Cuyahoga Valley National Park - CAMPING NO LONGER OFFERED — Cuyahoga Valley National Park

ABlue Hen Falls trail starts right across from the parking lot on Boston Mills.. 5 1/2 mls round trip.. Tough trail, rocky, roots, much going up hill...Bring a walking stick & water...

Sad to hear that camping is no longer available. We had our bikes and hauled our gear in with luggage carts. Hiking was fine but the best was riding along the historic canal path one way, and being able to take the vintage train back.

I arrived here hoping a primitive site was still available and indeed two were! They allowed me to walk in and decide the site that I'd like. I was only there for the night, but enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendliness of the employees!

Coyahoga Valley NO was our first stop on the planned trip(s) to each NP. What a jewel. Tucked in between Akron and Cleveland, this quiet NP has numerous hiking trails, historic buildings and the remains of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Well worth the side trip or destination.

We enjoyed our day here. We hiked over 20 miles so not the whole trail. The staff were amazing! Say some big snapper turtles, falcons, loads of birds. We stopped to read the information signs along the way about the locks. We also stopped at some of the farms. On our way back we stopped for a bite in peninsula. It had a huge selection of beer which was nice. Great day in the bike trail. I’d recommend doing it during the week as it is packed on the weekend.

I was expecting the trails to be harder...

But it was very relaxed and scenic. I took my dog and went about 5 miles. There’s plenty of parking, trails were not crowded, tons of access points and smaller trails to choose from. I wish there were more bathrooms along the trails. We could only access a toilet at the next town outlet/parking lot or a porta-John at a random park we found (we had to hike off the main trail to get to it). The people we ran into were all friendly. I will definitely be going back to explore more.

i’m here al the time!!! in fact i even work at the local ski resort Boston Mills. This place is wonderful and i’ve spent so much time here. i’m so lucky to live so close by. There’s endless things to do and so many waterfalls (hidden and public). This place is full of history and mystery. truly feels like home and is a wonderful place to camp!

Definitely had some cool views and hiking spots, but was overall underwhelming. Had a few waterfalls here and there, and is next to a cool town to explore. Good to see over one day but probably don’t need much more time than that.

This area is filled magnificent trails that you wouldn't believe are so close to a highly populated city. This is actually under the bridge that you take to enter the City of Akron. Lovely place to fish, hike, camp. paddle, or just relax for the day. The water is always flowing and there is a pretty neat dam right as you enter. If you get the chance take the time to visit.

The site was beautiful and serene! There are a total of three Backcountry sites along the same path, and we stayed at the third. It was easy to get there, and latrines and water fountain were available at Ottawa Picnic area maybe .3 miles from the site. We brought a tent and hammock and set both up to take in the gorgeous view as we were at the top of a large hill. Note: you need to get a permit (free) for these sites and park at either the Brecksville Nature Center or the Plateau Picnic area. We chose the nature center and it was about a 3.5 mile hike to campsite #3.

One of the most gorgeous places I’ve been!

We drove down to visit Cuyahoga from Michigan, and to be honest weren't expecting much. While the park does lack in some amenities for campers, it really is an unexpected bit of rocky wilderness. True, it's rare to feel very removed here, as most parts of the park are near to roadways and traffic sounds float through the trees, but the park itself is lovely. We especially enjoyed the ledges loop as it winds its way above and through some very unique rock formations.

The ledges loop is not difficult, with very little elevation change, just look out for tree roots! We also explored the falls and some other trails.

Overall i was very impressed with the park and will definitely be back!

Campsite was very clean and the trails were fun to hike. My kids enjoyed it! Beautiful scenery!

I’ll give you a run down on the bad first and then share the good. First off, these sites are shown as “backcountry” sites. In reality, you are less than 1/6 of a mile from the parking lot, and the campsites are right on top of each other in a field. You can hear the highway from your site. They get very very hot and humid , there is no shade and you do not get your own fire ring either, luckily we brought our camp stove for food! It was so hot though during the day that we left a day early. The bugs are absolutely terrible. Not really mosquitos, but wasps, and all kinds of flies and beetles. They do provide a porta-potty since there really isn’t any privacy for bathroom needs outside, and it was so gross/unserviced I would walk the 1.2 miles to the visitor center in the morning instead . All of this being said , there are a lot of beautiful things to see here. If I lived closer I would be coming here often to hike, but not to camp. The ledges were incredible, the waterfalls were stunning, and there are just some great trails to enjoy and history to feel and learn about.

Use care when packing to camp here, for heat/humidity, bugs, sun, and food.

