Cuyahoga County

Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation

The Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation is run by the Cleveland Metroparks and runs from Harvard Avenue in Cuyahoga Heights to near Rockside Road in Valley View. The Towpath Trail is complete through the entire stretch of the Reservation. The canal itself is watered for a good portion of its course here. Two locks were located along this stretch of the canal, only one of which still exists. There is also a feeder and aqueduct here. When the Towpath Trail is completed north of Harvard Road (hopefully by 2013), the Reservation will grow to accommodate it as well.

Location: The Harvard Avenue Trailhead is located on Harvard Avenue in Cuyahoga Heights south of Cleveland. It is the beginning of the current Towpath Trail at its northernmost point. It is accessible to motorists on the eastern (State Route 14) and central (Independence Road) legs of the CanalWay Ohio National Scenic Byway by heading west on Harvard Avenue. Motorists traveling on the western (State Route 42) leg can reach the trailhead by turning east on Dennison Road, south on Jennings Road, and east on Harvard Avenue. It is located at approximately what would be the 5 Mile Marker on the Towpath Trail.

History: Once the location of Lock 41 on the Ohio & Erie Canal, the trailhead marks what was once the beginning of a very scenic stretch of the canal as it made its way out of the more industrial areas of Cleveland into an area known as the Hidden Valley. The lock itself was buried when Harvard Avenue was widened. The Austin Powder Company once had a plant just north of the lock but it was destroyed in an explosion just before the demise of the canal.

The Towpath Trail will continue to the Cleveland Flats in the future, adding approximately six more miles to the trail's scenic vistas. South of the trailhead, the trail does not follow exactly the route of the old canal until it becomes watered again. From that point on, it follows the exact route of the original towpath for many miles.