Images of Cuyahoga Valley National Park – Ohio, taken in July 2014.

On a line that follows the Cuyahoga River and the old Ohio & Erie Canal is Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Celebrating the history of the area as a primary transportation artery combined with preserving nature in the Cuyahoga River Valley, the park sits on a line between Cleveland and Akron. It is a park that is dotted with old working farmlands and surrounded by constantly growing urban areas. It first became a recreational area in 1974 and with help from the surrounding communities and local park services became a National Park in 2000.

For me it was at first difficult to imagine that I was in a National Park. I was constantly weaving in and out of neighborhoods and where the park began and ended were always in question. It wasn’t until I found the solitude of Beaver Marsh and the interesting geology of Ritchie Ledges that I felt comfortable with the park and why it was there. Other gems could be found along the way, both natural and man-made, but for me, these two areas shined the brightest.