Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail: Beautiful Biking in Cuyahoga County

Mike and I took our first ride on the amazing Towpath trail while passing through Cleveland on a cross country roadtrip from Massachusetts to Chicago. This amazing trail stretches on for 90 miles through Cuyahoga, Stark, Summit, and Tuscarawas Counties in northeast Ohio. The trail follows the old Ohio & Erie Canal so it’s pretty peaceful with nice views of the water. The most scenic section of the path passes through the national park for 20 miles, and thus, we chose to bike a few miles through this woodsy section.

Update: In 2024, we moved to the Cleveland metro. Since relocating, we have been enjoying this bike route and many other gorgeous trails in the national park. We also finally got to enjoy The Explorer Program (formerly the Bike Aboard program) where you get to bike one way, and take the train back. We wanted to do this on our first visit, but didn’t time our ride just right. More details on this in a bit.

One of the state’s best rail trails

This trail is open to walking, biking, and jogging and you can cover a lot of ground as it is one of the longest trails in the state. When fully completed, it will run over 100 miles from Cleveland to New Philadelphia.

We did some research beforehand on things to do in the area. We noticed this bike trail listed under attractions near our hotel. I knew I had seen this path on a list somewhere, so I did a search online and sure enough it was rated as one of the best in the country. Rand McNally spotlighted the path as one of the best in the Midwest, so we figured we couldn’t go wrong. The summer is a great time to enjoy any outdoor recreation as we all know the Midwest can get downright cold and snowy starting in December.

We did not have time to complete a really large section of the path due to time constraints. However, we were able to fit in a decent workout: 15 miles of scenic views along the Cuyahoga County portion of the trail. The path was desolate, scenic, and flat: the perfect riding conditions!

I loved the tree-lined views for most of the path – it’s so much more motivating to workout when you are surrounded by serene nature. Also, there are a number of scenic bridges along the way to keep things interesting.

A beautiful easy ride

Mike and I have completed numerous bike paths throughout almost every area of the country. We really enjoyed the scenery on this path. This trail was, unexpectedly, one of the nicest we have come across in recent years. I wasn’t expecting too much in terms of scenery considering the location in Ohio, however, I was pleasantly surprised. I imagine this path would be beautiful during the fall months, with all the leaves changing color.

The weather was absolutely perfect – overcast, upper 60s, and drizzling. I love biking on cloudy days as I can skip both the sunblock and sunglasses! The cooler, damp weather also leads to less dehydration and dry eyes. As a contact lens wearer, I appreciate a bit of humidity to keep my eyes from drying out. As an added bonus, my pictures also tend to come out better with the cloudy skies.

Luckily, we finished the path (in about an hour and a half) just in time before a major rainstorm hit the area. Light rain is great, however, a huge thunderstorm is not so good! After our ride, we relaxed and soothed our muscles in the hot tub at our hotel.

One of the best aspects of this path was the ease of the trail. Besides a few minor hills, the majority of the trail was relatively flat. We had the entire path to ourselves and we only passed a handful of people the entire way. I can’t stand overly crowded bike paths where you spend more time swerving out of the way rather than enjoying the ride. This ride allowed us to enjoy nature and the quiet, which is ideal for any bike riding trip.

We definitely want to plan a longer trip to complete the entire path in the future. Next time, we will probably book a hotel closer to the start of the path. Our hotel was located about 15 miles a way, which was a bit of a hassle to get to with the rush hour traffic. There is a La Quinta less than a mile from a trailhead, which would mean a quick bike ride over as opposed to driving through traffic and parking.

A hidden gem national park

Although the bike trail passes through the national park for about 20 miles, I recommend visiting the national park on another day to fully experience it. It is one of the only free national parks in the country. In 2010, Outdoor Photographer magazine rated this park as one of the Top 25 places in the world for nature photography. If we had more time, we definitely would have hiked to Brandywine, one of the tallest waterfalls in the Midwest.

