October 30th 2019
Miles Hiked: 8.1
Trails: Boston Store visitor center to Red Lock parking area via the towpath biking trail then looped back to my car at the store via the Buckeye Trail.
I have to confess something. I’ve lived in Ohio for seven years and I’ve never visited the National Park here until today! I drove an hour north of my home in Bolivar, to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and hiked a route that was suggested by a fellow hiker who lives close by and frequents the park quite a bit. I parked my car by the Boston Store visitor center and began walking North on the towpath towards Red Lock parking lot.
The towpath is also known as the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. This trail is a multi use trail that is extremely flat for biking and equestrians. It starts in Cleveland and ends at Canal Lands park in my home town. The fact that I can bike from my house all the way to Cleveland is pretty cool. It is 110 miles long! Hopefully I get to do this one day.
I accidentally missed the opportunity to take a side trail off of the towpath to see Brandywine falls which is a staple of the park but I assume I will be back again to see it one day! When I reached Red Locks parking area, I took a left onto the road until I found an unmarked trail that took me 0.7 miles to connect to the Buckeye Trail and began walking south back towards my car.
The Buckeye trail was really pretty and there were several large stair cases that I wasn’t expecting. All the trees were changing colors and I could barely see the path because it was so covered in leaves. The whole trail today was through a deciduous forrest. I saw about four other hikers until I took an extra side trail to Blue Hen falls which appeared to be a popular spot. It was a small waterfall a short easy hike from the road which I crossed after stopping by.
When I got back to my car, I first stopped by the Boston Store Visitor Center which just opened a few days ago. It was really nice inside with lots of information about the park, surrounding area, and cool merchandise to buy. As soon as I left it started raining. What good timing! My feet still hurt today like they did during my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. A physical reminder of the journey I put my body through. I hope to come back to Cuyahoga soon and can’t wait to hike more sections of the Buckeye Trail!
Happy Trails!
Buckeye Trail Miles: 5.5
Total Buckeye Trail Miles: 11.15 / 1,444.0
Buckeye Trail Section: Snowville Road to Boston Store Visitor Center
The Buckeye Trail is a 1,444 mile long distance hiking trail that circumvents the state of Ohio. For more information visit the buckeye trail association’s website.
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