The best cycling routes around Akron

The waterfalls are beautiful! The path is not easy and overgrown. There is a wooden ladder you can use to go down and skip part of the way, but it's not attached to the wall, so be careful.

Medina Falls will forever be in the shadow of the world famous Niagara Falls, just a short distance away. However, anyone that's riding along the Erie Canal will definitely want to take a few moments to enjoy the view.

At over 10,000 acres the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge covers a diverse range of habitats. However, the main draw are the wetlands that are a haven and important nesting grounds for dozens of bird species. There are number of trails in the refuge, but check before you go as some sections are closed at certain times of the year in order to protect nesting birds.

Always Handy

The bathrooms are top notch. Clean. Unlike what you often see in bathrooms in public parks, the mirrors are actually glass (not shiny metal) and the toilets are ceramic. Their water fountains even have a bottle refilling nozzle like you often see at airports. They have a big covered area on the backside of the bathroom building with a few picnic tables. It was the perfect place for us to wait out a passing thunderstorm on our Erie Canal Trail ride.

I hadn't stayed in a hostel before, but this was a really pleasant surprise. Clean, pleasant and just a great place to relax after a long day on the trail.

A hostel that caters to cyclists on the Erie Canal Trail. Full kitchen and laundry facilities, large common room and a place to keep your bikes inside in the event of harsh weather. You might need to get creative if you have more than four bikes.

The Erie Canalway Trail is 360 miles long and mostly comprised of wide, flat, crushed gravel trail that offers scenic views of the locks and towns across New York. There are a number of fun bridges to check out near this segment of the trail, and the number of trailheads nearby makes for easy access to the canal.