The information provided below is intended to notify visitors of trail, road, and facility closures outside of normal operations. Reasonable effort will be made to keep information current. Road closures and weather-related trail closures often occur without notice and will be posted as information becomes available.
When necessary, Park Rangers will issue court citations to persons violating the terms of these closures under authority of 16 USC 3; 36 CFR 1.5(f)
Public Closure Cancellation Hotline: (440) 546-5960
Closed Visitor Areas:
Eagle Closure: February 6 - July 31, 2012
The railroad tracks and 30-foot right-of-way on either side are closed to all pedestrian traffic, from the Route 82 Bridge at Station Road visitor use area north to the railroad tracks at Fitzwater Road. The Cuyahoga River downstream of the Brecksville Dam to the Fitzwater Road Bridge is closed to all water activities (boating, fishing, and wading.) Nesting bald eagles can be viewed from the Towpath Trail. Please observe the posted signs along the towpath to avoid entering the closed area. The purpose of this closure is to protect nesting bald eagles from human disturbance.
Ice Box Cave Closed Until Further Notice-Bat Population Threatened
Biologists from Metro Parks, Serving Summit County detected a bat-killing fungus (white-nose syndrome) at the Liberty Park Reservation in Twinsburg, when they discovered a dead little brown bat outside one of the park's off-trail caves in January 2012. White Nose Syndrome was confirmed in the specimen by researchers at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, Georgia. Read the press release, "Bat-Killing Fungus Detected at Liberty Park".
This emerging fungal disease has killed millions of bats in the northeastern and eastern United States and could soon threaten bats in CVNP.
Park visitors can help slow the spread of this disease and reduce disturbance to bats by staying out of caves and reporting any unusual bat activity, such as, bats flying outside during the day in cold winter months or bats clustering near the entrance to the cave. The main method of transfer of the disease is by bat to bat transmission. However, humans can also transport the fungal spores on their shoes, clothes, and other gear from contaminated sites to new sites. White nose syndrome does not affect human health, in part because the fungus requires temperatures cooler than the human body to survive.
Ice Box Cave, located in the Ritchie Ledges, is now CLOSED in an effort to slow the spread of white nose syndrome.
Construction Road Closures:
Riverview Road North
Riverview Road in Brecksville will be closed intermittently from Tuesday, July 19, 2011 until further notice. The closure will start at Preston Drive headed south toward Route 82. Detour will be Route 82 to Route 21 north.
Canal Road Partial Closure
Canal Road will be closed to all traffic from Hillside Road to Tinkers Creek Road beginning next Monday, May 14 until early September, 2012. A contractor working for the Village of Valley View will be re-constructing the failing road embankment in this area. The posted detour to Canal Visitor Center (CVC) will be from Rockside Road only. Although Hillside Road will be open, the recommended route to CVC is from Rockside Road to minimize additional traffic to residents on Hillside.
Construction Closures/Updates:
Furnace Run Restoration Project
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County will begin work in April, 2012 to stabilize bank erosion and replant native riparian vegetation near the Everett Road Covered Bridge. Be prepared for construction delays.
Brandywine Falls Construction Update - Trail Bridge Closed
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County has finished construction of the new off-road route for the Bike & Hike Trail along Brandywine Road. A new trail bridge over Interstate 271 is under construction and is expected to be completed in June, 2012. Brandywine Falls Gorge Trail will remain open during bridge construction. If you have questions about the bridge construction, call the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 4 Office in Akron at (330) 786-3100.
Fishing Closures:
Kendall Lake Fishing Closure
The National Park Service has completed its work correcting hydrologic deficiencies of the Virginia Kendall Lake dam and dredging sediments from the lake bottom. While lake levels were lowered during construction, approximately 4,500 native warm water fish were collected and transferred from the lake to other locations. The lake has been restocked with fingerling size large-mouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and fathead minnows. Therefore, the lake is closed to all fishing beginning March 15, 2010 and will remain closed for 3 to 4 years in order to protect and restore the native fish community while they grow to a catchable size and provide for future quality fishing opportunities.
Other fishing opportunities are at Indigo Lake, Horseshoe Pond, Armington Pond, Sylvan Pond, Meadowedge Pond, Goosefeather Pond, Coonrad Pond, and Brushwood Lake.
Trail Closures:
Old Carriage Trail Bridges Closure
The three bridges on the Old Carriage Trail in Sagamore Hills remain closed until further notice. The bridges have been determined to be unsafe for pedestrian traffic due to accelerated deterioration on structural portions of the bridges. The Old Carriage Trail will remain open at both entrances except for bridge access. The Metro Parks, Serving Summit County Bike & Hike connector to the Towpath Trail is open.
The National Park Service considers the Old Carriage Trail a priority for the public and is aggressively pursuing funding options to pay for the bridges. All comments and questions can be directed to: Superintendent, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 15610 Vaughn Road Brecksville, Ohio 44141 or e-mail us.
Long-term Trail Closures
Dickerson Run Trail
Tabletop Trail
