Free, dog friendly, national park… these are not words commonly in the same sentence. But alas they all belong together if you are talking about Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is also one of the most iconic areas in Ohio to catch the seasonal fall leaf color change. Sadly, we planned our day trip about 2 weeks too soon to catch peak color change, but we did see some yellowing. Either way, it was a really fun adventurous day and Winter and I had a blast. We went to the iconic Brandywine Falls, and then went for a bit longer of a hike from the Oak Hill trail head.
Brandywine Falls – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Probably the most iconic spot in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Brandywine Falls is super accessible with only a 0.8 mile round trip walk down a boardwalk (according to AllTrails). There are a few sets of stairs you go up and down along the side of the cliff – but otherwise the hike is great for all. There is another option to make the hike a loop, or to avoid the stairs all together. However this was closed when we went in the Fall 2022.
The area of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is well known for its fall colors, but we were about 2 weeks too early. Although there were a few trees starting to turn yellow, for the most part everything was still green. Brandywine falls was gorgeous as well! I could absolutely see why it is so popular. See for yourself in all the photos!
Oak Hill Trail – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Next up after Brandywine Falls, we headed over to Oak Hill Trailhead about 20 minutes away in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This is a little more remote and more of what I would call a hike, while still being really short at just about 1.4 miles (according to AllTrails). The trail has the option to meet up with several other longer trails to extend your day if you wanted – but we did not have a ton of time, so opted to keep it short and simple.
The trail winds through wooded areas and takes you past Sylvan Pond. Otherwise – again – this area of the park is know for the fall colors we were too early for. Catching the theme yet? Either way we still enjoyed spending some time outside with the pups and exploring a new area of Ohio. Check out the photos below!
Before you go
As mentioned right up top, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is completely free to the public. It is also extremely dog friendly compared to every other national park I have been too. The two trails we went to, Brandywine Falls and Oak Hill, both have a decently large parking area. However I am sure the fill up fast during the peak seasons for the park. The Brandywine parking area had some basic amenities – vault toilets – but when we visited they were closed.
There are so many other areas of the park to explore! The NPS does a great job through their pages to give you all the options of things to do at the park.
Otherwise, as I always do, I will leave you with the call to action to leave no trace while hiking. Luckily this park was well cared for in the areas we visited. But always pick up after your four legged friends and yourself so the park can be enjoyed by everyone who visits.
While Ohio doesn’t provide the same views as hiking in Utah does, it is unique in its own way and has some really gorgeous pockets of wilderness. Check out more of my Ohio adventures on the website!