Cuyahoga Valley National Park wants public input on what services would enhance the "visitor experience" for the more than 2 million people who visit the park every year.
The federal government operates the park system with a small staff and limited resources, so it’s challenging to offer amenities like places to eat and lodging, says spokesperson Jennie Vasarhelyi. That’s why the park is creating a commercial services strategy to serve visitors better with more products or activities through a third party.
“We are interested in increasing use of the Cuyahoga River as a water trail,” said Vasarhelyi. “We know that there is a lot of interest in services that we can't offer directly. So those are some of the things that really triggered us to look at commercial services now and the commercial services strategy is really what guides all the commercial services in the park.”
The park is hosting an open house from 6-8 p.m. on July 15 at Happy Days Lodge in Peninsula, Ohio. Presentations will be at 6:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. serving as an informal discussion to gather community input on both existing and potential future services. Services to be discussed include, but are not limited to:
- Bike rentals
- Train rides
- Non-motorized boat rental on the Cuyahoga River
- Guided fishing
- Guided hiking
- Guided paddling
- Camping
- Horseback riding
- Snowshoeing
- Cross-country skiing
- Food
- Lodging
- Shuttle service
Anyone can comment online until July 26.
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