The reconstructed Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail runs the length of the park and parallels remnants of the Ohio & Erie Canal and the twisting Cuyahoga River. Many historical structures, canal locks and wayside exhibits highlighting the history of the Cuyahoga Valley can be seen along the trail.
The 65-foot Brandywine Falls, on Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills, is set amid red maple trees and is one of many spectacular natural features in the park. This popular site has a boardwalk leading into the waterfall's gorge, allowing for close-up looks. Tinkers Creek Gorge and the Ritchie Ledges are additional natural features where there are overlooks for sightseeing. A beautiful man-made structure can be found in the Everett Road Covered Bridge in Peninsula. This 1980s reconstruction of the late 19th-century one that used to occupy the site is about a half-mile west of Riverview Road.
Beaver Marsh, on Riverview Road in Cuyahoga Falls, is a good destination for wildlife viewing. You can park at Ira Trailhead and walk the Towpath Trail north to the boardwalk, where you might see beavers, otters, birds, frogs, muskrats and turtles.
The national park has one main visitor center and one canal-themed attraction. The Boston Store Visitor Center is at 1550 Boston Mills Rd., east of Riverview Road, in Peninsula. It offers a comprehensive overview of the national park and offers park planning. The Canal Exploration Center is in the northern tip of the park at 7104 Canal Rd. at jct. Hillside Road in Valley View. It features interactive and in-depth exhibits focused on canal history.
The Winter Sports Center, located within Kendall Lake Shelter on Truxell/Kendall Park Rd. between Akron Cleveland and Akron Peninsula roads in Peninsula, offers ski and snowshoe instruction programs and cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals on a first-come, first-served basis (weather permitting). Boston Mills Ski Resort in Peninsula as well as Brandywine Ski Resort and Polar Blast snow tubing park in Sagamore Hills offer additional winter fun. Special events, including lectures and concerts, are held at Happy Days Lodge, 1 mile west of SR 8 at 500 W. Streetsboro Rd. (SR 303) in Peninsula.
The park and Towpath Trail are open daily 24 hours except for Brandywine Falls, the Ledges, the Octagon shelter, Kendall Lake, the Kendall Hill area on Quick Road and the Happy Days south parking area, which are open dawn-dusk. Hours vary at Kendall Lake Winter Sports Center; phone ahead. Flooding after heavy rains may cause some sections of the park to close. Some areas may be closed part of the year to protect nesting bald eagles. Phone Boston Store Visitor Center at (330) 657-2752 to confirm hours of operations for park facilities.