The Ritchie Ledges are a mesa-like geographic feature in the Virginia Kendall Unit of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Composed of Sharon Conglomerate laying atop layers of less resistant shale, sandstone, and siltstone, the rock forms a 75-acre capstone that is thirty to forty feet higher than the surrounding terrain. An arrowhead-shaped 1.8-mile loop trail along the base of the cliffs encircles the mesa. The trail network and other improvements in the area were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Located in the southeast corner of the park, the Ledges is about a 15-minute drive from the Boston Mill Visitor Center. The trailhead is located north of county road 187, known as Truxell Road west of the Ledges and Kendall Park Road east. A large parking area is located near the trailhead containing 233 paved spaces including 8 accessible. There is no bus or RV parking available. Picnic tables and a reservable shelter are also located near the trailhead. We hiked the southern two-thirds of the loop in a counter-clockwise direction during our November 2019 trip to the park.
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| Trailhead informational kiosk |
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| Ledges Shelter |
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| The main access trail is an old road |
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| Approaching our turn to the right |
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| An informational display and map |
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| A single bench marks the trail junction |
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| Approaching the edge of the ledge |
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| Rock fracture |
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| A wide fracture |
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| Typical trail conditions atop the ledges |
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| A narrow fracture |
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| Loop trail junction at the base of the ledges |
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| Typical trail conditions on the east side of the ledges |
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| A narrow fissure |
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| A much wider gap |
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| The missing slab of rock is ... |
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| ... across the trail |
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| Storm debris |
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| The longest bridge on the trail |
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| Descending to cross another drainage |
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| Crossing the road |
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| Southern end of the grassy meadow |
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| Restrooms were closed for the season |
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| Picnic area |
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| View from the overlook |
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| Another view |
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| Looking back as we descend to the base of the ledges |
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| Signpost |
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| A bit of uphill hiking |
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| Cliffs almost hidden by the trees |
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| Trees growing out of rocks |
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| A seemingly solid wall |
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| An easier part of the trail |
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| Walking along the base |
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| Boardwalk around the base of one ledge |
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| The trail veers away from the ledges |
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| Typical trail conditions on the west side |
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| Back at the base of the ledges |
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| A wide fissure |
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| An even wider fissure |
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| Time to head back to the shelter and parking area |
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| Atop the ledges again |
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| Back to the information display and bench behind the tree |
There is no entrance fee at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The park website is https://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm.
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