Towpath Trail - Boston Section

The Towpath Trail through the Boston Section of Cuyahoga Valley National Park follows the original towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canal, completed in 1827 and once the economic backbone of Ohio's early statehood. Mule teams walked this packed-earth path hauling canal boats loaded with coal, grain, and manufactured goods between Cleveland and Portsmouth. Today the towpath is a crushed-limestone multi-use trail tracing the Cuyahoga River through one of the most scenic sections of the national park. The Boston Section passes through the historic village of Peninsula, with its 19th-century commercial district, and the Boston Store Visitor Center, where exhibits explain canal-era history. Great blue herons stalk the shallows of the Cuyahoga River alongside the trail year-round, and the river corridor provides important stopover habitat for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds in spring and fall. Beavers have colonized several side channels, creating ponds visible from the trail. The nearly flat grade makes this section accessible for all fitness levels and popular with cyclists and joggers as well as hikers. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad parallels the trail and can be used to create one-way hiking trips.