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Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
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By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 06:52 p.m. EDT, May 09, 2008
The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail has it.
The popular hike-and-bike trail wiggles around big trees, pops in and out of places, fits into its surroundings, offers pleasant sight lines and provides a pleasant sound and a slower pace from the crushed limestone.
More than $65 million has been pumped into creating the still-growing trail that will stretch 101 miles from Cleveland through Akron to New Philadelphia when it is completed.
It annually gets more than 2.1 million walkers, joggers, bicyclists and families on outings. It has turned the Akron area into a trail town, an outdoor destination.
Everyone wants a piece of the Towpath action and excitement. Connector trails that will stretch from surrounding communities and tie into the Towpath Trail are in the works.
The initial Towpath Trail opened in 1993 with the dedication of a 19.7-mile section in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Akron and Cleveland. That leg cost $8 million. Today it gets an estimated 1.6 million visitors a year.
It has grown north to Cleveland and south to Akron, through southern Summit County, across 25 miles of Stark County and into northern Tuscarawas County.
But even the experts disagree about what makes the 78-mile trail so magical, so appealing.
''It's like ice cream -- it's just so delicious and you can never get too much,'' said Elaine Marsh of Bath Township, head of Ohio Greenways, a statewide trails and green space advocacy group.
''It just has everything a quality trail should have. It's near urban centers, it's got a river and a canal, there are historical sights, there are forests and wetlands and a lot of beautiful spots.''
Accessibility is the trail's key feature, said David Whited, chief planner with Metro Parks, Serving Summit County. ''The Towpath Trail is where the people are. They can get to it readily,'' he said.
Its surprising scenery and the fact that people feel safe on the Towpath Trail add to its popularity, as does the fact that trail users can go as far as they want, he said.
The Towpath Trail's appeal lies in the fact that it connects communities in Northeast Ohio, said Rory Robinson of the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.
The Towpath Trail has ''created a community of trail users. . .and that's what makes it so special,'' said Dan Rice of the Akron-based Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, a grass-roots group that advocates for the Towpath Trail and the federally designated canalway.
Work is continuing on three Towpath Trail sections in Summit County.
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, should complete a 0.6-mile section from Manchester Road (state Route 93) to U.S. 224 in southwest Akron by midsummer, Whited said.
That will complete the trail from West Waterloo Road in Akron south and west to Snyder Avenue in Barberton, he said.
The park district also is working on a 1.25-mile section from Vanderhoof Road to Eastern Road in New Franklin. That should be completed this month, he said.
The last section to be built by Metro parks is the 1-mile section from Eastern Road to Snyder Avenue. Negotiations over an easement with a railroad are continuing. That section could be completed in 2010.
Akron is working on a bridge over the Innerbelt to get bicyclists into downtown Akron.
That bridge, a key link on the trail, is to be completed by August, said Akron spokesman Mike Teodecki. That trail section, costing $2.75 million, includes a 275-foot bridge.
In addition, the city has rebid work on extending the trail south from Summit Lake to Wilbeth Road and hopes to get that construction started this summer, along with the section from Wilbeth to West Waterloo Road. The first project includes a floating section on the southern end of Summit Lake.
The final Akron leg is from West Bartges to West Thornton Street. That work will begin in 2009.
The trail in Akron should be completed in 2010.
At the northern end, six miles of the trail must be built through Cleveland's industrial Flats area.
That project calls for the northern terminus at Canal Basin Park near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Building the trail and the new park could cost more than $55 million.
One of the newest ways to experience the Towpath Trail between Akron and Independence is to take a train ride.
For the second year, bicyclists can put their bikes aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for a bicycle-train outing.
You can pedal your bike along the Towpath Trail, board the train and ride the train back to where you began. Or you can take the train into the park, get off, hop on your bike and pedal back to the starting point. Bikes are transported in baggage cars.
The fare to ride the train with your bike is hard to beat: $2.
Bike Aboard! is being offered on weekends in May and September. During June, July, August and October, the service will be available Wednesday through Sunday.
The railroad is expecting as many as 13,000 riders in 2008.
The program drew about 6,500 bicyclists, mostly families with children, last year, when it was offered as a pilot project from June to October.
The service is available from Akron's Northside Station, Independence (the railroad's northern terminus) or at designated stops along the rail route.
Bicyclists get a seat in the passenger car if space is available, or they might have to stand.
Bike Aboard! tickets are available from the railroad's Peninsula office and will be mailed out. Tickets also are available at the Akron Northside and Rockside stations, the Peninsula Depot and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association store in Boston Township. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.
Train conductors at the eight boarding stations will accept only cash.
