Cuyahoga Valley National Park to close Towpath Trail section for boardwalk replacement
Cuyahoga Valley National Park will temporarily close a section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Peninsula for nearly three months while crews replace a wooden boardwalk that has reached the end of its serviceable life.
The section between the Boston Trailhead and Lock 29 will be closed from Aug. 24 through Nov. 20, the park announced Monday. No detour will be available during the closure.
The park expects to reopen the portion between Lock 29 and the railroad tunnel, about three-quarters of a mile north of Peninsula, by early September. The remainder of the affected trail section will stay closed through Nov. 20.
The closure also will include about half of the Boston Trailhead parking lot.
Additional parking for Towpath Trail access will be available at the Stanford Trailhead.
The closure is necessary for public safety while the park removes and replaces the Stumpy Basin boardwalk, which was built in 1991.
Park officials said replacing the boardwalk now is part of a planned project designed to maintain trail connectivity and provide safe conditions for visitors.
"We are committed to providing high-quality, safe access for our visitors, especially along the popular Towpath Trail," Cuyahoga Valley National Park Superintendent Lisa Petit said. "Thus, we are replacing the Stumpy Basin wooden boardwalk now, as part of a planned project, before safety hazards become an issue."
The Towpath Trail attracts more than 1.5 million visitors annually and accounts for 68% of visitation to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Stumpy Basin boardwalk is located between Boston and Peninsula, one of the most heavily visited portions of the trail.
"Although these projects temporarily disrupt trail access, the result will be a much improved and safer Towpath Trail experience through the park," Petit said.
Stumpy Basin was once a wide section of the Ohio & Erie Canal where canal boat operators could turn around. Today, the area is a roughly 30-acre wetland in the Cuyahoga River's 100-year floodplain.
The boardwalk replacement is one of several Towpath Trail improvement projects undertaken by the park this summer.
Other work has included replacing culverts between the Station Road Bridge Trailhead and Red Lock Trailhead, resurfacing the trail between Hunt House and Beaver Marsh and repairing a sinkhole between the Station Road Bridge Trailhead and Frazee House.
