On a beautiful autumn day, we stopped at Brecksville Station to get a picture of the iconic Brecksville-Northfield Bridge. This five-span concrete arch bridge was opened in 1931 and replaced the wrought iron and wood Station Road Bridge. Renovated in 1989, the deck is 145 feet above the Cuyahoga River and provides a high-level connection between Brecksville and Sagamore Hills Township.
According to the park service, the Station Road Bridge was built in 1881 although the plaque above the bridge states "82". After nearly a century of use, the bridge had deteriorated to the point that Cuyahoga and Summit Counties closed the bridge in 1980. The park service had it removed and restored in 1991 and held a grand re-opening on August 12, 1992, as a pedestrian-only route to the then under-construction Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The bridge was closed again on November 16, 2020, for repairs, deck replacement, and painting. It is scheduled to re-open on March 26, 2021.
To reach the station from the intersection of Ohio routes 21 (Brecksville Road) and 82 (Chippewa Road) in Brecksville, head east on Chippewa Road for 1.9 miles. Turn right onto Riverview Road and drive 0.2 miles before turning left onto Valley Parkway and driving 0.2 miles to the large paved parking area. With over 130 passenger vehicle spots, six accessible spots, and 17 RV or bus pull-through spots, the parking area provides access to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the Towpath Trail of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and numerous trails in the Brecksville Reservation.
We visited in November 2019.
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| Information kiosk |
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| Brecksville Station |
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| Montreal Locomotive Works RS18 1822 leading the passenger train south past the station |
There is no entrance fee at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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