Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail--Canal Lands Park South

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail--Canal Lands Park South

Bolivar, Ohio 44612

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail website
Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail trailhead map

About this Location

The Canal Lands Park Trailhead is on the Zoar Valley Trail section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

You will see a Modern bridge that crosses I-77 and a Historic Iron Bridge crossing the river. In the future, the trail will also connect to the Historic Fink Iron Truss Bridge also known as the Old Zoarville Station Bridge.

When you travel the northern section of the trail you will see Ft. Laurens, the Brick Factory, Power Station, Slackwater Dam, Fish Hatchery and Zoar. Connected to this portion of the trail you will find the Zoar Wetland Arboretum. This casual 3-mile trail follows the level ground of the canal towpath for most of its route. Walking is easy, though at certain times high water, mud, overgrown vegetation or mosquitoes could impede your progress. If you walk at a moderate pace, pausing to see points of interest, you should allow 3 hours.

When you travel the southern section you will find railroad trestle and a more natural trail surface. You may find this segment a bit rougher to hike. There are plans to extend the trail to Route 800 with a trail head. Other sites in this area include Ehler’s Store, the Zoarville Station Bridge and Camp Tuscazoar. This segment is part of the Buckeye Trail (which continues east from Zoarville) as well as the Boy Scouts’ Zoar Valley Trail.

On your visit, you may wish to just hike the trail or to make the hike a portion of visiting one or both of the Ohio Historical Society sites adjacent to it. These sites include Ft. Laurens and Zoar Village. You can now hike the Bolivar Trail from Ft. Laurens into the Village of Bolivar.


About Zoar Valley Trail
The Camp Tuscazoar Foundation has assumed operations of the historic Zoar Valley Trail. This scenic 20-mile trail provides hikers with a variety of historical sites and changes in terrain from rolling hills to level paths. The trail is anchored at the southern end by the village of Schoenbrunn in New Philadelphia and on the north by Fort Laurens in Bolivar. The trail passes Zoar, with an overnight stop at Camp Tuscazoar.

You may start your hike from either end. However, it is generally thought better to start at Schoenbrunn, covering the hard surface and hilly part of the trail on the first day. Camp Tuscazoar is the halfway point on the trail and provides both lodges and primitive camping. Several camp sites are only a short walk from the trail and may be reserved by contacting the camp ranger. Please, notify the ranger several weeks in advance to guarantee a site. The last portion of the trail travels along an abandoned railroad bed and the Ohio-Erie Canal towpath, with a short stretch on the hard surface from one to the other.

About Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

See all hotspots at Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

Annually, more than 2.5 million Americans find their way to the iconic 81+ mile Towpath Trail running through the heart of the Ohio & Erie Canalway.

Whether birding, biking, hiking, running, riding on horseback, taking a canal boat ride, or traveling alongside it by scenic rail, folks find that old-school “travel” along the Towpath Trail adds undeniable energy to the quality of life in the counties of Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas in Northeastern Ohio.

Travel along the path where, from 1827 to 1913, mules once pulled canal boats laden with passengers and goods up and down the historic Ohio & Erie Canal.

Today’s Trail follows the historic Towpath as closely as possible, the exact route determined by historic maps and remnants of the Trail itself. In some places, the trail leaves the historic route where time and events have erased the old path. Along the Trail and at Key Visitor Centers, you can learn more about the cultural, historic, natural, and recreational resources being preserved and celebrated along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. When completed, today’s Towpath Trail will be 101 miles long.

Many parks along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail provide access to the trail.

Content from Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail website, Canal Lands Park webpage, and Zoar Valley Trail website