Buckeyeblade
Our kids and us love this area. Unfortunately, we have never seen the beavers or otters that we know live there. However, we have seen muskrats, water snakes, painted turtles, frogs, waterfowl, and my favorite... snapping turtles. You do need to watch your children, especially on nice weekends because bikers move fast on the towpath. I just tell mine to stay in the shadow of the rails and that keeps them well to the side. If you are in the area, it is worth checking out. There is also a big farmers market across the road in the Summer.
jimp648
Like the assortment of wildlife you'll see in such a small amount of area, and if you're lucky, you'll see the scenic railroad go by a little off in the distance. Lots of opportunity to take nature photos if you're so inclinded. Only dislike is that there are quite a few people, either passing through on their bikes or walking, because it's such a cool place!
sunny07
Short walk from parking lot to Beaver Marsh. A handful of people w/ professional cameras/tripods were there taking pics. We saw a Blue Heron and some other types of birds and some ducks but not much else. I think I saw a turtle shell in the dark water, but he never surfaced. LOTS of lily pads which I bet were absolutely gorgeous when all in bloom! Worth a quick stop.
nationalparkPa
We enjoyed this pleasant easy walk through the marsh. Our grandson spotted a heron and a toad and our daughter saw 3 turtles. We all enjoyed the abundant wildflowers as well. The boardwalk made the walk easy for all. Take your time and enjoy all the sounds of nature.
kren250
I spent about an hour bird watching at the Beaver Marsh one morning. Besides the blue herons, there were ducks, frogs, big fish, and other species of birds. I also saw a deer.The boardwalk goes right over the middle of the marsh, and it's nice to see it from that perspective. I was there around 7:00 ish in the morning; it was quiet and uncrowded at first, but by the time I left at 8:00 it was already getting loud/crowded.It was quite annoying to have the bikes whizzing by and joggers loudly talking to each other while I was hoping for a bit of early-morning solitude. This is definitely a more urban park.
Go-whenever-I-can
Nice boardwalk goes over a marshy area in CVNP. We were told that the beavers come out at dusk. We were there during the day, so we came back in the evening....but were too late. Even without seeing the beavers, it was a really nice walk. It was easily accessible for wheelchairs, children, bike riders, just about anyone. Part trail, part boardwalk. It has viewing areas where you can sit and watch the wildlife. Otters, frogs, beavers, ducks, herons are all said to come here at various times. Highly recommend if you are not into strenuous hikes but want to see wildlife.
Goldfinch2324
This is on the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's Towpath Trail. You enter the parking area off of Ira Road and Riverview Road. It's a short walk from the parking lot to the Marsh. You'll usually see very large turtles along with several species of birds (including Herron), and, if you're lucky, a beaver or two. Kids really love it....even the older kids!
peatterk
A nice boardwalk walk is really all that's here through a marshy area. We went and saw no beavers but we did see some dams and the canal running along side the trail was also very nice. Good trail in Cuyahoga.
gregm3367
Nice short spot to hike to in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. From the IRA trailhead you only have about a mile round trip down to the boardwalk built over the Marsh. Go at dusk if you want to see a lot of beaver activity. There are a couple beaver lodges there. They built the marsh by damming up the canal. You will also see some huge snapping turtles, some herons, ducks, geese and other wildlife. Plenty of benches to sit and take it in.
FeyColleen
Great little hike out from the closest parking areas, and always something interesting to see- last time there I saw an Eagle!