LadyVic

Planning to head north from Cincinnati, stopping at Cuyahoga Nat'l Park for the first time and other possible sights along the way. Then heading to Punderson Manor Lodge. Do you recommend doing the entire Riverview Road, and what are the top sights? How is the town of Cuyahoga Falls? Any other recos of what to see in the park would be great. I have researched any possible hikes but looking at the map is daunting! Thank you very much.

Moderator1

Moved from Tech Support to the US Forum

isabel

I was there last fall and found the park underwhelming. It's a nice enough area but not sure how it got National Park status. There is a nice enough covered bridge if those are unique to your area (I live half a mile from one so seeing it was pretty dull) and there is Brandywine Falls, a pretty nice waterfall about a 15 min hike (lots of stairs) from the parking area. I'm sure if you live in a city nearby the Park makes sense for a day out, but it's not on a par with other national parks and not work a major detour to see it.

Christina

I was there last Fall also, it isn't much compared to what you think of as a national park. My sister and I got out at one point to take a little walk where you can view some old mill, as I recall. That must be the waterfall Isabel referred to. My sister is more intrepid than I am and went farther out towards it than I did on that walkway. They have a warning on their website about Brandywine Falls telling you not to climb on rocks or over fences, etc. I guess we got out at the Boston Mills Visitor Center to read a few things, also.

We didn't hike so you'll have to go by the map.

I love Punderson Manor, been there several times, it's a great place to stay. They have hiking trails right there, you know, but of course fairly flat.

Christina

One place I can recommend is DS Cakes and bakery, a great local spot with really good stuff. It's right on route 87 (Kinsman Rd) just a bit west of Punderson Manor Lodge. That's the route we used to leave the Manor to go to the park.

https://www.dscakessweetcafe.com/

LadyVic

Christina - always love a good bakery, lol, so thanks for the info! And to all - my husband and I are 70+, so areas close to home these days are always nice. We have visited MANY national parks and have seen ratings all over the board on other forums about the Cuyahoga Park, so realizing it will be alot more low key. Glad to hear you're a big fan of Punderson! Always challenging though trying to figure out the lay of the land with going through a park area, so any more feedback welcome. Thanks so much everyone for the info so far!