It might be worth noting in your review that the Lake Ave Trailhead in Massillon has a full service bike shop (including rental bikes), a restaurant, and a running supply store. There are also heated restrooms and a large parking area. The Stark County Bike Club does both trail and road rides from that location every Mon. and Wed. at 9:30. Our ride schedule is available at bikescbc.com.
The trail is completed from the Mustill Store on W. North Street South to the Interbelt Expressway (Rte 59). There is a new Trailhead across the street from the Mustill Store on W North Street. There will be a future Trailhead on Beech Street off of Howard Street.
Work is continuing on extending the trail along the Interbelt Expressway (Rte 59) where it will go under W Market Street; and then will follow along Rand Avenue (which it will tunnel under); and then a new bridge will be built so the trail can crossover Rte 59 towards Quaker Street.
As of last fall (2006), two very unique bridges were opened, which remove the stress of having to cross two major intersections. The paved 5.7 mile section of the trail from Rockside Road north to Harvard Road is actually in the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation of The Cleveland Metroparks, which funded the bridges. This is one of my favorite locations to ride, as it is a very smooth, quiet, mostly shady place to glide along, seemingly detached from the rest of the world. Surprisingly--given that it is in the midst of an industrial city--I have sighted more wildlife here than most of the other, more remote metroparks! Herons (3 types) and many other birds, several turtle species, beaver, muskrats, ducks, and geese are among my sightings; and both the canal and the Cuyahoga River, which flank the trail, are fairly loaded with fish.
The southern extension of the Towpath Trail [in Akron] is open from Mustill’s store up the Staircase Lock area, ending at a gravel parking lot near Martin Luther King Drive (also called the Akron Innerbelt). There is no trail at all from this point south, but on a quiet Sunday I was able to ride on Main Street in reasonable safety, rejoining a short segment of trail which runs from the Akron Aeros Stadium south to Canal Place (the former BF Goodrich tire plant).
At my last visit (August 2006), the Staircase Lock trail was still a mix of good asphalt and gravel, and some construction was still in process. The finished parts of the trail are 8’ asphalt, and the grade is quite reasonable. There is a temporary parking lot at the top of the grade off of Howard Street and ample parking lots near Mustill’s store on both sides of North Street.
The trail segment from the stadium to Canal Place is partly pavement, and partly a resilient paving surface (similar to an athletic track). This section is not specifically designated for bicycles and a lot of pedestrian traffic should be expected.
The towpath trail is now open from the Center Road Trailhead to Vanderhoof Road [between Clinton and Barberton]. A new trailhead facility is almost completed at Vanderhoof. The parking lot is not yet paved. Also, please note that the comfort station is completed but as of yesterday (Sept. 23) it was not open for use. Also, the fine gravel on this newly opened stretch is NOT compacted and is very loose and thick in spots. You can go down if you're not careful!
There is a lot of information on the next phase of the towpath trail under construction in Akron. The new segment will start at the Mustill store, where the trail ends now, and rise 80+/- feet to the edge of downtown Akron. Their newsletter states the trail will be open by the fourth of July ['06].
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