Last weekend we headed to The Gorge Metropark to go hiking and to take the kids to see the waterfall.
As a child, my parents took my brother and I to the Gorge quite often. I remember hiking the trails and then climbing the rocks to get to the base of the waterfall. See those stones in the picture above? I distinctly remember my uncle crossing them to get across to the other side of the falls. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t encourage my kids to do the same!
I had not been back to the Gorge in years, so I was excited to reminisce about the times I went as a child and to have my kids see the same waterfall I enjoyed when I was their age.
The Gorge Metropark has numerous trails, but we chose the 1.8-mile Gorge Trail that goes by the falls. It was a beautiful day for a hike. The trail was well-kept and we saw lots of birds, chipmunks, butterflies, and various insects as we hiked.
The falls were almost exactly as I remembered them, except there was now wooden decking that provided onlookers with a great vantage point of the falls.
Although I’m sure my uncle would disagree, it’s probably a good thing that you can’t get as close to the water as you could when I was a child. I know I felt more comfortable with my kids being a safe distance away from the water.
After checking out the falls, we walked up the trail a little further and found a small dock on the river above the waterfall. It was the perfect spot to teach the kids how to skip stones across the water.
At the end of our hike, we enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading home.
The Gorge Metropark
1160 Front St Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223
Website
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A very long time ago the Gorge used to be an amusement park with a roller coaster and more! My grandparents had old pictures of it! When I was younger we used to go behind the falls and also slide down the water to the rocks that are pictured as well as hop across them! Also, back in the 80’s there used to be one huge metal pole that we used to cross the trail to get on other side of Mary Campbell’s cave long before they put up the wooden barrier and rerouted the trail!I guess I am glad I don’t have to worry about the grandchildren following in my footsteps!
Thank you for sharing!
WRONG ZIP CODE – SHOULD BE 44223
Summit County Metroparks – The Gorge
1160 Front St Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221(wrong zip code)
Diane,
Thanks for pointing that out. I just corrected it.
Danielle
When I was a kid, my family spent a lot of time here as well. We spent many a humid summer day under the heavy falling water of the gorge. Somehow, our parents weren’t too worried about our safety and lo and behold, everyone survived! It’s a shame that you can’t apparently get close enough to actually enjoy the water now.
Just another example of the nanny-state/litigious mentality nowadays….sigh.
Jim,
You are correct, getting right next to the water isn’t as easy as it used to be. I do like the decking and walkway they included though.
Danielle