There are surprisingly limited camping options available at Cuyahoga Valley. This urban park, situated between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, serves its community in more of a day-use way, although they are home to a few camping options.

We chose to camp three nights at Stanford House. This historic inn is used for group reservations, but they have six campsites on their property which each have the capacity for two tents. Although the sites were very basic (picnic tables only, not overwhelmingly scenic) it provides a great base camp for out-of-towners visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

And Cuyahoga Valley provides ample opportunity for exploring. With its popular waterfall hikes, its various free ranger programs, and its community services (such as a farmer’s market, historic sites, and wellness programs) Cuyahoga has something for every visitor.

During our four days here in October, we were able to get a great feel for this park. Our favorite must-sees include hiking The Ledges, attending ranger programs, biking the Towpath Trail, buying produce from the various farmer’s markets around the park, and watching the gorgeous sunset from the Beaver Marsh boardwalk.

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Cuyahoga Valley)