Experience Trails in Dormant Season

12/18/2009

26 November 2009

 

By Jennie Vasarhelyi

Jennie Vasarhelyi is chief of interpretation, education, and visitor services for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

 

CVNP—This month, the National Park Service and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) Association have launched a new program, Trails Forever, to turn the spotlight on trails in the CVNP.

As fall turns to winter, trails are not on everyone’s mind. This article invites you to discover what is special about trails during the dormant season. It compiles park rangers’ top 10 suggestions. I hope you will try all of them over time.

 

  1. Hike the Towpath Trail. During the warm months, the Towpath Trail can be busy with bicyclists. From late fall through early spring, traffic slows down. It is easier to find solitude along the trail. Walking rather than bicycling lets you slow down and better observe your surroundings. I find that the bottomland woodlands and wetlands have a special appeal in the winter. The Towpath also has the advantage of being a relatively flat path that can offer easy footing.

 

  1. Visit Ice Box Cave along the Ledges Trail. Ice Box Cave, a long and narrow slit in the rock of the Virginia Kendall Ledges, is named for its cooler temperature on a hot summer’s day. However, in colder months, you might decide it deserves a different name. Make sure you bring a flashlight.

 

  1. Take a moonlit woodland hike. Without leaves on the trees, moonlight shines through the branches and lights up your way. Trail surfaces become especially bright when snow reflects the moonlight. The National Park Service offers full moon hikes most months, so you can join a ranger for this adventure.

 

  1. Enjoy views along the Old Carriage Trail. The scenery along the Old Carriage Trail changes in winter. Without leaves on the trees, the view opens up. The trail skirts the top edge of the valley wall. You can look down into deep ravines or west across the valley to get a sense of its spaciousness. Watching sun set through the trees is particularly special. The three larges bridges that span deep ravines also are more visible and add to the beauty of the trail in winter.

 

  1. Watch for seasonal wildlife activity at the Beaver Marsh. Located at the Towpath Trail north of Ira Trailhead, the Beaver Marsh is one of the best places in the park to watch wildlife throughout the year. In November, watch for migrating wood ducks. As the weather turns colder, you may see spots where beavers try to break up the ice to prevent the marsh from freezing over. Once the marsh does freeze over, the beavers mostly will remain in their warm, cozy lodge, occasionally venturing into the water to feed on the cache of branches near their lodge or on the tubers of pond lilies.

 

  1. Walk through a tunnel of evergreen trees. Many of the evergreen trees in the park are planted, something you’ll observe because they grow in rows. You can walk amongst spruce trees that were once part of a Christmas tree farm along the Tree Farm Trail or between rows of pine trees on the Oak Hill and Pine Grove trails.

 

  1. Create your own trail in the snow. Off-trail hiking is permitted in most locations in CVNP. It is satisfying to be the first person to walk across freshly fallen snow, letting your tracks mix with those of wildlife. You can then use your tracks to find your way on your return trip.

 

  1. Savor the green of the hemlock trees. While many of the evergreens in the park are planted, one exception is the hemlock tree, a lovely tree with short, flat needles. They grow in cooler, moister areas of the park. You’ll find them along the Ledges Trail or in the deep ravines of the Old Carriage Trail.

 

  1. Test the new bridge across Brandywine Creek. For years, hiking the Brandywine Gorge Trail could be problematic in the winter. Stepping stones across Brandywine Creek were often too icy or flooded to cross. As the debut event of Trails Forever, the National Park Service with help from the Cuyahoga Valley Trails Council opened a new bridge over the creek. This year, be sure to combine your visit to admire the ice on Brandywine Falls with a walk around this 1.5-mile loop trail.

 

  1. Try a trail on snowshoes. The park rents snowshoes at the Winter Sports Center at Kendall Lake. It will be open on weekends and some weekdays starting in late December when there is enough snow.

 For any of these walks, be prepared for winter trail conditions. The National Park Service does not clear trails. Be prepared for snow, ice, and, on warmer days, slippery mud. Wear shoes with good traction.

 

Information about our trails, including trail maps, is available at visitor centers and online at www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/hiking. For more information about hiking with a ranger or the Winter Sports Center, view the park’s Schedule of events, also available at visitor centers or online at www.nps.gov/cuva/planavisit. For details on park programs, call (216) 524-1497 or visit www.dayinthevalley.com

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