DayByTheBay

A Day By Near The Bay Lake
Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Kennywood Park
by Marc Ricketts

Recently I took the family to a part of the country that is new to us, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Last time we took a look through the eyes of this outsider to see our primary destinations, Cedar Point and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. This time we’ll drift away from Lake Erie with our secondary destinations of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio plus Pittsburgh’s Kennywood Park.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

01

The Eastern side of our country is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to National Parks. The idea came about while the west was still young, but the more heavily populated side of the nation had already pretty much been parceled and claimed by then. By any measure Niagara Falls would be worth of National Park status, but was already heavily developed commercially by the time preserving significant natural resources had been considered. And, indeed, if one looks closely at the map of Cuyahoga Valley, some of the roads and immediately surrounding property are still privately held. There are also spaces of lush flora and peace lying between the concrete and steel of Cleveland and Akron.

Perhaps you’re thinking that while this name isn’t immediately recognizable like Yellowstone or Yosemite, it does sound familiar. Here’s a hint: The Rivers of America are not the only place where water has caught fire. Yep, it’s that Cuyahoga River. And this part was a section along the Ohio and Erie Canal, so right away it’s hard to envision a wilderness experience. And with the core of the park being the canal Towpath along the river, it’s easy to envision an industrial experience.

But it’s not like that at all. The canal itself was made obsolete by railroads long ago, literally centuries at this point. While there are some scattered remains of those days like an occasional lock, and you never feel that far from civilization, you do know that you are removed from it. The Towpath is used by hikers and bikers, with the latter able to return on the Scenic Railway at the end of the ride. With the wife’s arthritic knee ruling out a long hike, we had booked a passenger excursion on the train, which generally follows the course of the river like the Towpath. But there were also a couple of shorter trails we wanted to investigate.

02

First up was the Ledges Trail. After a short stroll along a level trail, followed by a brief descent, we were at the base of some small cliffs composed of sediment which has built up and solidified as time flowed by like the nearby river.

03

At one point we squeezed into a crack and found some images carved into the rock beyond. They certainly didn’t appear to be very old, and nothing was mentioned in any of the brochures I saw, nor the official website.

04

Heading out from the parking lot in the opposite direction would have taken us to an overlook facing west across the valley, but we wanted to see Brandywine Falls before hopping the train.

05

The 65’ waterfall is Ohio’s second tallest, and the creek below flows through the lower gorge shaded by the surrounding forest. The falls are near the road and quickly reached from the parking lot. A 1.5 mile trail loops through the lower gorge before returning. For some reason on the day of our visit this footbridge was closed.

06

After lunch in the small town of Peninsula, we boarded the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for a low exertion trip along the crooked river.

07

The train spends the day rolling past the length of the park, north to south, south to north, repeat as needed until the daylight runs out. A snack car has a limited assortment of snacks, and a small shop is also on board. Comfort can range from the bike cars, where anyone riding their bike along the Towpath can utilize the train to return for only $3, to an upper level domed premium seat. We split the difference and went with standard coach seating.

08

There are also options that include time to explore the area around the train’s stops, plus scheduled trips where brunch or dinner is served in remodeled dining cars. Knowledgeable volunteers were always nearby on our trip. Like the park itself, it is more pastoral and reflective experience rather than spectacular and adventurous. It is also a welcome respite from the urbanized surroundings, and a true asset to those living nearby.

Kennywood

Before cities all over the land could rip out their streetcar tracks, those tracks had to first be installed. Once that happened, they needed destinations. This need ultimately led to an amusement that came to be known as the Trolley Park being found in many major cities. Although most are mere memories now, Pittsburgh’s Kennywood has managed to survive and thrive since 1898.

K01

We arrived on the Saturday before Labor Day, and were informed by local family members that it was the hottest that it had been all summer. One local said it was more crowded than expected; another was surprised by the crowds. A park over 100 years old is going to have some old and new mixed together. Appropriately, the two rides, both coasters, which generate the most attention, are themselves one of each.

The star of steel is Phantom’s Revenge.

K02

Nope, nope, sorry. That white sky on a ride called Phantom so close to Halloween won’t do.

K03

OK, cheap trick, but now I’m in the right frame of mind. Although originally built with loops, they have been removed, and now it’s all about speed and air time. The first hill curves off the lift and drops 160’, but then the second plunges 230’ into the ravine at the rear of the park. Since the train is following the terrain, it doesn’t seem like it’s that high, but the 85mph is unmistakable. Cresting hills after this rush meant some serious air time, the kind that would send you soaring above the train if there were no restraints.

K04

Thunderbolt opened in 1924 as The Pippin, and like Phantom’s Revenge, took advantage of the natural hillside. In 1968 the middle of the track was redesigned and it reopened with its new moniker (though still using cars from 1958).

K05

It’s a unique design with a drop right out of the station before the lift hill is reached. After the lift hill and its subsequent descent the ride takes some minimally banked turns that generate such intense lateral G forces that every seat is required to have two riders in order to prevent a single from being thrown about mercilessly. And there’s no generation gap here, the old and new exist in perfect harmony.

