Ohio trails · Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

A 15.2-mile out-and-back in Ohio, with 242 ft of climbing. Reaches Long Lake and other lake destinations.

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Length

15.2 mi

Elevation gain

242 ft

Difficulty

Moderate

Max grade

Steepest mile

+160 ft

Shape

out-and-back

Surface

Asphalt

Bikes

yes

Elevation profile

Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 88% of the ascent, between mile 5.1 and mile 10.1. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Long Lake (lake)
Summit Lake (lake)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Diamond Boardwalk access — parking nearby. About 2 min drive (1 mi) from Akron. 41.07796, -81.52321 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:08 a.m., the sun rises at 7:36 a.m. and sets at 6:47 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:15 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 11 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 30.4-mile round trip works out to roughly 11 h 30 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.