Popular Section of Towpath Trail Closing for Boardwalk Replacement

Hikers, runners and cyclists who use the Towpath Trail through Cuyahoga Valley National Park will need to make some different plans beginning next week.

The National Park Service will temporarily close the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail between Boston Trailhead and Lock 29 in Peninsula beginning Monday, Aug. 24, while crews replace the aging Stumpy Basin boardwalk.

And for anyone hoping to simply go around the construction, there is no detour available.

The full closure is scheduled to last through Nov. 20, although the park expects to reopen the section between Lock 29 and the railroad tunnel, about three-quarters of a mile north of Peninsula, by early September.

The project will replace the wooden Stumpy Basin boardwalk, which was built in 1991 and has reached the end of its serviceable life. Park officials say they’re replacing it now before the aging structure becomes a safety hazard.

The closure will also affect half of the parking lot at Boston Trailhead. Additional parking and Towpath access will be available at Stanford Trailhead.

It’s a significant stretch of trail to close. More than 1.5 million visitors use the Towpath Trail within Cuyahoga Valley National Park each year, according to the National Park Service, accounting for roughly 68% of the park’s visitation. The Boston-to-Peninsula area is one of its most heavily visited sections.

There’s also some interesting history beneath the boardwalk.

Stumpy Basin was once a wide section of the Ohio & Erie Canal where canallers could turn their boats around. Today, it’s a roughly 30-acre wetland located within the Cuyahoga River’s 100-year floodplain.

The boardwalk replacement is one of several Towpath improvement projects undertaken this summer. Crews have also replaced a culvert near Station Road Bridge, resurfaced trail between Hunt House and Beaver Marsh and repaired a sinkhole between Station Road Bridge and Frazee House.