Learn About the Park

The Cuyahoga River has kept itself on history’s pages. It has been a transportation route; a boundary; a birthplace for oil, rubber and modern steel industries; a power source; and a dumping place. The Cuyahoga’s role in the movement to protect America’s waterways was one reason for the establishment of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which now protects 22 miles of the river and thousands of acres of its watershed.

Once famous for being polluted and catching fire, the Cuyahoga River is making a comeback. Industries and cities discharge far fewer toxins into the river, and partners along the river, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park, are removing obsolete dams to improve oxygen levels and fish movement. People are enjoying the return of nesting bald eagles and other wildlife as well as new recreational opportunities along the Cuyahoga River Water Trail.

Teams of scientists from several agencies are studying whether the Cuyahoga River is healthy enough to support freshwater mussels and lake sturgeon. These long-lived animals are rare in Ohio due to major changes in our waterways and lakes.

A $2 million Great American Outdoor Act project in Cuyahoga Valley National Park has removed 33 vacant structures and is restoring the land as forest.

The Ohio & Erie Canal once traveled through the Cuyahoga Valley on its way to connecting the Ohio River with Lake Erie. Learn more about the history of this human-made waterway, now part of a national heritage area.

Since the 1830s rail travel has shaped the sights, sounds, and experiences of the nation. In 1880 Valley Railway Company brought railroading to the Cuyahoga Valley, forever changing the area and those who called it home. Memories continue to be built everyday as passengers climb aboard Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to experience historic rail travel through Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

The Beaver Marsh is among the most diverse natural communities in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. But this wasn’t always the case. The area had been a farm and later a junkyard, which was cleaned up by a community effort. Explore the history of the marsh and learn why it remains an important ecosystem in the national park.

The terrain of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is diverse and often rugged. River terraces, steep valley walls, meandering streams, ravines, waterfalls, and rock ledges all give texture to the valley. The geologic evidence found in these features tells of seas, glaciers, and rivers that have all left an imprint on the land.

Northeast Ohio gets seven more inches of annual precipitation than it did in 1960, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. This often falls as rain during storms that have become more frequent and more intense. Temperatures are warming too. Climate change affects all aspects of life in the valley, across America, and globally. Learn more about how Cuyahoga Valley and other national parks are responding with a Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) approach.

Throughout the growing season, volunteers and staff improve park habitats by removing invasive plants. Cut, pull, dig, or spray—and repeat! Learn which ones are the biggest problem and how you can help.