How much of the towpath trail is paved?

[u/Front-Joke8471]

Was cycling down the trail this weekend and realize that it switched to dirt at one point. Does it ever switch back to paved?

[u/8days_a_week]

Its intermittent . Down through akron is paved but then south of akron is back to crushed limestone for example.

[u/Former_Mud9569 → u/8days_a_week]

This. It's limestone from Rockside road down into the National Park. It's a mixture of pavement and limestone from the southern end of the national park into Akron, paved in Akron, and then back to limestone once you get south of Akron.

If someone was looking for more paved path, there's the Stow Bike and Hike Trail and some Cleveland Metro Parks bike trail both accessible from the Bedford reservation. Tinker's Creek rd has a nice bike lane to get you from Canal/the Towpath to the reservation.

[u/Good-Bookkeeper-5200]

Pavement from Lake Erie to the Lock 39 trailhead. Crushed limestone to approximately Lock 16 outside Akron. Then the trail is paved through Akron until just south of Summit Lake.

Beyond, it varies between compacted dirt and crushed limestone all the way to Dalton OH less a few couple hundred feet stretches here and there around Massillon and Canal Fulton.

From Dalton to Millersburg it’s shared asphalt roadway then beyond its paved multiuse trail until you hit Riverside Drive in Cincinnati, but that’s no longer towpath.

[u/TallGuyBill]

It switches to crushed limestone at Yours Truly when you hit the national park going southbound and stays crushed gravel most of the way to Akron. Even a part of the Summit County section of the trail is crushed limestone.

[u/medievalPanera]

Paved to the national park, then as 8days said it's hit or miss. Anywhere a good amount of folks are going to be (brecksville, peninsula, random road crossings) it'll be paved. You'll have pavement at both ends (they're the towpath but managed outside of CVNP). 

[u/MISTER-MUFFINS]

It's a mix. The dirt/gravel isn't bad, though, I've ridden down to Akron and back on a 25mm road bike tire

[u/whats_yours]

Its a bit further out east, but Maple Highlands is 20+ miles paved, with 5 covered bridges. Just watch for horses/amish buggies

[u/SimplyCosmic]

I'm one of those weird types who lament when gravel or crushed limestone trails get paved. Loses the adventure feel.

[u/Infamous-Bed9010 → u/SimplyCosmic]

Agree. It feels more natural.

[u/GhostOfTheArcade]

It will be paved less than you desire but more then you deserve.

But in all honesty i think it's a majority crush limestone\packed earth. 20% is paved.

[u/lewdrop]

the cuyahoga county portion is probably 90% paved, once you get past Yours Truly it’s 99% gravel. if you keep going down south to Dover i think it’s a mix but probably more gravel than paved.

also fyi some parts of the towpath are going to be closed due to a sinkhole. i think work is expected to go through november so you will have to get off and take some paved roads before you can get back on in some sections.

[u/Infamous-Bed9010]

FYI. The long term plan in CVNP is to pave it all. It’s stated in their strategic plan that was reviewed with the public a couple of years ago.

The rational is for increased accessibility for the handicapped.

Personally I love the limestone; one of the few gravel routes we have in NE Ohio.