Once, Horseshoe Pond belonged to a man who built a fine home on its shores. Now, decades later, it…read morebelongs to me. Oh, and you, too. It belongs to everyone, now that it is a part of the Cuyahoga National Park. What a glorious setting: sitting high above the valley, above the quarries where the canal stones were hewn, nearly two centuries ago. Surrounded by trees, but with a few large, grassy areas carved out it is perfect for hiking, picnics, bird-watching, fishing. Barred owls sit in the pines, small-mouth bass and bluegill rise to a #18 Parachute Adams and a hiking trail connects you with the rest of the park. I can stand at the south-east edge, casting into the algae-covered waters, and imagine I am high in the Rockies, or perhaps at a private preserve in Scotland. Yet another fine and free benefit afforded by this, our great democracy.

We stopped here to do some work on photo development at one of their picnic benches. It was a nice…read morequiet spot with some trails.

Stopped here to eat my subway. It had a nice size parking…read morelot and I saw a few picnic tables. It wasn't that busy when I stopped, but the area is very nice and I can see it being very busy on the weekend.

This is a nice area. We opted for the Rock Creek Trail through the woods, meandering alongside the…read morecreek of its name. It's an enjoyable place to walk. There is a lodge near the parking lot, which looks like a great event space. A good-sized paved parking lot is available.

You say you want your fishing easy? Don't want to walk far for your bluegill outing? Prefer to be…read moreout in the open, rather than bushwhacking the wilderness? Coonrad, then, is your lake. You could have your rod in your hand (ifyouknowwhatImeanandIthinkyoudo), stumble out of your vehicle, fall down face-first and your lure or fly or worm would plop into the lake. It is that close to parking. While some would find that a nice feature, the trade-off is that you'll be right next to Riverview and the buzzing traffic heading north and south through the park. They'll look at you, some quizzically, standing at the base of the driveway to the park security headquarters, casting into the tiny pond. They will also make a mental note to come back with the old Zebco and haul out some panfish. Take four or five minutes and catch a tiny fish, kiss its slimy nose, and release it back into the pond. Life is, indeed, good.

What a cool park with a scenic railway that comes through the area - waterfalls, woodlands and all…read morethe things you would expect for a national park to have - plus it's close to the city(ites) of Akron and Cleveland! I have driven through several times as I work in the area. It's a beautiful site and so refreshing to drink in the natural beauty and enjoy a fresh relief from work!

Cuyahoga Valley wasn't so much a National Park as it was a collection of overgrown back yards that…read moreyou had to drive between. The layout of the "park" makes it feel like a constellation of loosely connected pockets of nature in an otherwise developed suburb. I visited the major sites, including Brandywine Falls, Beaver Marsh, and the Ledges. They were fine, some decent hikes and views of different natural formations. Did I feel like I was seeing something truly unique, a natural wonder? No. Of the 20+ parks I've been to, Cuyahoga Valley struck me as the most ordinary and least cohesive experience thus far.

I figured I would start off my staycation with a nice day of kayaking so I figured a nice paddle…read morefrom Kent to Cuyahoga Falls would be fun. I went online to Paddletheriver.com to book the trip with Burning River Adventures, making the reservation was easy, you can even do the waiver online to make the trip easier. Since I have my own kayak booking the 6 mile trip only cost $15. I arrived at the Waterworks Park in Cuyahoga Falls without much trouble, it is a couple of miles from the downtown exit of Route 8. Burning River does not have a permanent building at the park, but they do meet you at the boat ramp location with a van with trailer and a mobile office. Check in was easy and the driver helped me to load my kayak on the trailer, he also pointed out where to park and the bathroom nearby. When the other groups who were going had arrived we got the safety talk and advise on how to paddle the section of river we would be covering. We then loaded up the van and headed out. We got to the Middlebury Road river access point which is the put in for the 4 mile trip that the rest of the guests were taking. Not only did the driver get everything unloaded, but he got into the river and all of the people loaded into their kayaks and going on the river; this was very helpful as the put in seemed a bit steep. I did note that they put GPS trackers on the rental kayaks so they would know when they were coming to the takeout location and could help them out. After that we drove the rest of the way to the Kramer Field river access location in Kent; I was hoping we were going a bit further up river to the John Brown Tannery Park location, but the difference is only about 1/4 mile. The put in here is very narrow and steep so I was glad to have help getting my kayak to the river. Once to the river I had time to get myself all setup and launch right under the bridge. From Kent downriver to Cuyahoga Falls in an interesting run, there are nice mellow stretches with some occasional rapids. The river mostly stays in a shallow ravine with plenty of woods and vegetation. The feel is that you are in the wild even though you are actually passing through some fairly populous cities. You do pass a number of houses that back up to the river, but they are few and far between. The river overall is a great paddle, with nothing too challenging; with the water levels pretty high from recent rain there was one small section of whitewater just as I was coming into Newton Falls that did give me a pretty sizeable spash. During the trip I saw a number of Blue Herons, some turtles, deer and a falcon. The bridge at Newton Falls is being rebuilt, but it is easy to still go underneath. Arriving into Waterworks Park you still have about 1/2 mile until you get to the takeout ramp. Luckily the driver was there to help me get out of the kayak and then get the kayak up to my car. I would recommend Burning River Adventures as a great outfitter if you are looking to get out and have some fun paddling on the Cuyahoga River. The run from Kent to Cuyahoga Falls is a nice section of the river. Burning River uses very nice sit on top kayaks which are easy to get on and off. The staff is friendly and knowledgably, plus they do a good job of getting newer kayakers on the river in a safe manner. For those who have their own kayak the cost is very reasonable to get a shuttle up river and your car is located at the takeout which is very convenient. Get out there and enjoy yourself. We are lucky enough to have some great recreational opportunities in this area and the Cuyahoga River has opened up a lot of places to access the river.

