Cuyahoga Valley National Park

 



Sunday dawned a gorgeous sunny day with very little humidity. We had decided to visit one of the only National Parks in the Midwest.  Rather than take the scenic drive through the park which is south of Cleveland, between Independence and Akron, we purchased tickets to take the historic train that runs through the park. 




The round trip train ride takes about 4 hours.   It is completely staffed and operated by enthusiastic volunteers. You can hop off at various locations and many bikers and kayakers load their equipment and then take the train to a spot more conducive to their activity. Then they ride or drift back to where they started. 

The day before it had rained so much the Cuyahoga River had crested above flood stage so tours on Saturday on the train had to be cancelled but ours went off without a hitch - like the pun? We had a very relaxing day taking in all the sites this beautiful urban park has to offer. We were very surprised to see just how many locals take advantage of this gem. Every parking area was crowded with runners, bikers, paddlers, or folks just out for a walk in the woods.  Get out and visit your parks. 

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