CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources on Friday designated the Cuyahoga River as the state’s 13th official water trail with 24 access points, signage, maps and educational materials on nearly 100 miles of river.

Twenty-five organizations, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park, cities along the river and nonprofit groups, have been working since 2011 on the designation, which comes with a $20,000 grant from ODNR.

“This is an amazing trail that goes through the heart of Northeast Ohio,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said Friday morning at Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls, which is one of the trail’s access points. “We’re pleased to do everything we can to support the Cuyahoga River.”

A water trail is a stretch of lake or river that has been identified as a recreational resource with maps and signs showing official access points, amenities and safety information. The goal is to promote public use of waterways, support tourism and encourage conservation.

The designation comes 50 years after the last fire on the Cuyahoga, which spurred decades of grassroots clean-ups, nonprofit work, municipal policies and federal enforcement to make the river an environmental and recreational asset to the region.

“Famous for catching fire, the Cuyahoga is now sparking excitement about how far we have come, and what the future holds,” said Andrea Irland, facilitator of the National Park Service’s rivers, trails and conservation program.

Paddlers on kayaks, canoes or stand-up paddleboards have already been using the river as a water trail, and “the management of it as a water trail provides a better user experience,” Irland said.

The Cuyahoga River Water Trail is managed by the City of Akron, City of Cuyahoga Falls, City of Kent, Cleveland Metroparks, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Geauga Park District, Mantua Village, Portage Park District, Summit Metro Parks and Village of Silver Lake.

Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters said the river is meaningful to many people for both recreational and environmental reasons.

“We have become the poster child, I think, for the whole country, maybe the world, because the focus has been on the Cuyahoga River and what we’ve accomplished in 50 years,” Walters said. “It went from where you probably wouldn’t get near it, let alone in it, to now, it’s a magnet. Everyone loves the water.”

To learn more about the water trail, visit cuyahogariverwatertrail.org.

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