Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail--John Glenn Grove

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail--John Glenn Grove

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail 8000 Warmington Road Southwest Massillon, Ohio 44646

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail website

Tips for Birding

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Stark County features a variety of birding habitats along the 26 miles stretching from the Summit and Stark county border south to OH-212, nearly to Tuscarawas County. The section of the Towpath north of the Lake Lucerne Trailhead, north of Canal Fulton on Erie Avenue, offers great vantage points for spotting warblers and wading birds in wetland areas between the trail and Tuscarawas River during the spring season. The river is a natural flyway providing an ideal opportunity for viewing migratory waterfowl in the spring and fall.

Birders traveling about one mile north or south of the Butterbridge Trailhead near dusk or on a cloudy day have a good chance of seeing and hearing Barred Owl activity. Just south of the Lake Ave. Trailhead, along the levee separating Rt. 21 and the Tuscarawas River, expect to see grassland birds like Meadowlarks and larger migratory waterfowl taking refuge on the river.

Expect to see Warblers, Herons, Scarlet Tanagers, Orioles, Thrushes, Kingfishers, and Thrashers north and south of the John Glenn Grove Trailhead. Black Birds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Woodpeckers, and an occasional Mockingbird might appear south of Craig Pittman Memorial Park. While birding here, you can enjoy the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from Nickles Bakery just north of the park. The unusually large Sycamore trees approximately .25 mile south of Riverland Avenue are home to Pileated Woodpeckers. Trail surroundings begin to transition north of OH-212 with more open space and bordering farms. Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, and Great Horned Owls make their homes in this area.

About this Location

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 an undeniable energy to the quality of life in the counties of Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas in Northeastern Ohio.

Travel — literally! — 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.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

Content from Bird Watching Stark Parks and Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail website