Nature in Its Natural State: A Hike With Deike (That Rhymes Just so You Know)

John Deike, who is the editor of this whole shabang, asked me to show him a few notable nature spots around the Cuyahoga Falls area. 

When I bring friends down from the North Coast (that's Cleveland), I generally start in one of two spots. 

The Virginia Kendall Unit of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, or The South Banks Unit, made up of the Cascade Valley and Gorge Metroparks, of The Metroparks Serving Summit County. 

I chose the second, because this is the most southern point that the Cuyahoga River flows through, before making its way north to Lake Erie. That was a major variable in the eventual build up of Cuyahoga Falls as a town in the first place, so I felt it was a natural place to lend a more accurate example of how the people of this town are able to enjoy nature as a part of everyday life.

John and I drove through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park into the area so we could hit the overlook area of The Cascade Valley Metropark. 

I wanted to show John how the parks flowed together and I have to say, this overlook is superb! This is a spot that wasn't developed when I was younger and I think it is a stellar way to utilize a natural barren overlook. You can see the Gorge, Babb Run, Cascade Valley, and the Cuyahoga Valley.  It's awe-inspiring, really.

We set off for the Gorge Metropark but as we rounded the curve on Sackett Ave to head up to Chestnut, I looked over and at the last second, I had to make that ultra sharpie right turn into the odd Babb Run Park. 

I find this park to be intriguing a bit. As kids we always thought it was kinda creepy, actually. We loved racing our bikes down the long rolling hilly road to the bottom. The bottom was cool, but as you started riding back up, it got a little spooky. You had to ride slow because it was so steep and more times than not you had to walk because you ran outta juice. You'd get spooked and run the rest of the way. 

John and I explored around the park and checked out the old bridges and the staircases to nowhere, and got really muddy.  I don't think it's creepy anymore, but it is a little off-putting. That's mostly because it's an old park slumping into an overly mucky ravine, not because of some loopy supernatural stuff. It's like a retired metropark.

After discussing water run-off and floodplains, and the geographic importance of runs and races for some short bit, we decided to roll on to the feature of the day, The Gorge Metropark. 

I grew up playing in this park so I am pretty familiar with it. Climbing up and down shale waterfalls, crossing ravines on fallen trees, wading in water that was rushing fast enough to knock you over. These are real skills that I learned playing in the Gorge, and I use them every time I hike anywhere else. I can't imagine a better place to have grown up, really. The Gorge has many features built into it and the trail generally moves from the top to the bottom of the river gorge, switchbacking a handful of times.

While hiking the top part, you can walk through large recess caves, descend into the stone structures, and scramble across large rocks (bouldering as my cohort Risha Red likes to call it). From the middle you walk wicked trails covered in roots, and traverse some tricky spots where storm damage has altered the path. From the bottom trail, the river looks its most alpine-esque, where you come face to face with a river flanked by pine trees and overtaken by white water rapids. You also get very close to a giant hydro-electric dam, which was the BEST place to play as kids. 

When planning an itinerary for the day, I originally included  the floor of the Cascade Valley as a stop. When it came down to it, I am pretty sure Mr. John Deike's mind had been pretty much blown by the awesomeness of what we had already seen. So we went to the valley for a beer instead. 

Until next time Cascade Valley, and you too John Deike, and you too C Falls!

Click here for more pictures of this adventure.