Hiking in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Carter didn't have school a few Fridays ago and we had a break in the weather, so Jeremy took the day off and we went hiking in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It's about a 40 min. drive south. We left right after breakfast and started hiking by around 9. Jeremy and I had mapped out a few "kid friendly" hikes the night before, recommended on the website. It looks cold in the pictures but it got up to about 60. We had obviously had a bunch of snow right before that, which made it a little slippery in spots, but also minimized the mud since it hadn't all thawed yet.

Carter wanted to cross this log too, but it was on the first trail and I didn't want him spending the rest of the day wet!

It was really quiet. We only passed a few people along the way. The kids loved exploring in the woods, finding sticks and rocks.

One of the trails has a waterfall that was really gushing due to the thaw.

Jeremy found this hollowed out tree and everyone had to look up inside, imagining what animals were living there.

After two trails, we took a break and had lunch at the Winking Lizard. The kids loved seeing the real live lizard. The food was great and the Stella on tap even better!

After lunch, we hiked one more trail along the river and saw some of the old Locks, shown below, where the boats used to pass through.
No joke, Jeremy found 20 dollars on the ground and Carter yelled, "Let's get ice cream!" So, we did. It was pretty funny.

Last stop was the covered bridge on the way home.

We had the best day together and can't wait to go back. Beautiful scenery, fresh air and exercise shared with the kids is so much fun. They love the outdoors and we plan to bike the Tow Path with them there this summer. There are a few places to rent bike trailers for Elliot and Brooks. Now, if we could just get some more warm weather and sunshine! I'm so ready for spring, even if it means the muddy season!