Cuyahoga Valley Bike and Ride
When Morris told me over a Zoom call about the Cuyahoga Valley bike and ride in Ohio where the return voyage was on a train, I knew I had to go. I’ve long considered the train to be the premier mode of cross-country travel. I am one of those people who frequently complains about America not having as good a passenger rail system as Europe or East Asia. In addition, I’ve indulged in sleepy documentaries about the world’s most famous train rides, such as The Ghan in Australia or Copper Canyon in Mexico.
America may not have the high-speed rail of Japan but it does have the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. One of its trains, the National Park Excursion, traverses the length of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Bikes are allowed. Our big plan was to bike from Peninsula Village along the Towpath Trail to Rockside Road, then take the train back. It would be a journey fit for a PBS documentary.
These plans came to fruition when I visited Morris in Columbus over a Labor Day weekend. Our group would be Morris and his wife Zoey, as well as Rita and myself. Morris has an extensive collection of bikes which features road models, mountain bikes, and commuters. We scraped together three that fit our sizes and with the with the wheels to tackle the limestone gravel path. I took the Trek Cobia, and we planned on renting one for Rita.
Canals, trains, and automobiles
After a two-hour drive through the Ohio countryside, we arrived at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In the small village of Peninsula, we thought about but passed on the busy Winking Lizard tavern for lunch. Instead, we scarfed down a meal of sandwiches, root beer, and ice cream from the gift shop. Then, Rita made a stop at Century Cycles, where she rented a Liv Flourish. We were on our way.
We had two hours to make it to Rockside Station for the 5 pm train ride back, which was just enough for us to cover the 15 miles. Morris and Zoey sped ahead, hoping to get some extra miles in by doing laps of later sections of trail. Rita and I settled into an easygoing pace, taking in the surroundings.
The Towpath Trail straddles a strip of land between the Cuyahoga River and the old Erie Canal, much of which is now a swamp. Back in the day mules hauled boats through the canal, helping farmers get their crops to market. The canal as a whole connected Lake Erie to the Ohio River. I’ve got another post about kayaking Ohio rivers https://jollyroutes.com/floating-on-the-fourth/.
One of the highlights of the day was seeing the old lock and dams, each one accessible from the trail. One even had a concrete bridge resting above it which I enthusiastically biked over. Rita made a pitstop at another to get her picture taken with a mule statue. In addition to being a train advocate, I’m a big supporter of canal travel. It’s time to bring them back.
Turtles galore
The trail is crushed limestone, strait, and flat. Like the train, what it lacks in downhill thrills or sharp curves it makes up for with its scenery. The green-brown waters are never far from sight, and some small hills loom in the background. There are also a number of beautiful bridges with arches that soar high above the valley, letting cars zip over the park.
One of the other highlights is the abundant wildlife. Great Blue Herons and white egrets can be seen at nearly every bend in the river, patiently waiting for their next meal. My favorite though were the turtles, which were littered everywhere in the canal swamps.
At first, I saw a few on a log. Then, I realized that they were sunning themselves on just about every floating piece of wood within eyeshot of the trail. Rita was alerted to the turtle’s presence by an excited man that pointed them out and yelled “Boom!” as he passed her. In another spot I saw a large turtle sharing a downed tree with a heron. I considered whipping out my phone and calling in David Attenborough.
You can hear it from miles away
Besides the turtles there were chipmunks, butterflies, and vultures. Rita wanted to focus on biking, so I became the nature photographer of the group. This had the secondary effect of making me the caboose. I stopped to take pictures, hustled to catch up, stopped for more pictures, and so on.
We biked along, turning our heads every now again to take in the scenery. Then, we heard the train horn blow off in the distance. This panicked Morris, who thought it meant the train was leaving the station. He and Zoey (who were now behind us doing laps) pushed the pedals up to 18 mph, breaking the 15 mph speed limit of the trail. I’m surprised the Park Rangers didn’t pull them over. In reality, it was only 4:30 and the conductor was probably just blowing off some steam.
Around one of the final locks and dams the four of us joined forces and made our way to the Rockside Road Station, where the train sat waiting for us. There were still 15 minutes to spare. Here we took our final group pictures and then the attendants loaded up our bikes into the rear car.
Riding the rails
Morris started a rumor about a microbrewery being onboard. However, when we climbed up and bought our tickets, there was just a woman selling some snacks. It’s possible there is a special type of ticket one could buy that includes beer service, but even that is up for debate. Right on queue at 5 pm the train rolled out of the station and we headed back into the Valley. Tired, we all took a window seat and watched the scenery roll by.
Despite the lack of beer, the ride portion of our Cuyahoga Valley bike and ride did not disappoint. We had views of the river the whole way back, and there were only two stops before we returned to Peninsula Village. There’s a certain quiet dignity about riding the rails that’s hard to put into words. Maybe it’s the gentle rocking, like an old person reading a newspaper in their favorite rocking chair. Or maybe it’s the freedom that comes with no seatbelts and being able to walk car to car as the train barrels on.
The National Park Excursion blew its horn and then dropped us off at our station. We arrived at Century Cycles late for our bike rental return but got some train sympathy and weren’t charged extra. Then, we said farewell to our bike and train travel, got back in the car, and hit the highway.
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