High Bridge Glens Bridge

The High Bridge Glens Bridge is a small pedestrian bridge over the Cuyahoga River. It is a warren deck truss that was built by U.S. Bridge in 2009. The bridge is a popular destination, as it gives a stunning view of the Cuyahoga Falls. Although this bridge is fairly new, it is at the location of a historic footbridge.

This bridge is at the location of the High Bridge Glens and Caves Park, which was an amusement park for Victorian visitors. The park was a summer resort, and it opened in 1879. It spanned over both sides of the river, and featured a suspension footbridge over the gorge, a bowling alley, a dance and dinning pavilion, scenic trails and overlooks, cascades and waterfalls, and even one of the first roller coasters in the nation. At the height if its popularity, the park attracted more than 8,000 visitors a day and had four daily express trains on the Cleveland, Mount Vernon and Columbus Railroad.

The park closed sometime around 1910 for a variety of reasons. As the local town grew, sewage was dumped into the river, which made the lower trails and caves less inviting. Then, the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company built an electric plant in Akron, which included a dam slightly downriver from the park. This backed up water into the gorge, which covered many of the caves and trails. The flood of 1913 further changed the gorge and destroyed the remining stairways and trails.