Climbing the Plateau Path in Cuyahoga Valley Nationwide Park presents a peaceable, wooded escape with a little bit of every thing—rolling terrain, dense forest, and glimpses of the park’s numerous ecology. The 5-plus mile loop winds via quiet beech, oak, and maple groves, with stretches of hemlock offering shade and a way of solitude. Occasional boardwalks and footbridges cross over muddy patches and small streams, whereas light inclines preserve the hike participating with out being too strenuous. Wildlife sightings are widespread—deer, birds, and the occasional fox—and in fall, the path blazes with good coloration. It’s a path that feels distant, although it’s simply minutes from close by cities.
Do not miss Hemlock Ravine
Climbing the Plateau Path
It’s a scorching late June afternoon, the temperature pushing into the triple digits, once I pull into the empty lot on the Oak Hill Trailhead, able to knock out just a few miles. After passing the restrooms and the path kiosk, I head out from the trailhead, which serves as the start line for each the Plateau and Oak Hill Trails.
The path wastes no time diving into the woods, the place a not too long ago repaired boardwalk crosses a low, shaded patch. From there, the trail curves northwest beneath a cover of blended hardwoods and pines, the shade providing some transient aid.
On the half-mile mark, one other small boardwalk seems, simply earlier than the path opens as much as Chestnut Pond. Bullfrogs are in full refrain, their mating calls echoing throughout the water.
Instantly previous the pond, the path enters probably the most photographed spots in all of Cuyahoga Valley Nationwide Park: a brief however beautiful hall of mature pines. The symmetry and stillness right here by no means get outdated—it is a spot I sit up for each time I come out right here.
Past the pines, the path narrows and transitions via patchier shade earlier than returning to dense forest. Small ravines start to flank the path, with picket footbridges spanning them at 1.1 and 1.2 miles.
At 1.65 miles, I attain a well-marked junction with the Oak Hill Connector Path. I proceed straight, descending gently for a couple of half mile earlier than veering proper at one other well-marked junction. A gradual climb follows, resulting in a flat stretch via a stunning mixture of hemlocks and hardwoods.
At 3.25 miles, the path reaches one other cut up: straight results in Sylvan Pond, whereas left continues the Plateau Path. I keep left, crossing two extra footbridges over dry ravines earlier than hitting the following junction at 3.5 miles.
Right here, proper continues alongside the Plateau Path, and straight results in Hemlock Ravine. Curious and unhurried, I take the quick spur to Hemlock Ravine. The path hugs the southern rim of the 60-foot-deep ravine crammed with towering hemlocks. Hemlock Ravine Falls sit on the base of the ravine, however with the present dry spell, they’re barely a trickle. I determine to return after a heavy rain for a correct look.
Again on the Plateau Path, I proceed to Meadowedge Pond at 4.2 miles. The solar is relentless right here, beating down on the lily pad-filled floor of the water. I pause for a second, soaking it in, then press on.
The path briefly cuts via a slim, sun-exposed hall earlier than reentering the woods for the ultimate stretch. At 5.2 miles, I move via a tunnel-like part of forest earlier than the timber half and the path spits me out on the far finish of the car parking zone to finish the loop.
Sweat-drenched and drained from the warmth, I return to my automobile, blast the AC, and sit for a second to chill off. The Plateau Path won’t ship dramatic vistas or waterfalls like The Ledges or Blue Hen and Buttermilk Falls, however it presents peace, solitude, and miles of quiet path—precisely what I got here right here for. And precisely why I’ll be again.
