A Water Trail Is Born
11 organizations come together to create a new source of recreation
By Caitlin McCully and Kara Musser
Photos: Stark Parks and Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District
Many years of hard work and planning are finally paying off in eastern Ohio with the state’s designation of the Tuscarawas River Water Trail. The Tuscarawas River has always been special to those who live in the communities around the river, and now it will be shared with paddlers from around Ohio and surrounding states.
The river is a 130-mile-long tributary to the Muskingum River. Beginning in Stark County near Hartville, the river flows north into Summit County, where it becomes wide enough for a boat, and the official water trail begins. The river then turns south, flowing through Stark, Tuscarawas, and Coshocton counties before joining the Walhonding River near the city of Coshocton to form the Muskingum River. The Tuscarawas River Water Trail takes paddlers through the center of urban living to peaceful rural escapes while passing historical sites and natural landscapes. Whether paddlers are looking for a quick jaunt between towns or a longer trip through quiet stretches of nature, the Tuscarawas River has it all. Paddlers seeking overnight trips or longer can find over 200 miles of designated water trail, with camping options along the way. The 112.5-mile-long Tuscarawas River Water Trail meets up with the 112-mile-long Muskingum River Water Trail for a total of 224.5 miles of designated water trail.
The Tuscarawas River was named after the Native American village of Tuscarawi, located near present-day Bolivar. The river was an important passageway and trade route for the Delaware Tribe and later settlers. The river offered travelers a convenient route that ran north and south and was part of the first water passages from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Canoes, ferries, and even steamboats have navigated the Tuscarawas at some time in the past few centuries. The Tuscarawas River was also a feeder to the Ohio and Erie Canalway that operated from 1827 to 1870. Today, the river is a popular place for recreation, most notably paddling and fishing. The river has always provided important habitat for abundant wildlife. Fish species that can be found in the Tuscarawas include catfish, bluegill, carp, crappie, and northern pike, plus smallmouth, largemouth, and rock bass. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, beavers, blue herons, and a variety of turtles sunning on rocks are a common sight while floating down the river. Migrating and nesting birds can also be found along the waterway throughout the year, and the river is home to several bald eagle nests.
Stumbling Blocks
While the Tuscarawas River has always offered abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, several issues existed to prevent the river from reaching its potential as a paddling destination.
Unmarked hazards are present along the river, including one large dam, three lowhead dams, and one area with dam debris from an old mill. These areas are potentially dangerous to paddlers who are unaware the hazards exist, where they are, or how to safely portage around them. The lowhead dams and debris are a result of the settlement of many towns and villages, due to the abundant natural resources and transportation provided by the river. Many times, this development included the construction of dams.
While there have been numerous formal and informal access points along the Tuscarawas River, information about these points was not widely known and difficult to find. Local paddlers knew the best spots to put-in and take-out, but visitors were unable to determine necessary information to take a trip. Three canoe liveries in Canal Fulton, Massillon, and Bolivar have operated for many summers, attracting people to the river, but the rest of the river was largely unused by paddlers.
New paddlers are hitting the rivers at record numbers and without much paddling education. Ohio’s hand-powered watercraft registrations almost equal the number of motorized boat registrations. Many people are purchasing kayaks at big-box stores and hitting the water, expecting signs to tell them what to do along the way. Paddlers need basic safety education regarding public vs. private lands, hazards, portaging, and stream gauges.
Picking Up Steam
The Water Trail designation program administered by The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft was the perfect solution. This program encourages community support, maintains access points for public use, and has created a map and brochure with safety information that is easily accessible to the public. All access points must be public, and all hazards must be identified and signed. Addition signage along the river allows for ease of use by paddlers.
The Tuscarawas River’s potential as a community resource and tourist destination was evident to many local leaders. Access points were maintained by six separate organizations, with six more in various stages of planning and development. The ODNR Water Trail program is a reimbursable grant requiring one sponsoring agency to apply for the grant and designation on behalf of the entire river. Determining which agency would apply was difficult as the river flowed through different jurisdictional boundaries. In 2015, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) was approached by Rural Action’s Middle Tuscarawas River Watershed office to become the sponsoring agency. The MWCD covers 20 percent of Ohio, including the entire length of the Tuscarawas River, and its mission is devoted to flood reduction, conservation, and recreation. It was a natural partnership and allowed all entities to work within their established boundaries. Eleven other organizations agreed to be managing partners committed to maintaining the individual access-point areas. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by each organization, detailing the responsibilities and documenting the agreement for future leaders.
The water trail project required hours of meetings with many community leaders and organizations, as well as extensive research and delineation to create partnerships along the river and present accurate information. In order to complete the project, the MWCD agreed to fund one AmeriCorps staff position within the Rural Action Middle Tuscarawas River Watershed Office. This position was funded for three years while the AmeriCorps member gathered the necessary information and met with the partners along the river.
The final mapping and creation of the Tuscarawas River Water Trail brochure was completed by the MWCD through two grants from ODNR, totaling $12,485. In 2018, the MWCD received an ODNR Water Trail grant to fund the design of the map and brochure. In October 2019, a second ODNR grant funded the final pieces of the project, including brochure printing and signage. The brochure features a map that highlights access points, campsites, amenities, and hazards along the way. The signage indicates parking areas, access points from the river, dam warning signs, and portage routes. The interactive map is available at www.MWCD.org/TuscWaterTrail. An official designation event was planned for May 2020 but was canceled due to COVID-19. A virtual dedication announcement is being planned for June 2020. The Tuscarawas River Water Trail will be the 14th official state water trail.
Contributors
Creating a water trail using this natural and historically significant body of water involved the partnership of many agencies, all of which continue to contribute to the access and maintenance of the river. The water trail project would not have been possible without the MWCD and Rural Action’s Middle Tuscarawas River Watershed Office. The water trail will continue through the hard work and dedication from each of the managing partners of the Tuscarawas River Water Trail.
Summit Metro Parks
Stark Parks
Lawrence Township
City of Dover
Tuscarawas County Park Department
City of New Philadelphia
US Army Corps of Engineers
Village of Tuscarawas
Village of Gnadenhutten
ODNR – Division of Wildlife
City of Coshocton
Kara Musser is a Program Coordinator from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District. Reach her at kmusser@mwcd.org.
Caitlin McCully is the Marketing Assistant for Stark Parks in Canton, Ohio. Reach her at cmccully@starkparks.com.