Thursday, April 28, 2022

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH - Brandywine Falls

ABOUT THE PARK: 
Brandywine Falls - National Park Service

After the fact I saw this on the above web site, posted the day before I left when this hike was already planned.  I couldn't do the loop I wanted to because of it so instead I went up either side of the loop to the point of closure and retraced back.

DIRECTIONS: 
GPS Coordinates 41.263190, -81.557269
Boston Trailhead Parking

TRAIL MAP: 



HIKE DISTANCE: 6.1 miles (5 miles without construction detour)

THE HIKE: 
This was hike 2 of 3 on the second day of the drive from Missouri to New Jersey.

The Brandywine Falls loop is only 1.4 miles so to make a more substantial hike out of it, I started from the Boston trailhead.  There is a parking lot right at Brandywine Falls so the falls are very crowded on weekends.
From the parking lot taking the path to a right on ...
... the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.
Cuyahoga River
Passing the Boston Store Visitor Center and crossing Boston Mills Road...
Lock 32
Turning right on a connector to the Stanford Trail.
At Stanford House the Stanford Trail starts at the kiosk.
A colony of black squirrels live here.  I had seen a few along the way.
Here we turned right.  I later continued on the road to the left when we had to retrace due to the trail closure.
Just after the parking lot on the right, the boardwalk begins.
Taking a left ...
... down 70 steps.  I counted.
This leads to a platform right in front of Brandywine Falls.
Back up 70 steps.
At the top looking down at the falls and the platform where we had just been.
Continuing on around the loop we ran into the trail closure and had to retrace.
Back at that intersection where we had turned right earlier, we now kept straight on the old road.
It's a very old eroded road...
... that runs right back into the Brandywine Gorge Loop just before ...
... a bridge over Brandywine Creek.
Climbing back up out of the gorge along Brandywine Creek.
A view up Brandywine Creek all the way to the falls.
The trail turns right following the Bike and Hike Trail ...
... which was closed a short distance ahead due to construction.
Heading back.
Additional time spent due to the trail closure put me behind schedule so I turned right on the old closed road (open to bikes) for faster going instead of retracing the way we had come.
After making a right turn I could see a huge flooded out section up ahead.  Fortunately there was a dry path around it.
Shortly after the gate ...
... passing by Stanford House ...
... and turning right on the connector trail back to the towpath trail.

Wildflowers seen along the hike: