Let's face it, when one thinks of visiting national parks, the first thought that comes to mind is usually that they need to head west. This is understandable, as there are only a handful of parks in the east, such as Acadia and Smokey Mountain. There are a few lesser-known parks that may not have the name recognition, and one such park is Cuyahoga Valley National Park just south of Cleveland, Ohio. The area started out as a a recreational area in the 1870's, and later became a National Recreation Area in 1974. It was later designated as a national park in 2000.
The park is nestled in and out of communities, and to get from one part of the park to another, you actually drive through neighborhoods. It is a quaint park, with lots of hiking trails, waterfalls, hills, and a river running through it (Cuyahoga is a Mohawk word meaning crooked river). One of it's attractions is a scenic railroad that runs through the park. We had just missed the train as we parked, but we headed to this little train station to see when the next stop was scheduled. We didn't have time to wait for the next one, but I thought it would make a good photo.