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Officials to consider adding connections, rebuilding bridle paths
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Jun 14, 2009
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is taking a fresh look at its trails.
Issues to be studied include possible new trails in the park, connections from surrounding communities to the popular Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the need to rebuild the bridle trails in northern Summit County and the possibility of allowing mountain biking.
''We have to adapt to the changing landscape around the park,'' said park ecologist Kevin Skerl, head of the project that is just getting under way.
The 33,000-acre federal park between Akron and Cleveland last prepared a master plan for its trails in 1985, and a lot has changed in the last 24 years, he said.
There will be public meetings and time for public comment later this year, then Skerl will kick off an environmental impact study, a long, formal, detailed and costly federal process.
A formal notice to begin that process probably will be published in the Federal Register in the next few months, he said. The environmental study is expected to take at least two years.
The park will be working with Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, and ClevelandMetroparks on the project. Also assisting will be the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails & Conservation Program, which has an office in the Cuyahoga Valley park.
The Cuyahoga Valley trail plan from 1985 is definitely in need of updating, Skerl said.
Not all the trails outlined in that 149-page document were completed, and some of the not-yet-built trails might still be desirable, he said.
The park also must look at the flood-damaged bridle trails off Wetmore Road in Boston Township, he said. The park has been trying to determine whether those trails can be rebuilt or whether a major and costly overhaul is needed.
Building connector trails between the Towpath Trail and surrounding communities is tricky because of federal rules involved in such projects, he said.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is taking a fresh look at its trails.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 08:23 AM, 06/14/2009
I support any non-motorized trails. Motorized wheelchairs not included. Also, if mountain-biking trails are put in, I would recommend they be "Mountain-bike Only" trails to avoid hikers from being run-down. Anything that gives us more access to the whole park without damaging the surrounding environment, IMO!
CVNP Rocks!
:0)
Akron, OH
Posted 11:07 AM, 06/14/2009
This could be a wonderful thing for the Akron economy. We boast the second most visited national park system in the nation, and adding mountain biking to this unbelievable terrain could bring hundreds or thousands more visitors each year. There was a study done comparing Cleveland & Pittsburg and how much they spend on park upkeep. The results are startling, and can be seen here:
http://www.camba.us/pn/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1576
Mountain bikers maintain their own trails, and are far more active at this than your typical Metro-Park hiker. Akron could add a host of volunteer upkeep with minimal, if any, downside.
Avid mountain bikers will want rougher terrain than your typical hiker, so collisions won't be a problem like they are on the tow-path and bike & hike trails.
Posted 04:56 PM, 06/14/2009
How do you know it's the second most visited park in the US. I bet most of those people are just driving to get to the other side of the valley. Yellowstone and Yosemite have more people visiting them every year, That's why they close them down to visiters when they get too full.
Posted 09:49 PM, 07/22/2009
It would be nice if the trails were rated as easy, moderate and difficult. Also it would be nice to mark the recommended trails for people with wheelchairs or strollers. If there is to much of a grade on the hill, the electric motor on most wheel chairs is just not strong enough to make it.
