Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Part II - The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is 101 miles long, 19 of which are in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We biked an extremely scenic section from the Boston Store to the Frazee House, 15½ miles round trip. 

Highlights were the old locks, the Northfield High Level Bridge, the Station Road Bridge, fall foliage, the Cuyahoga river, and Beaver Marsh. 

We would have done a one-way ride, but unfortunately, Bike Aboard, which lets you bike as far as you want on the towpath and take the train back, is not in service until it recovers from Covid.

Old lock

 Interior of a lock

Cuyahoga River

The sun actually came out for a few minutes

Station Road Bridge

Old Brecksville Station

Northfield High Level Bridge

One of the many bridges on the towpath

Some of the locals
  

Former Cleveland-Akron Bag Company Building 

Beaver in the Beaver Marsh. Full disclosure - we didn't bike this part of the towpath, but parked at the nearest trail head and walked over. Didn't see the any of the river otters 😧

Top 10 Little Known Facts about Cuyahoga Valley National Park

1. It’s in Ohio, between Cleveland and Akron

2. Cuyahoga means “Crooked River” in the language of the Native Americans who used to live here

3. The Cuyahoga River was one of those infamous rivers that were so polluted by the dumping of industrial chemicals and sewage that they frequently caught fire 

4. The Cuyahoga River fire of 1969, also called the Lake Erie Fire, was written up in Time Magazine, had a song written about it, Randy Newman's "Burn On", and became a catalyst for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (1970) and the federal Clean Water Act (1972).  

5. By 1989, the Cuyahoga River was not quite pristine, but it was fireproof, at least according to the New York Times  

6. Cuyahoga Valley was designated as a National Recreation Area in 1974, and became a national park in 2000 

7. The river is now much healthier, as indicated by the fish and wildlife. Researchers use electrofishing to determine the numbers and kinds of fish in the river. Not to worry, when performed correctly, electrofishing results in no permanent harm to fish

8. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is no Yellowstone, but we are very much enjoying our visit

9. It does not always rain in the park, just when we are here. Thank you, Hurricane Zêta!  What’s with Z following E anyway? It’s all Greek to me. 

10. The Little Tykes Headquarters is a few miles from the Park. We passed it several times driving around the area. Sadly, they are not giving tours.

                  

Blue Hen Falls 

I trade my hiking poles for an umbrella

Brandywine Falls 

On the Road Again

Last year, we arrived home from our fall/winter trip on the 3rd of March, after 4 months, 6,105 miles, the feeling that our neighborhood would look a lot better with the addition of some palm trees, and great plans for a trip over the coming spring and summer. Two weeks later, we were afraid to leave the house.  

Last year, we left on our fall/winter trip with great excitement and ambition: to possibly get as far as Key West, see and do as much as possible: hike, bike, canoe, kayak; visit museums, local attractions, botanical gardens, state and national parks, and Jewish communities along the way, 

This year, we have two goals: 

1. To get out of the house,

 and, 

2. Not to catch Covid.  

We left yesterday, and are currently in the wilds of Ohio, at West Branch State Park.