spinnaker

I'm looking at doing a short tour maybe 4-5 days.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Way is very close to me. Maybe an hours drive or so.
In fact I might even consider riding there, it would take less than a day and a ha;f.

https://www.ohioanderiecanalway.com/M...Bicycling.aspx


The Erie Canal Heritage Trail / New York State Canal Trails are probably a good 4 hours drive.

https://www.canals.ny.gov/exvac/trail/index.html

Any tips on what to choose? Has anyone done both?

DCwom

Not yet, but the O&E canal is on our future consideration list. We rode the western section of the Erie canal in 2010 and the eastern half in 2011. One thing I can say is that I've found a lot more info about the Erie canal than the O&E so planning might be easier. The Erie canal trail also runs right along the operating canal, particularly the western section, as opposed to an overgrown ditch of an abandoned canal so you will see some marine traffic and operational locks. One more tip about the Erie, if you go at or after the time of the PTNY tour across the canal you can follow their road markings for the few on-road segments.

Barrettscv 

I recently had the chance to explore the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. Well, I was very impressed with the natural and recreational amenity. Considering that the Park is surrounded by typical suburban sprawl and several interstate highways, the large park provides hundreds of miles of bike friendly roads, tow-paths and MUPs. Not only is the cycling enjoyable, the routes leading away from the valley floor and out of the park provide some challenging climbs.

I was in the area on business, so I had to limit myself to a loop that combined the Summit County bike & hike trail that runs along the eastern border of the Park and the Ohio & Erie Canal Tow Path. Both paths run under a canopy of trees and provide views of forest, meadows and the natural flora and fauna of the area.

Barrettscv 

Barrettscv 

Barrettscv 

You can use the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to provide transport https://www.cvsr.com/

Flog00

We rode the trail last summer also... great time 1st picture, look for the heron... 2nd picture see the deer crossing sign on the bridge

Lake_Tom

I started planning a tour from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Here are the northern segments. The second column is total mileage with mile 0 being my house. You won't be going there, so the data will be useful as relative distances. The "derived" column is distance/day.

There are three primitive campgrounds. $18 or $20 in the national park. The two in Summit Metroparks are free. Google Summit Metroparks. Look for the national park at www.nps.gov

I have ridden all of the trails in segments, except for the new trail from downtown Akron to Clinton. The Cuyahoga National Park trail is the best part. You can make a loop on that end with the "Bike and Hike Trail". Find that trail on maps.google.com

--- 0 daily -- daily-alt
Sat 36--- 36--- 36 CVNP -Stanford House area CG
--- 53--- --- --- Cuyahoga Falls SumMetroparksCG-Sand Run/Big Bend
--- 72--- --- --- New Franklin SumMetroparksCG-Franklin-Clinton
Sun 76 --- --- 40 Canal fulton Clays Park Resort CG(330) 854-6691
--- 92--- 56--- --- Mt Eaton Evergreen Pk RV (330) 359-2787 www.evergreenrv.com
Mon 113--- --- 37 Millersburg M'burg hotel &others
--- 143--- 51--- --Howard, 3mi off trail Caves CG (740) 427-2283
Tue 157--- --- 44 Rustic Knolls Campsites 8664 Keys Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050-9167‎*-*(740) 397-9318‎

I pasted this from excel and it got wild on me

CCrew

Wife and I rode the O&E last year. Day one was rain, and we suffered in the slop, but rest of the days were wonderful. Would *definitely* do it again, and allow more time.

Stark County sections of the trails leave a LOT to be desired, a lot of large ballast rather than fine gravel, so we took a bit of a beating even on the Vaya's with 42's. I was carrying the majority of the load (wife weighs 98lbs) and took two flats as a result both in Stark County.

Great ice cream shop in Canal Fulton. Not a huge # of amenities right at the trail but a lot in close proximity. We stayed at a Hampton in in Masillon, and Independence at the north end, both within riding distance of a trail head.

Just south of Akron is like the crackhead/Meth capital of Ohio, be careful on timing going through there. Becomes a hangout starting late afternoon.

spinnaker

I'm thinking that the O&E is going to be my choice for the Memorial Day weekend. I think the Erie Canal Trail might be for another day when I can give it more time.


A shame the O&E is not a bit longer. I was thinking of riding from my house to make it a bit longer but that might be too long. It is about 3-4 days RT from my house to New Philadelphia alone. That does not leave much time for the trail.



Thanks CCrew for your tip on Akron

You may have just answered my question on camping near Akron at Big Bend

https://www.summitmetroparks.org/Activities/Camping.aspx

I'd have to leave the campsite to go in for something to eat so I am guessing this might not be a good idea?

You wonder why the police don't do something about this. Seems the trail would be a major tourist draw for the area.

spinnaker

Is there a decent road detour around this section? How far is it that it is bad?

Lake_Tom

Big Bend Trailhead and Campground is north of Akron and there is nothing frightful about the area. For that matter, there is nothing wrong with the New Franklin area, either. I suppose that CCrew was talking about a location in the city of Akron. You won't be camping there.

EriktheFish

Probably a good choice as you really should give the Erie Canal Trail a good 6-10 days to really appreciate it. Lots of historical museums and side trips along the way. Recommend this guide:
https://www.ptny.org/bikecanal/

Barrettscv 

I'll be researching this C & O route to be completed this year;

https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/72886166

Lake_Tom

There are a few problems with this post. I have ridden most of the Stark County trail. It is not as bad as you say. There is a section south of Bolivar that has not been restored. It is the original towpath with a few washouts and it is narrow and twisty. For years, bicycles were not even permitted on that trail. A child might crash go off the trail and into the canal. But that section is in Tuscarawas County, not Stark County.

