I ride sections of this trail around the Akron area frequently. The Towpath is managed by several jurisdictions: the National Park Service, Summit Parks and the City of Akron. Most of the web-based maps are out of date. Here’s the trail status as I know it as of April 6, 2010.

1. South of Akron, the Towpath starts at Snyder Avenue in southern Barberton. The section just to the south, between Center Road and Snyder Avenue has not been built.

2. You can cycle north from Snyder into the southern edge of Downtown Akron via a dedicated trail with minimal road crossings. Summit Parks shows the section between Manchester Road and Summit Lake as being incomplete. It is indeed complete as of last summer and is in excellent condition. There is a nice new trailhead with restrooms at Wilbeth Road.

3. The dedicated trail ends at Bartges Street heading north. Follow the signs 1 block east on Bartges Street and make a left into the former BF Goodrich factory parking lot, now known as Canal Place. You cycle through the passageway adjacent to the tall factory smokestacks. The trail picks up again behind the Spaghetti Warehouse. It’s probably only 1,000 feet of parking lot to navigate.

4. The trail is asphalt paved as it passes north past Canal Park and Lock 2. The dedicated trail ends at State Street behind the stadium. There is a project underway to extend this section to Lock 3 Park across the street.

5. Today, you must ride city streets for about 4 blocks north. Follow Water Street across State Street from the current trail end for a block. It ends at Bowery Street. Continue north on Bowery for 2 blocks to Quaker Street. Turn left onto Quaker Street and follow it to Ash Street behind Cascade Plaza. The trail resumes with a bridge over the Innerbelt.

6. From the Innerbelt bridge, you can cycle the remainder of the trail north through Summit County with few road crossings.

I hope this helps people navigating through Akron. I understand that grant money has been received or construction projects are underway to fill in these last three gaps in the trail.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath extends north to Cleveland from Rockside Rd. in Independence and switches from crushed stone at that point to a paved trail where the trail becomes part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. There is some surprising scenery on this 6 mile extension which winds through a reclaimed industrial area along the Cuyahoga River and includes 2 nice bridges over busy city streets, waterways, birds, fishing, etc. The trail ends near mile marker 5 which corresponds to the same milestones set on the Towpath. You can venture west then north beyond the trail head parking lot for lunch or shopping at Steelyard Commons and for the very adventurous, you can ride through Tremont and/or Ohio City and link up with the Cleveland Lakefront Shoreway Bikeway.

I have biked this path several times although I've not gotten as far as the end. That's my goal this year! I love the scenery and as for a lot of people on the path, if you go in the mornings, it's not as crowded. The scenery is fantastic and right around the Brecksville area there is a bald eagle's nest with an eaglet and mom and dad. You can sometimes see them soaring above you on the path. Awsome site! Enjoy!