Visited Burning River with my kids to go kayaking down the Cuyahoga River. Upon arrival, they were…read moreonly offering one of the three trips, which was the 2.5 hour excursion. We were short on time, but we did it anyway. We decided to paddle the entire time to speed it up. The driver who took us up stream was friendly and he chatted with us during the drive. Then he put our kayaks in the water and helped us board them. After paddling the entire time, it took us less than 1.5 hours to complete the trip. My daughter was happy because she had plans that evening. The river was scenic, there weren't a lot of people on it, and I'd definitely do this again. There were some shallow areas in the river where my kayak touched the bottom, but I was able to paddle out of it. Good times!

I never knew a place like this even existed. It's like a camper/outdoor persons wonderland. Skiing…read moreto hiking to camping to rock climbing.....they have it all. Admittedly, I didn't come here for any of these items. You couldn't pay me enough to repel off a rock or attach blades to my feet and slide down a snow covered mountain. My idea of camping is when the Hilton's electricity goes out. Nonetheless, I was in the market for a cargo box carrier to put on the roof rack I just purchased. Finding a cargo box locally is like a one legged cat covering crap on a marble floor. It isn't possible folks. None of the big box stores carry anything, unless you want it shipped. But this place? It carried the exact Yakima box I wanted and it was in stock! Reserved this box on Yakima's website and it was ready when I got there. Walked in and was instantly greeted by a nice young guy. He got my details and get this....he asked me if I wanted it installed. "How much?" I said "Absolutely free!" He said. I wanted to marry him right then and there. FREE INSTALL? Sweet mother of monkey milk....of course. He got that thing installed faster than a knife fight in a phone booth and we were on our way. Great customer service....albeit a bit pricier than big box stores. I think it is worth it!

Well they may be a real daisy, but they got some mighty expensive shippin costs. They charge so…read moremuch for shippin that I expected it to be hand delivered by the Pony Express. Bein an Ohio Boy (I was born in New Rumley) I like doin business with folks from my home state, but the shippin costs killed the deal for me. Now I am used to high shippin as I am generally always somewhere out in the Great Plains (trespassin) but even I got my limitations. Just ask Sittin Bull. Happy trails ya'll

Good luck finding this pond. I'll help, if I can. From Oak Hill Road, you can only head east on…read moreScobie Road. About a quarter mile down, on the left, is a tiny pull-out, just enough for two cars, with an even tinier sign that reads "Goosefeather Pond." You'll drive right by it, I know. I have, and I already KNOW where it is. If you get to the "Giant Field of Antennae" you'll know you've gone too far. (With all those towers, I can't help but sing the Tom Waits song, "What's He Building In There?" I'm pretty sure he bought the thousand-pack of "No Trespassing" signs. Sheesh, we get it. Stay out. Okay, okay.) Walk about a hundred yards straight south from the "parking area" and you'll see Goosefeather. The dam is at the opposite end, and that's the deeper end. Very quiet, private, serene. A private residence is just to the west; they have a short bit of frontage on the pond, too. Stay clear of their property, if in fact it IS their property... Look for the trail to the east of the little parking lot; I made the mistake of heading right toward the lake and discovered the swamp instead. The fishing is un-spectacular with all the usual suspects: bluegills, perch, bluegill, sunfish and bluegill. There may be bass; I'll have to go back and check. One of the park service's finest was carefully manicuring the lawn by the dam, just in case anyone else can find this place. Aside from sitting on the grass or fishing, there really isn't much more this spot has to offer. Bird-watching, I suppose. Navel-gazing. Woogling, if you're careful.

Dusty's Landing is a fantastic place to spend the day out on the water with family or friends it's…read morevery quiet and relaxing and enjoyable on a great sunny day and there's actually bars that serve food and you can dock your boat or pontoon and have a little lunch and a cocktail and then get back out on the lake and continue just relaxing or fishing or just enjoying the water and beautiful home surrounding the lake

We rented a pontoon at Dusty's we had an awesome time. Nathan was great help and the boat was…read morefantastic. Would definitely recommend

We requested a 4 hour charter for walleye fishing. Tim and Adam were very professional. They were…read morewell equipped with all the modern fishing equipment. They brought us to a great place for trolling. We had a lot of one on one tutoring. We both caught our limit of walleye. We had a great time and i consider the experience well worth the money.

From the owner: North Coast Fishing Company premier Lake Erie fishing charter and marine detailing services. read more