This southern section of the Towpath is not as pretty as some… but it sure is interesting.

We were away from interstate traffic then.

A relief.

About two miles of busy roads with traffic lights, convenience stores and even a brewery later we were at a parking lot serving the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath.

As we pulled in, a guy in cycling clothing rode by on a serious road bike. Some less serious guys pulled up on bikes that also had skinny tires. That was surprising.

Because the trail is gravel.

More specifically hard-packed stone dust. Crushed limestone maybe. It’s whiter than the rail trails in my home state of Virginia — but obviously carries skinny tires just fine. Not that it mattered, because Mary and I had brought our gravel bikes, anxious to ride after a winter of training mostly indoors.

We were in the wrong place.

Even though we had the right bikes, and were more than ready to ride after 6 hours in the car, this would not have been our first choice of destinations.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a choice.

It was ride now or bag it.

Our goal had been to ride somewhere near Cleveland, where I was headed for a doctor’s appointment the next day. Google searches returned all kinds of hits for the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath.

I have sarcoidosis which has curtailed my riding for several years. Click here to read about cycling with sarcoidosis.

We planned to find a selection along the 87-mile route and ride it before checking into our hotel near the Cleveland Clinic. Alas, we left home a bit later than planned and we were running out of daylight.

So we got off the interstate at an exit just south of Akron and let our phone guide us to the parking lot.

Yes, there was a trail and a canal, but it wasn’t exactly pretty.

To be fair the skies were gray and spring had not quite sprung as it had back in Virginia. There was no green to be found.

Add to that temps in the low 50’s and a bit of a breeze, along with the waning daylight and the place wasn’t exactly dressed in its Sunday best.

Riding Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath

We unloaded the gravel bikes, Mary’s a carbon fiber Trek Checkpoint, and mine, an aluminum Fuji Jari — and we set off to the south with the canal on our right.

We were just south of Akron and north of Barberton.

The trail stayed hard-packed and the bikes went along great. I felt sorry for people riding it on their road bikes. Obviously, it worked, but the gravel bikes felt like a better fit and I would not have wanted all that crud on my road machine.

This was not the scenery I typically associate with rail trails. (I know — this is a towpath) The first mile or so featured working-class homes side-by-side and backed up to the canal, so we were seeing their back yards.

There was the occasional old rowboat on the bank and maybe a canoe, but they looked seldom-used. Mostly the riverbank backed up to an assortment of sheds and outbuildings used to store things like lawnmowers and other excess that wouldn’t fit in the garage. Typical backyard stuff, but not exactly nature.

Not what I was expecting.

This section of Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath showed a bit of rustbelt heritage.

A bit further down the towpath, we passed an isolated railcar covered in graffiti.

Then there was a mix of newish light industrial steel buildings and a couple of empty shells of older factories with broken windows and no apparent future.

I say all of this based upon nothing but observations from the seat of the bike.

I should also point out that we were having a great ride.

Once acclimated to the surroundings, we realized how interesting the trail was. There was something new to look at every few hundred yards.

I also realized that the Towpath is important to the surrounding communities. The bridges were in great shape. We passed numerous parking lots with restroom facilities. (Though the one we attempted to use was locked. But in early March we were pushing the season.) Kiosks included Towpath information and maps. There was ample parking, suggesting heavy use during warmer weather.

Nature along the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath

As I rode along the canal I started looking for ripples on the water. The canal was still, so ripples meant ducks.

And there were lots of them.

One flock pitched in right in front of us, but mostly it was pairs of mallards along with a few Canada geese. On the way back a blue heron lept from the bank and flew down the canal, showing off its four-foot wingspan.

As I often do when riding beside water, I was looking for spots I would fish if I were there on a different day. There was lots of cover beside downed trees where I would have expected bass to be hiding. All of the water looked like it would hold panfish like bluegills and sunfish.

I always think I will ride my bike while carrying a flyrod in my pack so I can combine two of my passions, but mostly I don’t follow up.

In my mind, I’ve caught many fish in these places.

Terrain changes on the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath

As we rode south the path changed in places from gravel to pavement. Although I like gravel, the pavement was a nice break.

In one section we had to climb a short hill with maybe a 7-percent grade. Just another variation that kept the trail interesting.

Honestly, after such a flat ride, the hill was an unexpected joy.

We rode only as far as daylight would allow — and turned back toward the car. In all, we rode 16 miles.

Not a bad way to interrupt a 7-hour drive to a major city.

To a doctor’s appointment.

Would I return to the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath?

Mary is the “no” camp. But I’m not so sure.

It all comes down to expectations — and ours had always been oriented toward nature.

And although I dreamed of fishing and watched the ducks, this section of trail was more inhabited by homes, businesses, and industry than say my beloved New River Trail.

And upon further review of the internet, now that I’m home practicing social distancing due to the caronavirus outbreak, I’m finding that I want to go back.

I want to ride the entire 87-mile distance.

I’d like to try using the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which allows cyclists to board and ride back to their cars.

I’d like to see some of the other scenery along the trail — and do it during warmer months when it would be fully dressed.

I expect that having seen only 8 miles of trail on a dreary day in early March wasn’t enough to pass judgment.

And like I said, we had a great ride.

Want to see some of my other trail rides? Click here for some of the places I’ve ridden