Cuyahoga Valley National Park trip: Day 1 Chasing Waterfalls

 Happy Thursday my friends! Hope everyone is having a great day! 

A few weeks ago, my kids were off on a week long camp to Catholic Youth Summer Camp. They had a blast. This is the first (and only year as Rebecca has aged out of the camp) year that all 3 kid were at camp during the same week! I decided to take the week off of work and to do go away for a few days on my own. Something I have never done before. 

When I mentioned to others what I was planning on doing, I got one of two responses. One was "Are you crazy? Going by yourself is dangerous. I could never do that." The other response was "Good for you. I did that once and I loved it. Wish I could do it again." 

I will admit that I took several weeks to decide where to go. I wanted somewhere that was not too remote, but had lots to do outside. I searched and debated and searched some more. It was liberating to be able to make my own plans and not have to take anyone else's thoughts into the decision making process. 

So, I decided to go chase waterfalls at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the surrounding area. 

After having dinner with my dad for Father's Day, I left there and headed up to Macedonia Ohio which was where my hotel base was going to be for the next couple days. I am not a camper. I want air conditioning, a bathroom and I felt it was a safer option to stay in a hotel versus camping. 

Monday morning, I was up bright and early. Took in the breakfast that the hotel offered. Then it was off to explore, with my sunscreen and bug spray and lots of water in tow. It was hot and going to be hotter. 

After breakfast it was off to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I was in the search for waterfalls. The first one I visited is the most well known which is Brandywine Falls. So gorgeous. 

When I left Brandywine Falls area, I headed over to the Boston Mill Visitor Center which has a couple of trails leading off of it, leading to other waterfalls including Blue Hen Falls. This was the longest hike I did at one time. It was strenuous but well worth it to get to.  

The National Park had some very beautiful scenery. It was so peaceful. Even though it was HOT (mid 90s) I was never overheated. I made sure I had a lot of water and took my time and just enjoyed the peace. I met some really nice people on the trail and everyone seemed friendly. It wasn't that crowded due to the heat and that it was during the week. After the second hike, I decided to grab some lunch and head back to the hotel to decompress and get out of the heat for a bit. 

When I am traveling, I try to get food from places that I have never eaten at. For lunch on Monday, I had Raising Canes chicken and I also bought Crumbl cookies to snack on through the week. 

After I had cooled down and ate, I decided to head back out and search for more waterfalls and hikes. I headed out to visit some of the Cleveland Metro Parks areas. 

After visiting Bridal Veil Falls, I headed off to find Viaduct Park. This was a hard park to find, but the falls were definitely worth it. 

After I left Viaduct Park, I headed out to find a covered bridge in the area. Everett Covered Bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in Summit County.  

After leaving there, I headed out to Beaver Marsh. While I didn't see any beavers, I did see a heron, some ducks, a snake, a woodpecker and some fish. 

My last stop of the day was the Gorge Overlook Hike. This is one of the highest points in the area and overs a wonderful view. 

After finishing with all of these hikes, I decided to get some late dinner at Fisher's Cafe and Pub in Peninsula, Ohio. This was one of the most recommended places to eat when I was doing my research of the area. It was super yummy! I had an avocado BLT and eggplant fries. The eggplant fries were AMAZING! 

So that ended my first day in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park area. It was a great day of hiking and being in nature and just breathing. I felt so good (even though I hiked over 7 miles that day). I went back to the hotel, ready for a shower and sleep and couldn't wait to see what I would get into the next day.