Ohio national parks rebound to pre-COVID popularity

Visitor spending at Ohio's national park sites has rebounded to slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Driving the news: More than 2.8 million visitors spent $65.7 million in 2021, according to a new report from the National Park Service.

• The majority of visits were at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the large swath of picturesque land between Cleveland and Akron.
• The largest spend share was on lodging (29.4%), then restaurants (25%), gas (14.9%) and recreational activities (12.4%).

Details: While Cuyahoga is technically Ohio's only national park, the parks system manages several historical sites, including the Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial at Put-in-Bay and President Taft's birth site in Cincinnati.

Of note: While our green spaces may not bring in as much green as other states — we're No. 37 nationally — Cuyahoga's 2.5 million visitors in 2021 isn't too shabby.

• The park is in good company, with about the same number of visitors as Mount Rushmore and Olympic National Park in Washington.

💭 Alissa's thought bubble: Just two hours from Columbus, Cuyahoga Valley is a perfect weekend getaway. My husband and I rented this cozy Airbnb in 2017, just a short walk from Brandywine Falls.

• While the falls get lots of attention, I recommend the Ledges Trail. The towering rock formations are breathtaking — and so are the views from the Overlook!