Cuyahoga Valley national park is a lovely park outside of Cleveland. This campsite was a little confusing about where we were allowed to park and for the price we paid for the site (15 or 20) there weren't any amenities. After a big rain, a lot of the sites had some serious puddles making pitching a tent difficult. A plus of the site was that it's right at the beginning of the Stanford trail to Brandywine falls, the nicest feature in the park in my opinion.

Great area to explore and hike and have group get togethers!

I can’t say enough good things about this place. Beautiful trails, waterfalls and views. This is our favorite place to take a hike with the dog and she loves it too!

Very few people know that there are MANY camping options along the towpath designed for cyclists and hikers! The Stanford House campground is the only one that's relatively easy to find online, but there are many other options.

We just completed a nearly 200-mile bikepacking trip, starting in Cleveland. We followed the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, Sippo Valley Trail, into the Amish Countryside to Mohican State Park, then on to the Mohican Valley Trail and the Kokosing Gap Trail.

Here are some others along the towpath (north to south) between Cleveland and Massillon:

• Heritage Farms
• Big Bend Trailhead
• Franklin Trailhead
• Rivers Edge

More info here: https://centurycycles.com/articles/camping-along-the-towpath-trail-pg1342.htm

There are surprisingly limited camping options available at Cuyahoga Valley. This urban park, situated between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, serves its community in more of a day-use way, although they are home to a few camping options.

We chose to camp three nights at Stanford House. This historic inn is used for group reservations, but they have six campsites on their property which each have the capacity for two tents. Although the sites were very basic (picnic tables only, not overwhelmingly scenic) it provides a great base camp for out-of-towners visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

And Cuyahoga Valley provides ample opportunity for exploring. With its popular waterfall hikes, its various free ranger programs, and its community services (such as a farmer’s market, historic sites, and wellness programs) Cuyahoga has something for every visitor.

During our four days here in October, we were able to get a great feel for this park. Our favorite must-sees include hiking The Ledges, attending ranger programs, biking the Towpath Trail, buying produce from the various farmer’s markets around the park, and watching the gorgeous sunset from the Beaver Marsh boardwalk.

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Cuyahoga Valley)

This is a short hike in Breksville to a beautiful waterfall. While the waterfall isn't huge it is spectacular. The trail is well marked, and the staff were well informed. we got in trouble kind of because we were hammocking to close to the waters edge. However the national park police were friendly enough to just tell us to move a little back for our own safety. great park in general.

While this national park is one of the most visited there is surprisingly little camping available. There is only 5 primitive sites which are really open but you have access to potable water in a tank an some porta-potties... On the upside you also have free firewood.

These sites are probably really more designed for people on there way back or out to do some backwoods true backpack camping.

This is one of my favorite places to go hiking, and enjoy the sun. I go here about once a week. They have public restrooms which are well maintained, Well marked trails, an open field to run around in, and of course a great view. The park employees were really friendly as well.

There are areas for all that outdoor stuff throughout the Cuyahoga Valley. Bike, hike, camp and swim. Excellent views and all athletic levels. Good climbs and level trails alike. Always enjoy doing the hiking spree in the fall.

This place is the jewel of Cleveland! it's just amazing. When you are here, even for just a half hour on your lunch break, you feel like you are on some nature vacation. I come here at least once a week to ride my bike, run or picnic. I have seen all sorts of wildlife. There are train rides and farmers markets and even a surprisingly large waterfall. I also trained for a full marathon here thanks to the perfectly placed water fountains and bathrooms.
Having this so close to home makes living in a city manageable.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a unique experience. Know going in that there aren't a lot of camping options inside the park boundaries. One of the spots you can camp is next to the Stanford house in the central part of the park. There are only 6 camping spots, but each spot allows two tents. A couple of sites are in the wide open field and on warm days can get very hot in your tent. It is very nice that there is a shed with campfire wood that you are free to use during your stay. There is also a water storage unit that you can get fresh water from and two port-a-potties. The parking lot that you can drive in to also serves as the trailhead for a trail to Brandywine Falls so you can expect to have some foot traffic past the camping area throughout the day. It isn't a bad spot to camp just don't expect to be too far into the woods or have much privacy at these spots. We were lucky enough to be there when the cicadas came out, but they do get loud, don't worry they only come out every 17 years.

Perfect size for 5 patrols of Boy Scouts with great fire ring and cool noises at night. Great bike ride and train ride on Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Valley railway. Perfect day and fun 14 mile bike ride so much to see and great places to explore