Circleville Towpath Trail
Canal Park23352 Canal Road
Circleville, OH 43113
740-420-5451
Circleville Towpath Trail
Several sections of the Ohio & Erie Canal survive, but only a few still have water in them, and fewer still look like the canal as it appeared in its heyday. In Pickaway County not far from Circleville a watered section parallels a public road and strongly evokes the canal era. The Towpath Trail, which begins in Canal Park, runs along this section of the canal.
Several sections of the Ohio & Erie Canal survive, but only a few still have water in them, and fewer still look like the canal as it appeared in its heyday. In Pickaway County not far from Circleville a watered section parallels a public road and strongly evokes the canal era. The Towpath Trail, which begins in Canal Park, runs along this section of the canal.
Along Canal Road, south of the Pickaway County Park District’s Canal Park, is a “watered” section of the Ohio & Erie Canal in its original location and more than two miles long. It is part of the Towpath Trail beginning in the park. Silting up over time likely has reduced its original four-foot minimum depth, but drainage from nearby fields keeps it filled, and it remains close to its original width. The surrounding farmland is much as it would have looked in the mid-19th century, and a large tree still growing along the bank of the canal was likely just a sapling when boats passed by it daily a century and half ago. The canal is crossed by several later causeways and at one point by a red “covered bridge” carrying a conveyor belt, but otherwise this rural section strongly evokes the canal era. In such a setting it isn’t difficult to imagine the various kinds of boats that passed through here – freight boats, passenger packets, state work boats – floating silently behind a pair of mules led by a young boy or girl whose family owned and lived on its boat.
Notes for Travelers
Named in remembrance of the horses and mules towing the boats along the Ohio-Erie Canal back in the 1800s, the Towpath Trail is 2.7 miles of grassed trail that run along the Scioto river and the old Ohio-Erie Canal. It’s hard not to wonder what it was like back in the 1800s as the boats made their way with their supplies as you trail through woods, past Wetlands and farm fields as well as a rock quarry. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Osprey and Eagles that frequently nest near the quarry and fly over and around the trail. There is a short trail that heads eastward that is a part of the Pickaway Trail that runs from Circleville to New Holland. This small piece of the Pickaway Trail will take you out to where the old railroad abutments once supported the train tracks crossing the Scioto River and allow you to access the Richards River Trail. The Rock Quarry is Shelly Materials and features a lake that is not open or available to the public please respect the private property and stay on the trail.
https://www.pickawaycountyparks.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Canal-Park-Trails-1.pdf
https://www.pickawaycountyparks.org/
Circleville has a downtown historic district with a great mix of 19th and 20th century architecture and is worth a visit.
The Pickaway County Historical Society maintains the Clarke-May Museum located at 162 West Union Street in Chillicothe. Its website has additional information about local history videos and upcoming events.
http://www.pickawayhistoricalsociety.org/
The Pickaway County Visitors Bureau has a website and Visitors Center for additional ideas for exploring the area.
http://pickaway.com/
Credits
Jeff Darbee, Nancy Recchie, David MeyerAdditional Resources
Meyer, David. Life Along the Ohio Canal – Licking Reservoir to Lockbourne and Columbus FeederMeyer, David. Life Along the Ohio Canal in the Scioto River Valley