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UPCOMING EVENTS | CIRCUIT HIKE |
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Distance: 8 miles
Walking time: 3-1/2 hours
Description: Although noisy at the beginning and end from nearby interstate traffic, this long walk is well worth the effort. You will climb up and down hills, hike through a cool pine forest, and cross the valley of Boston Run on the first part of the hike. At mid-point you will have an opportunity to visit the historic town of Peninsula and new Lock 29 Trailhead. The return section of the hike goes along the flat canal Towpath Trail with views of the Cuyahoga River and wildlife along the way.
Directions: From I-77 (south) take Miller Rd. east to SR 21. Follow SR 21 south to Snowville Rd., and Snowville Rd. east to Riverview Rd. Follow Riverview Rd. south to Boston Mills Ski Resort. Turn east on Boston Mills Rd., crossing the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad tracks and the Cuyahoga River bridge past the old town of Boston Mills. The Boston Trailhead parking area is on the right at the trailhead sign.
From Akron take I-77 north to I-271 northeast (toward Erie, PA). Exit from I-271 at SR 303 east, and continue east to Riverview Rd., just before the town of Peninsula. Follow Riverview Rd. north to Boston Mills Rd., then follow the directions above.
Parking & restrooms: At Boston Trailhead and Lock 29 Trailhead.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA) preserves a 22-mile green space between Cleveland and Akron, and its visitor centers contain a repository of the early history of the Western Reserve of Connecticut. The old town of Boston Mills was once a thriving community of boatyards, shops, a tavern, and a hotel that almost disappeared in a great flood in 1913.
The 1836 Boston Store alongside the canal on Boston Mills Rd., just west of the Boston Trailhead parking lot, has been the site of an archeological dig recently. Artifacts have been recovered from this site that, beginning in 1827, served canal boats plying up and down the Ohio & Erie Canal. A small museum depicting 19th-century canal life and boat building is planned for this old store.
On this hike you will visit the old towns of Boston Mills and
Peninsula, enjoy walking in deep woods on the Buckeye Trail, see
remnants of locks on the old Ohio & Erie Canal, and view the
scenic Cuyahoga River on the Canal Towpath Trail.
1. Begin on the blue-blazed Buckeye Trail (BT) at the
Boston Trailhead going south, keeping the Cuyahoga River on the
right. (Use CAUTION on this wide gravel path; it is also used by
fast-traveling bicyclists.) Pass under the twin highway bridges
of I-271.
2. Just past the bridges, turn left (east) on the Buckeye Trail. (The Towpath Trail continues straight ahead.) Cross the field and watch for a left turn of the BT going uphill, avoiding the marshy track straight ahead and a right turn. The trail climbs upward through a mixed forest.
3. At about 1 mile reach the grassy area next to I-271, cross a drainage culvert and climb a set of log steps. After a short stretch of more woods hiking, reach Boston Mills Rd.
4. Cross Boston Mills Rd. and, after walking 0.1 mile south along the left side of the road, watch for the double blue tree blaze where the Buckeye Trail enters the woods again (on the left). Continue walking along a ravine, staying on the main trail and avoiding the right turnoff.
5. At about 1.5 miles reach Boston Mills Rd. again. Cross the bridge overpass (over I-80, the Ohio Turnpike) and watch for the blue blaze of the Buckeye Trail on the right at the end of the bridge. Here enter a white pine forest. The trees were planted neatly in straight rows by Girl Scouts many years ago. Far over to the right is a land depression that remained after construction of the I-80 highway bridge.
6. Follow the Buckeye Trail as it curves gently through towering oak trees, past ravines and gullies, on this generally flat trail. Cross a small creek and a clearing just before reaching Akron-Peninsula Rd. (3 miles).
7. Turn left (east) on A-P Rd. and walk along it about 0.3 mile until the Buckeye Trail turns off on the right (south) and enters the woods.
8. Reach the wide stream of Boston Run flowing west into the Cuyahoga River. Cross the brook on stones (if the water is low) or on the log lying across the stream (if the water is high). This is a lovely river valley with many springtime wildflowers. Descend some log steps and cross a small side creek, still following the blue blazes.
9. At a trail intersection under the power line, bear
left and soon reach Pine Lane Trailhead at SR 303 (4 miles).
Exit from the trailhead to the old, brick-paved road on the
right, the former Rte. 303.
10. Follow Buckeye Trail signs westward to the town of
Peninsula.
Peninsula was a busy Ohio & Erie Canal town from the 1820s
onward --larger than Cleveland-- with many homes, mills, hotels,
and a boat-building company. When the railroad was built in 1880,
Peninsula's importance as a commercial center diminished, as did
its population. The town got its name because it once was a
peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Cuyahoga River, which
originally curled back upon itself. Peninsula is listed as an
historic district on the National Register of Historic Places,
and is a favorite destination of arts and crafts shoppers.
11. No longer following the Buckeye Trail, turn right (north) through the restaurant parking lot and pass the train depot of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. (The CVSR offers scenic rides all year long through the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, from Independence to Hale Farm and Village and to Quaker Square in Akron. For ticket information and schedules call 800-468-4070. Information is also available at the CVSR office in Peninsula, 1664 West Main St., Peninsula 44264.)
Ahead on the left, cross the tracks to the Lock 29 Trailhead and the Canal Towpath Trail. The spectacular Cuyahoga River waterfall on the left is a favorite photo spot. Here the old Ohio & Erie Canal switches from the west side of the river to the east side. An exhibit describing the canal and lock system is shown on signs. It is also well worth the climb up the steps to view the interior of Lock 29.
12. Take the gravel Canal Towpath Trail to the right (north). There are fast-moving bicyclists on this trail much of the time; hikers usually keep to the right. The path follows the winding river on the left and the old watered canal on the right. Boston Run stream enters the Cuyahoga River near this point.
13. Pass another old lock on the right (Lock 30). Here also is the foundation of the old Petrie House. (For more information about the Ohio & Erie Canal, and to see a restored working lock, visit the Canal Visitor Center at 7104 Canal Rd. [south of Rockside Rd.] Valley View, OH 44147; 216-524-1497.)
14. Continue past a railing overlooking the scenic Cuyahoga River and through a tunnel under the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (6.3 miles). Interpretive signs are posted along the way.
15. Pass another old lock on the right and enter a long boardwalk over pretty marshland and open water. This scenic bird-watching spot, where canal boats used to turn around, is called Stumpy's Basin. I-80 is to the right (northeast).
16. Continue ahead. Pass under the I-80 bridge and
rejoin the Buckeye Trail at the turn described in Note #2.
Continue under the twin bridges of I-271 and return to the Boston
Trailhead and parking area.
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From Beyond Cleveland On Foot, (c) 1996 by
Patience Cameron. Reprinted with permission of Gray & Company,
Publishers. Beyond Cleveland On Foot offers a wide variety of walks and hikes tested and enjoyed by local enthusiasts. Find the hikes you'll enjoy by reading about places before you set out. Then, use this guide to get there and back without getting lost-and learn a little more about northeast Ohio along the way! Like this hike? Beyond Cleveland On Foot, by
BTA member Pat Cameron offers 57 hikes in Ohio's
Northeast, many utilizing the Buckeye Trail. You
may purchase a copy from the BTA On-Line Store. |
To receive more information about the Buckeye Trail, use the information request form or E-Mail to info@buckeyetrail.org.