parks to us, so we had to knock it off the list. If a quiet, slow and inexpensive mashup of history and nature sounds appealing, this park might be for you.
This park is a unique one. From what we’ve gathered, it is not focused on a particular natural feature like other parks are (unless you count the valley). The value of this park instead comes from the man-made effects to nature, both bad and good. Much of the park’s preserve was restored to a natural state after decades of harmful practices damaged the landscape. The canal is the focal point that “flows” through the majority of the park. We say “flows”, because it doesn’t actually have water throughout the whole canal. The canal path has many historical stops and is a beautiful way to see the park.
