Today we visited Cuyahoga Valley National Park—sometimes referred to as “America’s most accessible national park” due to its extremely close proximity to urban areas. And we learned that “America’s muddled mess of a national park” might be a fitting title, too.

First, don’t misunderstand me—it’s a beautiful park. But Cuyahoga Valley lacks a coherent wilderness that elevates the more popular national parks beyond typical municipal nature reserves.

We drove through most of the park (it’s fairly small), and were constantly transitioning between areas that looked “park-ish”, residential areas, farms, and small shops. If we didn’t know we were in a national park, we certainly wouldn’t have guessed—it felt like driving through AnyTown USA.

After exploring via car, we did about 12 miles of leisurely hiking. On foot, it’s much the same experience: trails intersect with busy roads, private houses border paths in areas, and you’re almost always within earshot of a highway. At one point we crossed under the Ohio Turnpike, which at least made for an interesting juxtaposition of natural and man-made scenery.

Bicycles are allowed on some trails, and on these bikers seem to outnumber hikers by about a 10:1 ratio, so you’re treated to an endless barrage of people yelling “on your left!” as they pass. It felt like Central Park, more or less (except the people were much friendlier!). It was certainly a pleasant experience—but as a national park, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. We had a great time, regardless!

We found a few spots to snap photos with our cameras later in the afternoon. Here are a few (click for larger images):

A bittern in a duckweed pond

Blue Hen Falls

Brandywine Falls