In 1827, the first canal boat was pulled along the Ohio & Erie Canal from Akron to Cleveland. By 1832, the canal was completed from Cleveland to Portsmouth, connecting Lake Erie to the Ohio River and providing the first water transportation route through the young United States from the North and East to the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, most of the canal no longer exists. But through the efforts of Ralph Regula, a congressman from Navarre, the Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor (now called the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway) was established in 1996 to protect what remains of the old canal and its structures.

The most recognizable aspect of this project is the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, which will ultimately run over 100 miles from Cleveland to New Philadelphia following the route of the original canal. In the summer of 2004, I discovered the  Towpath and it became somewhat of an obsession with me. At first, I thought it was just a scenic, well maintained hiking/biking trail in Northeast Ohio. But I soon discovered it was so much more.

The Canal itself hasn't been used for travel since 1913 and most of it is dried up with only a large ditch marking its path. But the trail, originally used by mules to tow the canal boats along the canal, will allow visitors to experience a bit of canal history.

 Along the way, visitors can check out informational waysides that tell the story of the canal and the areas it passed through. Many canal structures still exist and can be seen from the trail.

Some of the prettiest areas of the trail are in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Other parts of the trail meander through large cities and small towns that were once ports for canalers to sell their goods. Ohio's history almost comes to life around you.

There are many ways to enjoy the Canal Corridor. If you're the kind of person who doesn't like walking or riding bikes, then try traveling on the CanalWay Ohio National Scenic Byway - a road path that also follows closely the path of the Canal from Cleveland to Canal Dover. Or take a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad which runs from Cleveland to Canton with a number of depots on the way.

Once you've reached the end of the Canal Corridor, you're far from done discovering the canal. Many of the small towns south of New Philadelphia embrace their canal heritage through parks around prominent canal structures. Other remnants of the canal are not so easily spotted, but are out there nonetheless and can be found with a little exploring.

This site is my personal experience with the canal and Towpath Trail. I hope it will provide people with information about the historical and current aspects of the canal and possibly even interest people in getting out and enjoying it for themselves. I hope to explore the canal from Cleveland to Portsmouth and provide my findings to you via this site.

Please contact me with any information or questions you may have as well as any comments on the site by using the form below. I'm not an expert, but I will help all I can. My name's Dave. Thanks for coming by.