Each week, we'll be featuring a place of interest around Cleveland, site of Gay Games IX in 2014. Cleveland, Akron, and Northeast Ohio are great places to visit, and are also great places from which to experience some of the finest destinations in the USA and Canada.
This week we're featuring recreational opportunities on North America's historic canals. Once key means of transportation, some remain in use, and all abound in opportunities for recreation, hiking, biking, cruises, fishing, etc.
Ohio & Erie Canalway
Cleveland+Akron, Ohio
Enjoy walking, bicycling, or running on the Towpath Trail. You can travel the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal on the same path that mules walked to tow canal boats loaded with goods and passengers. From the trail, you can make connections to many natural and historic sites, as well as to Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR). Beyond the park, you can continue your journey on the Towpath Trail further along the Ohio & Erie Canalway.
Features of the Ohio & Erie Canal abound along the trail. Look for locks that raised and lowered boats through elevation changes and markers that indicate mileage as measured historically. Enjoy indoor exhibits at the Canal and Boston Store visitor centers. As you become familiar with the canal, you will discover its importance as apart of 19th-century transportation infrastructure that connected Ohio to the rest of the settled United States.
More info HERE.
Roscoe Village on Ohio & Erie Canal
Coshocton, Ohio
Roscoe Village is the most remarkable example of the canal era in Ohio. An entire village has been restored to its historic character and complimented by an outstanding visitor's center.
Numerous canal structures remain including the renowned triple locks. Scenic views of the three canal basins are a photographer's delight and a canal boat replica transports visitors between the upper and middle basins.
Restaurants, shops and an inn are located in the village and a campground is located in Lake Park at the middle basin.
More info HERE.
Old Erie Canal
Western New York State
The scenic Erie Canal-once labeled the 8th Wonder of the World-is a great ribbon of water that cuts clear across New York, the Empire State. In the Genesee Country, this spectacular recreational resource offers a score of canalside ports that are close, fun and relaxing. In fact, the old Erie Canal has turned into a linear park, on the verge of developing into one of the country's great tourist attractions.
The Erie is a boaters' paradise. You can glide serenely along in a canoe, skip from spot to spot in a fishing skiff, or take an excursion on one of several charter vessels that ply Erie's waters.
To experience the canal first hand, drive to one of several home ports for a boat tour lasting from an hour to all day and in some cases, all week. One boat is even powered by a pair of mules.
On board, you'll find canal balladeers, storytellers and sprightly explanations of local and canal history. Snacks and beverages are available, with reservations needed for lunch or a romantic dinner cruise. As you relax learn about the unique language of the "canawlers."
Modern canal travelers often find picturesque picnic areas with shady grounds under swaying willows. Today the old towpath serves hikers, joggers and backpackers. In some places, lights have been installed and long stretches black-topped to accommodate cyclists and casual strollers.
Ashore, there's great food to be found and some extraordinary out-of-the-way antique and fancy goods shops. All this, while recapturing 19th century romance in neighborly towns like Palmyra, Medina, Lyons and Lockport. And don't overlook Spencerport, Brockport, Pittsford, Fairport or Bushnell's Basin. They're filled with local color, offering lodging and legions of restaurants.
More info HERE .
Rideau Canal
Ottawa, Ontario
A historic waterway filled with boaters spring through fall, the Rideau Canal winds through the heart of Ottawa before connecting with the Ottawa River through dramatic stepped locks right next to Parliament Hill.
The Rideau Canal stretches from Ottawa and the Ottawa River 202 kilometers south to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River at Kingston, connecting beautiful lakes and rivers through a series of 45 locks. The Ottawa portion of the Canal starts at Mooney's Bay in the south end of the city and continues through the city, flanked on each side by scenic parkways, cycling paths and gardens. Built under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers, the Canal opened in 1832 and is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America.
The Canal is both a National Historic Site of Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. May through early October, the Canal is open to sightseeing cruises, pleasure craft, canoeist, and kayakers; paddleboats, canoes and kayaks can be rented at the Dow's Lake Pavilion.
More info HERE.
Cape Cod Canal
Eastern Massachussetts
The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts.
Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the canal is roughly 28 km long and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south. The idea of constructing such a canal was first considered by Miles Standish of the Plymouth Colony in 1623, but the canal was not begun until the late 19th century.
Service roads on both sides of the canal provide access for fishing and are heavily used by in-line skaters, bicyclists and walkers. Several parking areas are maintained at access points. People often just sit and watch ships transiting the canal. Bourne Scenic Park is leased by the Corps of Engineers to the Town of Bourne Recreation Authority for use as a tent and RV campground adjacent to the Canal.
The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center which introduces visitors to the history, features, and operation of the Canal. Features include a retired 41-foot US Army Corps of Engineers patrol boat, a 46-seat theater showing continuous DVD presentations on Canal history, Canal flora and fauna, real time radar and camera images of the waterway as well as a variety of interactive exhibits. Corps Park Rangers staff the center and provide free public programs on a variety of subjects. Tide charts, Canal guides and brochures are also available.
Scusset Beach State Reservation lies just north of the east end of the canal and offers beach facilities as well as tent and RV camping. A trail there leads to Sagamore Hill – once a Native American Indian meeting ground and later the site of a World War II coastal fortification with a fine overview of Cape Cod Bay.
More info HERE.
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