RAIL AND TRAIL

Go back in time on Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

For the frugal tourist, a scenic train ride and cycling trip is a nearby travel bargain.

AKRON — For just $2, you can take a trip back in time by combining a scenic train ride with a healthy bicycle trail ride in a historic and naturally beautiful national park right here in Northeast Ohio.

If you’re ready for a long day of sightseeing, you can ride the train one-way for 26 miles, then cycle back to your car, or you can cycle first and then ride the train.

The $2 one-way ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is a fantastic travel bargain when you consider that the 26-mile, 80-minute train trip between Independence and Akron costs less than eight cents a mile.

But you don’t have to cycle the full 26 miles or take the train the whole distance. You can choose the section of the route that appeals to you the most and the distance you feel comfortable cycling.

Traveling at a leisurely average of less than 20 mph, the train makes six stops en route, with distances between stations ranging from 1.75 miles to six miles. You can flag down the train at any station by waving your arms over your head.

The train crew will load your bike into the baggage car at the front of the train, and you’ll take a comfortable seat in the coach car right behind it and pay your fare aboard the train.

Noncycling adults pay $15 for an all-day train boarding pass. That pass is $10 for noncycling children, ages 3-12.

Over the entire 26-mile north-to-south route, the meandering Cuyahoga River, the train track and the bike path run near each other. For most of that distance, you’ll be in the 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which Congress created as an urban park in 1974.

You’ll be cycling over the nearly-level, crushed-limestone surface of the former Ohio & Erie Canal towpath, over which mules once walked as they towed canal boats loaded with passengers and freight.

You’ll see numerous remnants of locks and other structures along the canal, which operated from 1827 until a major flood forced it to close in 1913. Signs along the towpath explain each canal feature and its significance.

If heavy rains have made trail conditions muddy, pavement-seeking cyclists can use Riverview or Akron-Peninsula roads, which parallel the bike trail over most of the distance.

Attractions along the towpath include:

UThe Canal Visitor Center, an 1827-vintage former tavern, grocery store and residence, where rangers and volunteers in 19th-century attire periodically operate the restored lock.

UThe Village of Peninsula, with its historic buildings, restaurants and shops, including the Century Cycles bicycle shop, which offers bike rentals.

USzalay’s Farm’s roadside produce market at Bolanz and Riverview roads.

UThe Hale Farm and Village community of 19th-century buildings, a living history museum, which can be reached via a level towpath trail spur.

UThe highly-visible great blue heron nesting colony on Bath Road just east of the Cuyahoga River, where throngs of tourists gather every spring to view these large wading birds.

The train operates Wednesdays through Sundays, June through October, and weekends in April and May.

The train departs from 7900 Old Rockside Road in Independence at 9 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. Departures from Akron are at 10:40 a.m., 2:25 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.

Between Independence and Akron, the train stops at the Canal Visitor Center, Brecksville, Boston Mills, Peninsula, Indigo Lake (Hale Farm and Village) and Botzum.

The Akron train station is at 27 Ridge St. on the city’s near north side, just north of the city’s downtown. That station is just two blocks from the North Street entrance to the bike trail.

The Independence and Akron stations have ample free parking.

For more information, call the railroad, toll-free, at (800) 468-4070 or visit www.cvsr.com.