Cuyahoga Valley National Park is different from the others. Just beyond its boundaries along the rural landscape of the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland are dense urban areas and small towns for whom this 51 square mile stretch of riverfront has provided outdoor recreation since the 1870s. In 1880, the Valley Railway began operations, transporting coal and passengers between Ohio’s industrial cities. A 26-mile portion of that original rail line still operates today, taking Cuyahoga visitors on a 3.5-hour round trip along the valley’s marshes, lakes, and rivers.
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