Update: In 2024, Mike and I moved to the Cleveland metro and we have been exploring a lot of the park’s trails. We love hiking to Brandywine Falls in both the summer and fall season. You can hike a 1.5 mile trail or opt for a short walk along a boardwalk trail. It’s nice that there are options for everyone. The trail and overlook both begin at the Brandywine Falls trailhead, located at: 8176 Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills.

We also love the Blue Hen trail, which I consider the hidden gem of the park. This one is often overpassed by tourists. The hike is much steeper (there are a number of staircases ) than Brandywine but really beautiful and secluded. Definitely check it out if you are up for a challenge. This trail begins at the Boston Mill Visitor Center, located at: 6947 Riverview Rd. in Peninsula.

Before your hike, I recommend enjoying a pick me up at this cute little local cafe called Peninsula Coffee House. It’s a gorgeous little coffeehouse with a patio facing the woods. In the summer and fall, I like to relax with a cup of joe here before my ride. The pastries are just so-so at best, but the coffee is decent enough to warrant a visit and it’s just a quick drive away from the park.

The Explorer (Bike Aboard!) Program

Update: This was one of the top activities we were looking forward to after moving here. Enjoy some pics and details from our experience in summer of 2024.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic train ride is a popular attraction with tourists looking to explore the park in a more relaxing way. They offer a really cool perk called the Explorer Program. Basically, you can bike your preferred distance and then take a scenic train ride back on the return route. By biking, you get the scenic train ride for only $5, whereas the normal price starts at $18. Runners and hikers also receive a discounted ticket.

Your bike will be loaded onto the train for your convenience. You will be able to flag down the train at any of the boarding stations, so don’t feel like you have to complete the entire 20 mile section. You can take the train back at any of the stations. This is a fantastic deal, especially if you enjoy biking. You can get in a great workout and actually get rewarded with a cheaper train ticket!

We started our ride at the Boston Mill Visitor. The parking lot is huge and there is no fee. I just recommend getting here early as it fills up quite fast after mid morning. We biked about 6 miles down to the Indigo Lake station.

A few views during our recent summer ride

We had to wait about a half hour for the train which wasn’t too bad considering we did not check the schedule beforehand. The trains are not very frequent, so I highly recommend checking the route before you set out. Overall, it was a great experience. The views of Indigo Lake while waiting for the train gave us something to look at to pass the time.

It was nice to sit back on the train for our ride back to the visitor center. The seats weren’t overly comfortable, but we were happy to take a break after a few hours of riding. While the views were just average, this is a fun program. I would love to come back for some half marathon training or maybe enjoy a leaf peeping ride next autumn.

Learn more about this program on the train’s website. You will find a map of stations as well as boarding times. Note that this program only runs from early May – the end of October.

Additional Details

Parking information: Several free large lots are located near the start of the trail. On our first ride, we parked at the Rockside Station lot located at 7900 Rockside Road in the town of Independence. The Boston Mill Visitor Center is another great place to start. There are restrooms, exhibits about the park, trail maps, and helpful staff here to answer any questions.

Bike rental information: Century Cycles in Peninsula rents bicycles at their national park store at the rate of $12 per hour (helmets included). Electric bike rentals also available for an extra fee. Of course, if you are living in the region or roadtripping, bringing your own bike is the best value. Update: Eddy’s Bike Shop has replaced Century.

Tips for a great ride

Bring with enough water. I usually put a bottle in my bike holder and also carry 2 additional in a small backpack. A camelbak is even better as you have easy access to at least a liter. Don’t forget a few small snacks as well. I like to carry a bag or 2 of Karr’s trail mix.

Check the operating schedule for the train ride. If you plan on taking the scenic ride back, be aware of the limited dates and hours. Check the full scenic train schedule for departure times.

Plan your mileage based on your fitness level. Decide in advance how much mileage you intend to complete so you can judge how much food/water to carry with you. Check out the mileage map to create your itinerary.

Check for special alerts before scheduling a ride. You want to make sure that all sections of the path are open.