Cascade Valley Metro Park: Overlook and Oxbow Trails (Blog Hike #918)

Trails: Overlook and Oxbow Trails
Hike Location: Cascade Valley Metro Park
Geographic Location: north side of Akron, OH (41.12848, -81.52180)
Length: 1.7 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2022
Overview: A lollipop loop with Cuyahoga River views from near and far.
Park Information: https://www.summitmetroparks.org/cascade-valley-metro-park.aspx
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=924724
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From downtown Akron, drive Main Street north 3.1 miles to Sackett Avenue and turn left on Sackett Ave.  Drive Sackett Ave. west 0.7 miles to the signed parking lot for Cascade Valley Metro Park's Overlook area on the left.  Park here.

The hike: Established in 1921, Summit Metro Parks owns and maintains 16 parks totaling 15,000 acres in Summit County, Ohio.  Many of these parks have excellent amenities that include picnic shelters, athletic fields, and hiking trails.  Roughly 5.5 million people visit Summit Metro Parks each year, and the people of Akron are blessed to have such a nice park system in their county.

            Located on the north side of Akron, Cascade Valley Metro Park is one of the more central properties in the Summit Metro Parks' collection.  The park gets its name from the Cuyahoga River's nearby cascades and from the steep-sided ravines that lead down to the river.  The surrounding developed and residential areas give this park an urban feel even though some of the areas deep in the ravines feel far away from civilization.

            Cascade Valley Metro Park is divided into 5 areas, each of which offers at least one hiking trail.  This hike features two of those areas: the Overlook Area and the adjacent Oxbow Area.  The Oxbow Area features some athletic fields and rapids in the Cuyahoga River, while the Overlook Area features the most famous view in Akron.  By combining trails in both areas, this hike allows you to explore all these two areas have to offer.

Trailhead at Overlook Area

            From the Overlook Area parking lot, pick up the asphalt ADA-accessible Overlook Trail as it heads south.  A restroom building and information kiosk stand at this trailhead.  The Overlook Trail is marked with light red arrows that contain a semicircle with hash marks.  Where the Overlook Trail splits to form its loop, continue straight to begin heading around the loop counterclockwise.

Start of Oxbow Trail

            At 0.25 miles, the Oxbow Trail exits right.  We will continue the Overlook Trail later, but for now turn right to leave the asphalt and begin the dirt Oxbow Trail.  Marked with blue arrows bearing a horseshoe-like symbol, the Oxbow Trail assumes a winding course that heads down into the Cuyahoga River's floodplain.  Three short steep areas with wooden steps need to be negotiated, but otherwise the terrain remains rather flat.

            Ignore side trails that exit right to a baseball field or left to the other side of the loop, and at 0.7 miles arrive at a parking lot for the Oxbow Picnic Area.  Continue following the blue Oxbow Trail arrows as you begin a small riverside loop with the park entrance road on the right.  Large amounts of honeysuckle dominate the understory in this young forest, and some mud will need to be negotiated if it has rained recently.

Hiking in the river's floodplain

            Just shy of 1 mile, you reach the bank of the Cuyahoga River for the first time, and what has thus far been a rather uninspiring hike starts to gain interest.  Although the Cuyahoga River is about halfway through its course here, it acts like a young river with shallow water and rippling cascades.  The picnic area up ahead is easily accessed from the parking area you passed earlier, so take a few minutes to enjoy the river alone before you get into the more congested picnic area.

Cuyahoga River

            After passing through the riverside Oxbow Picnic Area, the trail climbs a long series of wooden steps.  In total, you gain about 125 vertical feet of elevation, but you gain it all in one chunk with these steps.  The grade becomes more gradual at the top of the steps.  Ignore short-cut trails that exit left.

Climbing toward the overlook

            At 1.3 miles, you reach the end of the Oxbow Trail where it rejoins the asphalt Overlook Trail at this park's famous overlook.  A concrete platform juts out from the top of the cliff.  The Cuyahoga River now lies directly below you, but the North Main Street Bridge that spans high above the river to the left may be the first thing to catch your eye.  (Aside: if you followed the directions to the trailhead above, then you drove over this bridge on your way in.)  This overlook stands above a tight 180-degree bend in the river, so the view is fantastic.  You may not be alone here due to the paved trail access, but be sure to spend some time enjoying the most famous view in Akron.

Cuyahoga River overlook

            Past the overlook, the asphalt Overlook Trail heads north with private property close to the right.  After curving sharply left, you close the Overlook Trail's loop.  A right turn and a few hundred feet of level walking on asphalt trail return you to the parking lot to complete the hike.