How to See Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio's Underrated National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, tucked between Cleveland and Akron, is among the country's most accessible and most underrated national parks, packing waterfalls, a scenic railroad, and miles of quiet trail into an easy day trip. Its proximity to two cities makes it a rare wilderness escape without the long haul.

The park rewards a loose itinerary. The falls at Brandywine draw the crowds, but the towpath trail along the old canal, the pastoral Countryside farms, and the vintage railroad that runs the valley floor reveal a landscape shaped as much by history as by nature.

Because it is free and close to home for millions, the park invites return visits across the seasons. Locals treat it less as a bucket-list destination than as a backyard that happens to be a national park.