I forgot to do the star rating when I submitted my review. I give it 5 bright gold stars! This is a great trail.

In October 2011, we caught the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's first Saturday morning departure at Rockside Road Station. Bikes are welcome, and handled smoothly, and the fare for bikers is not just reasonable, but almost ridiculously low! We rode the train all the way to Akron. From the train station in Akron to the trail is just a very few blocks of on road riding. Traffic in Akron, early Saturday morning, is pretty sparse. About 5 miles north of Akron, the trail runs through a section of suburban strip mall, where we found a small cafe and had quite well made omelets for lunch. The ride from Akron back to Rockside Station is 27 miles. It is a very nice ride. The trail surface is mostly packed crushed stone. A few sections are asphalt paved. It is in very good condition. We only encountered a couple of brief, mildly muddy sections. Generally it is a smooth ride and you can ignore the surface condition. We ride 700x35 and 26x1.5 tires and had no surface related difficulties. The trail runs through varied scenery. A boardwalk runs over several hundred yards of scenic wetland. Szalay's farm market was in full swing, and makes an entertaining break. At the north end, a short on road ride connects the trailhead to the CVSRR Rockside Road Station. Print maps of both ends of the trail, because the on road routes are not marked, and do have a couple of turns, though they are also neither long nor difficult. If you find that you can't do the whole 27 miles, just make sure you have the CVSRR schedule. If you stand, with your bike, on a station platform and wave your hands over your head as the engine approaches, the train will stop and you can finish your trip the lazy way for just a few bucks more. This is a great ride and I highly recommend it. Invite your friends. Make it a Boy or Girl Scout or Church group outing. You can't go wrong with this one.

The Ohio & Erie Canal--Cuyahoga Valley NRA or Towpath as we refer to it is one of my favorite places to ride bicycle in Northeast Ohio. It provides a moderate ride with a lot of exposure to wildlife, different biomes and freedom from fighting automobile traffic. I provides a combination of history, environment, social, and cultural settings.

The trail is hard packed and in bad weather not a pleasant place to ride. Unless you like mud of course and ride a mountain bicycle. I ride a road bicycle and find it very easy to ride the Towpath unless it is muddy.

We usually start our ride in Peninsula and ride to either Bath Road, about a 15 mile round trip ride, or to Akron, about a 30 mile round trip ride. These routes take us along the historic Erie Canal where the remnants of locks are marked and described. The routes also follow along the route of an operating historical railroad and the Cuyahoga River.

At Bath Road a short detour to the east of the Towpath are hundreds of heron nests can be viewed from the road. At some times of the year these nests have a great deal of activity with the huge herons flying in and out while they are building nests, courting, feeding their young and trying to keep cool during the summer heat. This is a must see if you have not been there.

Along the route there are also farmers markets, covered bridge (short detour off the trail), farmland (corn) and friendly people. Sometimes it gets very busy but if you like being in a popular place with lots of outdoor enthusiasts even this time is fun. I usually take to the road instead of the Towpath when it gets congested.

We like to start in Peninsula because it has a bicycle shop, two sports pubs, art shops, and a train station to board the historical railroad. This railroad also offers an option to you if you want to ride part of the train and return to your starting point on the train. However, there are many starting points where you may park your car.

I rate it a 5 star. Check it out.