Skiing Across the Ohio & Erie Canalway

Icy River at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (OH) [1]

Looking for new ways to keep you and your family busy this winter? Then consider the Ohio & Erie Canalway a fresh outlet for your outdoor adventures. Cross-country ski through the heart of Ohio on the Towpath Trail, test your downhill skills at the Boston Mills and Brandywine ski resorts, and propel yourself past wooded rural regions on Metro Park trails. Only a few miles from the byway, these ski resorts and pathways provide an ideal setting for your favorite snow-season pastimes.

The Ohio & Erie Canalway begins in Cleveland, Ohio. Take the byway south out of this booming metropolis for about 19 miles, and enter Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Brandywine Ski Resort. Between the Boston Mills and Brandywine resorts (about five miles apart), you’ll have 85 acres and 15 lifts worth of ski runs to try. Speed down the mountain on skis or on a snowboard, choosing trail difficulties from green circle (beginner) to black diamond (expert). Stop by some of the terrain parks to show off your tricks, or keep it simple by gliding down Brandywine’s new tubing hill. For an adrenaline-pumping twist, stay after dark and brave the Midnight Madness night-skiing experience.

Winter on Cuyahoga River near Peninsula on the Ohio & Erie Canalway (OH) [2]

The byway runs the length of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so be sure to stop and try some of the other snowy delights the park offers. Between December and February when at least four inches of snow grace the ground, the Kendall Lakes Shelter Winter Sports Center opens. Follow the byway about five miles southeast from Peninsula to enjoy the ski-patrol-monitored cross-country ski trails like Ledges Field and Oak Hill Trail. Here, you’ll glide through mixed coniferous and deciduous forests, up and down rolling terrain, through snow-draped fields, and past frozen streams. When you get tired, take a cocoa break at the center’s shelter, which was built with chestnut and sandstone native to the area. Before you head back out on your adventures, investigate the shelter’s excellent collection of maps and local weather information.

Continue to follow the byway south out of Cuyahoga Valley for more sources of wintertime entertainment. About 56 miles southwest of Cleveland at the byway’s northernmost end lies Silver Creek Metro Park, where you’ll find shelters, a bridal trail, and a pair of two-mile-long trails. As you ski along these trails highlighted with views of the 50-acre Silver Lake, stop and marvel at one of Summit County’s largest red oaks, measuring 20 feet in circumference.

On the eastern side of the Ohio & Erie Canalway, about 30 minutes from where the byway passes through Barberton, you’ll find Quail Hollow State Park, where you can flex your cross-country skiing muscles. Take the 1.25-mile Coniferous Trail and push off through distinct rows of evergreen trees. When the non-native trees were introduced to the area some time ago, their systematic planting resulted in the precise rows you see today.

As you seek out the best locations to express your skiing style along the Ohio & Erie Canalway, don’t forget about the Towpath Trail. Following the byway from just south of Cleveland all the way to Dover, the nearly 100-mile Towpath Trail has numerous access points with parking lots and restrooms in addition to an abundance of cultural and natural features. Look over icy locks, see if you can spot beaver dams under the snow, and visualize the mules that once towed boats along on this same trail.

While hikers and bikers enjoy the Towpath Trail during warmer months, winter skiers can take advantage of snow accumulations. If you don’t get your fill of cross-country skiing when the day is over, then dress warmly and ski the trail by dark—it’s open 24/7.

Don’t hole up at home this winter season; get outside and ski! Watch boredom melt away as you keep yourself and your family busy exploring the cold, snowy beauty of central Ohio. Cross-country or downhill ski, snowboard, tube, or try all four, night and day. Whatever activity you fancy, you’re sure to find a wealth of winter thrills as you venture along the Ohio & Erie Canalway.