Secondly, none of it is "ballast". Ballast is on railroads; the Ohio and Erie Trail is a towpath.

Further, Akron is a pretty humble town with a population that is descended from the West Virginians that moved here to work in the tire factories. I don't know what you know about the city and its people to make such a demeaning remark. Don't you live 300 miles away?

spinnaker

Thanks Tom. I feel a lot better about camping now.

I assume there are restaurants nearby? Any ones I should not miss?

Lake_Tom

Chrissy Hynde's "Vegiterranean Restaurant" in downtown Akron closed a few months ago. I loved that restaurant.

Oser's Dairy and Deli on Cherry Street in downtown Canal Fulton has great soups (and ice cream, too, of course.) They have a quaint collection of Bicentennial dinner plates.

While you are in Cuyahoga Valley NP, there is not a lot of development, so you will have to watch for it. There is a nice selection of restaurants in Peninsula. There are a number of convenient restaurants in the middle of Cuyahoga Falls.

spinnaker

Yeah I will be camping at Canal Fulton on my way back.

There is camping in Peninsula too correct? In the park? Maybe if Big Bend is full that is an option? Speaking of which does Big Bend campsite get busy on a holiday weekend?

How far is Cuyahoga Falls from that campsite?

Lake_Tom

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Oh...&z=13&lci=bike

It is 10.1 miles from "Big Bend/Sand Run" CG to Peninsula, then another 3.3 miles to the CVNP campground at "Stanford House". I doubt if the Summit Metroparks campgrounds ever fill up, though. They are designed for walk in/bike in use only, so only long distance cycle tourists would use them. I have seen the southern "New Franklin" campsite, we found it by chance while on a day trip. I did not even know there was a campground at Big Bend until I looked it up on the Metroparks' website. I am not sure where the tent pads are. I always associated that trailhead with totally ripped Ohio girls lacing up their shoes for a trail run.

https://www.summitmetroparks.org/Activities/Camping.aspx

The center of Cuyahoga Falls is a mile north of Big Bend CG where Portage Path meets Merriman Road. I just noticed that there is an Otani Restaurant there. It is a Japanese restaurant with a Korean hibachi theme. I like their Tofu dish. Miso soup is excellent. You can dine at a traditional table or at the table where the chef grills your meal in front of you.

The Canal Museum in Boston is worth a visit.

You can use the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to shuttle you from Rockside Road near the north end of the trail back to Akron or even Canton. It is designed for bicycles. I have never used it. https://www.cvsr.com/

Here is the primitive campground at Stanford House, Boston, Ohio: https://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/lodging.htm Stanford House used to be a hostel. It is run by the "conservancy", not the park service. They want $18/night for a site with no showers. They want advanced reservations, but on the conservancy page have a contingency. The sites don't open until May 27. https://www.conservancyforcvnp.org/sp...ing/camp-sites

Lake_Tom

Stark County has one campground on the towpath trail https://www.starkparks.com/camping.asp

It is at "Bridgeport Quarry" south of "Forty Corners Road" https://www.starkparks.com/files/park...DF_4_map12.pdf

It is somewhere on this page. I think the big ponds to the west of the trail are the former quarry. https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll...&z=15&lci=bike

Glynis27

And a good bike shop. Stop by and say "hi".

jobtraklite

I highly recommend the Erie Canal. However, I agree you need more than 4-5 days to do it justice. One advantage is that you can use Amtrak to get to or return to your starting point. Buffalo and Albany, the starting and ending points, as well as Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady, have baggage service.

Trip Report and suggestions

CCrew

They are quite aware of the problem, and we saw foot patrol on both the outgoing and incoming ride. Thing is that the problem is so severe that they simply can't be there all the time.

Big Bend shouldn't be an issue, problem is at Summit Lake primarily We were even warned of it by locals, and I think an older post here even makes references to it. I think it was one of Historian's posts from a year or so ago. . Big Bend was actually a very nice area, we spent time there for lunch.

CCrew

Ballast was used to fix all the washouts last year when the floods hit. Look at my old posts here from our trip from last year. Even the locals commented on how poorly the repairs were made in Stark County. And I didn't demean Akron residents, by the large part our trip was a wonderful one. South Akron we WATCHED drug deals go down. Might want to stop living in a bubble if you think it's a wonderful place. And I live 6 miles from the WV border. Some of the WV folks can be the rudest I've ever met. I think others here who's names I won't mention have met a similar fate.

But where I live is immaterial. I commented on what I observed, and what locals we met and talked to warned us about. And they were correct. So sorry you have a problem with it. I believe that users here should know the WHOLE story, not just have sunshine blown up their behinds.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=Ohio+and+Erie

From a local in that post: "Trail maintenance outside the national park is by county. Stark just has not been committing funds to bring it back to good shape. I agree the large rock surface which has been around since May is pretty poor. I took a spill on that section about 3 weeks ago."

From a linked post by Neil_B: "The trail becomes paved as you enter Akron, rubber capital of the world and crystal meth capital of Ohio. "

Funny, you were in some of those posts and didn't have an issue with it then.

sonatageek

I have ridden through the Akron section of the trail a few times last year. The southern part of the Akron section goes through a so so neighborhood with some public housing. There is a cool section that goes on a lake. I had an interesting conversation with a local who told me that the authorities made it very clear to the folks living around the trail to not hassle anyone. I have never read or heard a story of any cyclist having an issue.

Not sure where Neil_B pulled the 'factoid' that Akron is the '...crystal meth capital of ohio' as I was not able to find a site with a break down of meth arrests/incidents for the state. Not that this DEA map showing 252 clandestine sites for 2011 for the state is something to be excited about.

The point of my rambling, well be careful, but lets not go overboard with the horror.

https://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/m..._maps/2011.jpg