Portage Park District plans to open the 1.4-mile Headwaters Trail Phase VIII this week in Mantua Township.
The public can explore the new trail segment and speak with park volunteers and staff from 3 to 7 p.m. July 24 at an open house at the Chamberlain Road trailhead.
Phase VIII of Headwaters Trail in Mantua Township is on the old Erie Lackawanna Railroad corridor between Chamberlain Road and Diagonal Road. The project includes a small trailhead parking area and restrooms at Chamberlain Road. The trail, with a chip-and-seal surface, connects with the 2.8-mile Aurora Trail that opened in 2025.
Over time, the Park District purchased sections of the former railroad corridor from local residents and received a 2,400-foot trail lease from FirstEnergy Corp., which purchased it from Norfolk Southern Railway. The Park District then received a $500,000 Clean Ohio Trails grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
“The Headwaters Trail is the result of wonderful public/private partnerships at all levels of community; we greatly appreciate these matching grants that stretch our local levy dollars even further,” said Christine Craycroft, executive director.
The Headwaters Trail story began in the 1980s with a local grassroots effort to purchase the abandoned rail corridor and connect communities. It is a popular regional trail used by all ages and abilities, and has been featured in local, regional and state public plans. The trail has been under development for 30 years by multiple communities.
A limestone-surface, 8.5-mile trail connects Garrettsville, Mantua Village and Mantua Township to Mennonite Road. This new, 1.4-mile segment connects Diagonal Road to the Aurora Trail at Chamberlain Road. The Portage Park District has developed and manages the trail, except for short segments in Mantua and Garrettsville.
For more information, visit www.portageparkdistrict.org or call 330-297-7728.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: New part of Headwaters Trail to open in Mantua
Reporting by Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
