OHIO RIVER TRAIL COUNCIL

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail — Mustill Store, Ohio to Valley View, Ohio

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail 25 or 50-mile Bike Ride

Come out for a ride! This is part of a trail ride series sponsored by the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) intended to bring awareness to the wonderful trails in our quad-state region (Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). All cyclists are welcome for this rails-to-trails, moderate-paced ride!

Join us, as we visit the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The ride departs the Mustill Store Trailhead just north of Akron and follows the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail 25-miles to the Brandywine Waterfall and the Canal Visitor Center in Valley View, Ohio.

At the Canal Visitor Center, you have an option to board the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Train at the nearby Brecksville Station for the return trip back to the Akron Northside Station, or return along the same route or ride the Bike and Hike Trail (some minimal road riding required) for a total of 50-miles.

The southbound train departs the from the Brecksville station . The cost of the one-way train ticket is $3 per person, ages 3 and up including your bike. Exact fare is appreciated. No guaranteed seats. This rate only applies to bicyclists.

Please visit www.cvsr.com/bike-aboard for the latest train schedule.

Trailhead

Mustill Store Trailhead - W North St., Akron, OH

GPS: 41.091359, -81.518334

Features and Points of Interest:

The Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail follows the historic canal where mules once pulled boats from 1827 to 1913. To date, about 80 miles of the trail are complete from Cleveland south to Bolivar. Plans exist to extend the trail to New Philadelphia, for a total of 110 miles. Most of the route is level and well-shaded making for a pleasant trip. The trail also parallels the Cuyahoga River, which provides habitat for a variety of aquatic wildlife. Birds include herons, geese, ducks and kingfishers. Frogs and salamanders mate and lay eggs in the pools that collect in the flood plains. Water-loving native and non-native trees and shrubs dominate the area. Native species include cottonwood, sycamore, elm and silver maple; their chewed stumps signal beaver activity. Wildflowers abound along the sunny, shrub-less sections of the trail.

Canal Visitor Center (7104 Canal Road, Valley View, Ohio 44125)