K06

The park’s four other coasters include two woodies. Jack Rabbit has been rolling since 1920, and features a double dip drop, while Racer has twin tracks where trains have been competing against each other since 1927. The indoor Exterminator features spinning vehicles that will be very familiar to veterans of Primeval Hurl….er, Whirl. This is in near total darkness where we appear to be rats running from the glimpsed exterminators; and if a turn is particularly intense, so be it, nothing toned down here. At one point your humble narrator thought an upcoming drop was about half the height he expected contributing to a moment of strange equilibrium. At first glance Skycoaster looks like a tiny Top Thrill Dragster with its 50MPH launch and 100’ hill. But that was followed by a few twists and drops, and it also featured a nice pop of airtime when cresting that first hill. For $15 a highly limited VIP pass can be obtained which grants the holder one ride on each of the coasters, which we found useful. The uses are scheduled (one at 2PM, one at 3PM, etc) and there are two different schedules offered.

If the day we visited was typical, then Kennywood could use a bit more capacity. Even Noah’s Ark, a 1937 walk though funhouse required a 15 minute wait. I was expecting it to be like Tarzan’s Treehouse, the place to escape when there are lines everywhere else.

K07

The bottleneck is caused by the need to “descend” in a shaky, scary elevator. Now growing up in Alabama, I was hauled off to Sunday school throughout my childhood, but am unable to recall any mention of the skeleton filled cave under the Ark.

K08

Notice how one must step across on those perfectly round platforms (that don’t have plexiglass underneath, ignore that reflection, this is an adventure), clever, huh? The Ark featured a mix of old style, moving and sliding walkways that would give Disney’s entire legal department a massive stroke, and some displays featuring the Ark’s inhabitants (I still maintain that the flamingo and alligator in the same cage is a questionable decision). If this guy is Noah, that explains a lot.

K09

There are also many historic flat rides, including a Whip from 1918, and 1927’s Turtle. Although not as old (but still older than me) we went for 1959’s Paratrooper, based on my memory of an identical ride at the Alabama State Fairgrounds when I was a kid. My main memory of that one was being too scared to ride it; a fear has been officially conquered!

K10

The oldest ride in the park is an indoor boat ride which has had several incarnations. Currently it is Garfield’s Nightmare, and there are few rides to make one nostalgic for Superstar Lime. It’s in 3D, but it’s all just painted flats, so the only 3D is that the colors are focusing at different points.

K11

The day started with a lot of single train operation on the coasters, but more were eventually brought on line. It was also hot, which is maybe why so many employees, especially in foods, seemed miserable. Certainly no one is pushing everybody to smile, although nobody was rude or anything. The Johnny Rocket’s was a full service restaurant but only seated people between 1:30 and 4PM, although as I understand it a lot of folks eat lunch at noon. On the other hand, they don’t open the rides until 11 on a Saturday. The stand selling fresh cut fries with cheese and bacon was perpetually busy and the fries were good, although it was a cheese sauce, and I’ve been spoiled by the melted Cheddar at the ESPN Zone. I was trying to decide between an Icee and ice cream during the afternoon, and saw a creation called The Ice Berg that combined both and is oh so tasty! I don’t know that I’ll ever be drawn to the Pittsburgh area again, but I wouldn’t hesitate to spend another day with Cowboy Joe hanging out at Kennywood.

K12

While You’re In The Area

With Kennywood already operating weekends only at the time of our visit, we had a day to kill. So rather than take 2 hours to reach Pittsburgh by freeway, we opted to spend all day driving the backroads of Ohio with a bit of West Virginia. This area is quite green and pretty, and it ended up being a pleasant relaxing day that included my first ever visits to White Castle (similar to Krystal as expected) and Tim Horton’s (Tim has a posterior bruise in the shape of Krispy Kreme’s boot). Mostly we just took the road as it unfolded. In Hartville Ohio we stumbled upon the Hartville Chocolate Factory with the best Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate I’ve ever had in my mouth.

Every now and then we’d zoom in on the map app until labels appeared and see if anything was interesting. We might stop briefly for an hour like at Beaver Creek State Park. Just wade in the creek a bit, look at the historic buildings, marvel at the wheelchair swing, then get the wheels rolling once again. For someone that especially enjoys the planning aspect of travel, it was a nice variation.

A

B

C

And I’ll be serious for a moment to say that wood boring beetles are potentially problematic everywhere, and not moving firewood great distances is also good advice everywhere.

D

And obviously I wasn’t being serious about being nostalgic for Superstar Limo.

For more information

Cuyahoga National Park:
http://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm
Kennywood
https://www.kennywood.com/

Sharing is caring!

Marc Ricketts
Marc Ricketts is a writer/photographer who has not yet outgrown roller coasters, and provides news and information about San Francisco Bay Area destinations. Mark's columns can frequently be found on MiceChat in our Weekend Updates.