By 1878 the canal 's significance was in decline due to the introduction of railroads . After the Great Flood of 1913 the canal was abandoned – less than 100 years after it opened . For many years the canal was largely forgotten about or ignored . The concept of restoring the towpath for use as a multipurpose trail began to emerge in the 1980s , and the first section of the Towpath Trail opened in 1993 . Almost overnight , visitation doubled in Cuyahoga Valley National Park . Restoration of the towpath quickly spread to municipalities and neighboring park districts , including Metro Parks , Serving Summit County
Great Flood of 1913
Great Flood of 1913
Summit Metro Parks