For information, call 800-468-4070 or visit http://www.cvsr.com.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail has it.
The popular hike-and-bike trail wiggles around big trees, pops in and out of places, fits into its surroundings, offers pleasant sight lines and provides a pleasant sound and a slower pace from the crushed limestone.
More than $65 million has been pumped into creating the still-growing trail that will stretch 101 miles from Cleveland through Akron to New Philadelphia when it is completed.
It annually gets more than 2.1 million walkers, joggers, bicyclists and families on outings. It has turned the Akron area into a trail town, an outdoor destination.
Everyone wants a piece of the Towpath action and excitement. Connector trails that will stretch from surrounding communities and tie into the Towpath Trail are in the works.
The initial Towpath Trail opened in 1993 with the dedication of a 19.7-mile section in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Akron and Cleveland. That leg cost $8 million. Today it gets an estimated 1.6 million visitors a year.
It has grown north to Cleveland and south to Akron, through southern Summit County, across 25 miles of Stark County and into northern Tuscarawas County.
But even the experts disagree about what makes the 78-mile trail so magical, so appealing.
''It's like ice cream -- it's just so delicious and you can never get too much,'' said Elaine Marsh of Bath Township, head of Ohio Greenways, a statewide trails and green space advocacy group.
''It just has everything a quality trail should have. It's near urban centers, it's got a river and a canal, there are historical sights, there are forests and wetlands and a lot of beautiful spots.''
Accessibility is the trail's key feature, said David Whited, chief planner with Metro Parks, Serving Summit County. ''The Towpath Trail is where the people are. They can get to it readily,'' he said.
Its surprising scenery and the fact that people feel safe on the Towpath Trail add to its popularity, as does the fact that trail users can go as far as they want, he said.
The Towpath Trail's appeal lies in the fact that it connects communities in Northeast Ohio, said Rory Robinson of the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.
The Towpath Trail has ''created a community of trail users. . .and that's what makes it so special,'' said Dan Rice of the Akron-based Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, a grass-roots group that advocates for the Towpath Trail and the federally designated canalway.
Work is continuing on three Towpath Trail sections in Summit County.
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, should complete a 0.6-mile section from Manchester Road (state Route 93) to U.S. 224 in southwest Akron by midsummer, Whited said.
That will complete the trail from West Waterloo Road in Akron south and west to Snyder Avenue in Barberton, he said.
The park district also is working on a 1.25-mile section from Vanderhoof Road to Eastern Road in New Franklin. That should be completed this month, he said.
The last section to be built by Metro parks is the 1-mile section from Eastern Road to Snyder Avenue. Negotiations over an easement with a railroad are continuing. That section could be completed in 2010.
Akron is working on a bridge over the Innerbelt to get bicyclists into downtown Akron.
That bridge, a key link on the trail, is to be completed by August, said Akron spokesman Mike Teodecki. That trail section, costing $2.75 million, includes a 275-foot bridge.
In addition, the city has rebid work on extending the trail south from Summit Lake to Wilbeth Road and hopes to get that construction started this summer, along with the section from Wilbeth to West Waterloo Road. The first project includes a floating section on the southern end of Summit Lake.
The final Akron leg is from West Bartges to West Thornton Street. That work will begin in 2009.
The trail in Akron should be completed in 2010.
At the northern end, six miles of the trail must be built through Cleveland's industrial Flats area.
That project calls for the northern terminus at Canal Basin Park near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Building the trail and the new park could cost more than $55 million.
One of the newest ways to experience the Towpath Trail between Akron and Independence is to take a train ride.
For the second year, bicyclists can put their bikes aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad for a bicycle-train outing.
You can pedal your bike along the Towpath Trail, board the train and ride the train back to where you began. Or you can take the train into the park, get off, hop on your bike and pedal back to the starting point. Bikes are transported in baggage cars.
The fare to ride the train with your bike is hard to beat: $2.
Bike Aboard! is being offered on weekends in May and September. During June, July, August and October, the service will be available Wednesday through Sunday.
The railroad is expecting as many as 13,000 riders in 2008.
The program drew about 6,500 bicyclists, mostly families with children, last year, when it was offered as a pilot project from June to October.
The service is available from Akron's Northside Station, Independence (the railroad's northern terminus) or at designated stops along the rail route.
Bicyclists get a seat in the passenger car if space is available, or they might have to stand.
Bike Aboard! tickets are available from the railroad's Peninsula office and will be mailed out. Tickets also are available at the Akron Northside and Rockside stations, the Peninsula Depot and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association store in Boston Township. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.
Train conductors at the eight boarding stations will accept only cash.
For information, call 800-468-4070 or visit http://www.cvsr.com.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
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