Login | August 14, 2025
Don’t go stir crazy. Hike the Gorge
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: April 13, 2020
Are you starting to go stir crazy what with all the social distancing you’ve been undertaking these past few weeks? Yea, it’s been getting me antsy to. And thus far the one thing that’s really helped to take the edge off these trying times has been the simple act of getting outdoors.
Yup, my salvation has either been riding my bicycle or hiking, and since I’ve been trying to keep everything local I’ve been checking out several great little local parks which lie just a stone’s throw away.
So if you’re looking for a new hiking venue where you can get out and stretch those legs and unburden that mind, let me fill you in on a park I just recently…rediscovered.
Gorge Metro Park is situated along the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Falls and Akron. This rugged 155-acre park has at its center a massive old dam built in 1911 that was once used to provide electric power to the Akron area.
The power plant has been long gone for years, but there’s now a path to a series of observation decks with which to view the water streaming over this hundred-year-old dam.
Now there’s three trails in this park - Glens, Gorge, and Highbridge. The Glen and Gorge trailheads are on the north side of the river along Front St., while the Highbridge trailhead is on the south side of the river along Front St.
Let’s start with the 1.8-mile loop Gorge Trail, the most popular trail of the park. This path follows the steep, upper end of the gorge and loops back on a lower parallel track. The really cool thing about this rugged stretch of terrain is that it seemingly appears out of nowhere. And some of its features, like the Mary Campbell Cave, a recess set deep into the sandstone, remind me of the massive cavities and spacious sandstone caverns I’ve hiked through while down in Hocking Hills.
After passing the cave, the trail gets rocky and craggy, treading along a host of overhanging rock ledges and gothic looking outcroppings. Eventually the trail enters a narrow opening in a cliff face and follows a stairway - carved into the rock - that takes you to the top of the ledges.
The view from the top is pretty awesome, with several dramatic panoramas of the river valley down below. Looming off to the west sits the SR 8 bridge, towering over the Cuyahoga River Valley like a stupendous steel-girder dinosaur.
The trail eventually descends back down to the bottom of the ledges putting you closer to the river and returning you to the trailhead.
The Glens Trail shares the Gorge Trail parking lot, and though not as rugged as the Gorge this 1.8-mile out-and-back path is a stunning little track nonetheless. It to trends along the Cuyahoga River, running from Front St. to Chestnut St. in Cuyahoga Falls, and it traverses some very picturesque, undulating terrain. On one side of you are rock ledges that tower as much as 60 feet above your head, while on the other side of you is the Cuyahoga River flowing lazily along.
Some of those overhanging cliff faces are bone-dry, almost appearing desiccated, while others support numerous springs and seeps that give them the feel of a lush, sandstone trellis.
The Highbridge is a 3-mile out-and-back trail that parallels the river and runs from Cuyahoga Falls Ave to the Peck Rd in Akron along a power line. It’s easy hiking, and perfect for dog walking and/or easy running. Now there’s a side-trail, about a half-mile in, where you can descend down to the river. It’s a moderately challenging little track that takes you through some very striking landscape.
Once under the State Road Bridge - Highbridge - the trail deviates away from the power line and descends down to Cascade Valley Metro Park South via some old stone stairs built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s. From there the Highbridge intersects with the Chuckery Trail.
Now if you’re really ambitious you can hike the Chuckery - or Peck Road - out to Cuyahoga St., to Uhler St., to Memorial Pkwy., and bingo, you’re at the Towpath Trail.
So if you’re currently going stir-crazy check out Gorge Metro Park, it’s one of several wonderful local parks that virtually lie just around the corner.