- Overview
- Akron
- Bedford
- Belle Valley
- Bowerston
- Burton
- Caesar Creek
- Defiance
- Delphos
- Loveland
- Massillon
- Medina
- Mogadore
- New Straitsville
- Norwalk
- Old Man's Cave
- Pemberville
- Road Fork
- St. Marys
- Scioto Trail
- Shawnee
- Sinking Spring
- Stockport
- Troy
- West Union
- Whipple
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Massillon Section
Trail Alerts • Map Updates • Trail Towns • Section Blog
BAT Sign along the trail!
Supervisor: Scott and Mary Anne Kamph
52.6 Total Miles / 26 Off Road Miles (49%)
Map Publication Date: December 2020
The Massillon Section begins in Hartville where the Mogadore Section ends. The north end of the trail follows suburban roads through the City of Green and on past Nimisilla Reservoir, a unit of Portage Lakes State Park. In Crystal Springs, the trail connects to the south end of the Akron Section. This junction closes the ‘Little Loop’ of the Buckeye Trail, which comprises the Akron, Bedford, Burton and Mogadore Sections, as well as the part of the Massillon Section described above. Next, the trail joins the Congressman Ralph Regula Towpath Trail Park, a unit of Stark Parks. This trail is built, where possible, on the towpath of the old Ohio Erie Canal. The trail is followed through the remainder of Stark County and some of Tuscarawas County. The trail visits the towns of Massillon, Navarre and Bolivar. Towards the south end of Stark County is the transition between the glaciated plateau of northeast Ohio to the unglaciated plateau of southeast Ohio. However, after you cross the Tuscarawas River near Zoarville in Tuscarawas County, the change will become much more obvious. Here, the Buckeye Trail once again follows country roads past Camp Tuscazoar as they undulate and meander into the Bowerston Section.
Trail Alerts
- (7/24/25) Stark Parks has announced a closure of the Towpath Trail in Massillon between Pts 13 to 15 to replace drainage tile. They estimate the work will take 3 weeks for the repair.
This alert applies to all BTA map products.
The detour will be as follows:
— Exit the Towpath trail at Cherry Rd NE
— Go E across Rt 21 to Erie St N (Rt 241).
— Turn S on Erie St N and continue 0.9 mi to Walnut St.
— Go W on Walnut St across Rt 21 and rejoin the BT on the Towpath Trail at Pt. 15.
- (5/12/21) This alert reminds hikers that flooding conditions do occur after heavy rains. Please refer to the Starks Parks website for trail alerts that identify their trail closures, including for flooding.
Map Updates
- (12/28/24) This map update for the 2020 version of the Massillon printed map and the Spring 2024 FarOut version, provides details of a campsite that exists in Zoar Village about 1 mi NE of Point 23. It can be found by following the dark blue blazes of the North Country Trail which joins the BTA at Point 23. Exit the Ohio to Erie Canal Towpath Trail NE on the connector trail that soon joins CR 82. Turn E and reach Main St where you turn N. At 5th St. head E to its end. The campsite is about 200’ north. Before using the campsite, you must contact the Bolivar Police Department at 330-874-2113. They do patrol the site. The campsite is primitive. Carry in and carry out; no fires permitted. The site itself is provided by the Village of Zoar and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.
- (8/24/2021) This Trail Change reports a small move in the physical location of the trail. However, the move has had a massive impact on the physical safety afforded to users of the BT and OECT. The change is located between Pt 20 W of Bolivar and 21 within Bolivar, specifically between the SW end of the trail bridge across the Tuscarawas R near McDonnell Trailhead and a little past the twin span RR overpass which allowed passage beneath for both SR 212 and the Ohio and Erie Canal.
The trail remains on the OECT which now bypasses McDonnell Trailhead and meanders E towards the RR overpass where it enters the canal prism on a boardwalk. Through the overpass, the canal heads away NE while OECT turns SE pretty much parallel to SR 212 but safely distant.
While the trail no longer goes through McDonnell Trailhead, the trailhead remains close and remains available for use.
One other change is important to backpackers. Just past the overpass, the trail now passes a commercial campground that offers only primitive campsites and no generators! It also appears to be available year around. See https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/discover/ohio/towpath-trail-peace-park for details.
As if all that were not enough, the change in distance is so minor that it can be ignored here. - (8/15/17) Primitive camping (no facilities) is available on Tim Singer’s property on the west side of the Tuscarawas R at Point 19, only $5.00 per head. Because parking is limited, hikers wishing to basecamp from vehicles here have limited opportunity. Contact Tim Singer to confirm your desires. Although Singer did say that drop-ins would be accommodated, at least a day’s notice seems like common courtesy. Contact Tim at or 330-775-2198.
Trail Towns
ZOAR
Zoar was dedicated on May 13, 2016 at TrailFest. Zoar Village was founded in 1817 in Northern Tuscarawas County, Ohio near the Tuscarawas River by a group of 200 German Separatists seeking escape from religious persecution in their homeland. These Separatists thrived as a unique Society for more than 80 years, making Zoar Village one of the most successful communal settlements in American history. Today, Zoar Village is made up of approximately 75 families living in homes built from 1817 to the present.
The Buckeye Trail comes to Zoar past Ft. Laurens and using the Zoar Valley Trail, towpath trails, and a foot bridge leading into Zoar.
The North Country Trail, which runs concurrently with the Buckeye Trail through most of Ohio, does split off from the Buckeye Trail and heads east toward Pennsylvania. Cared should be taken not to follow the North Country Trail, as it is also blazed in a similar blue color.
Click on the following link for a listing of local lodging, dining, shopping, and attractions: Historic Zoar Village
Section Blog Posts
- (4/9/25) Buckeye Trail Sections Mogadore and Massillon meet in Hartville. Hiking through the village of Hartville is a foodie’s delight. Don’t miss the Chocolate Factory and Hartville Kitchen Restaurant for the best sweets, bakery, pies, and homestyle meals. Afterwards, enjoy the solitude and beauty in Quail Hollow State Park. Victoria Livingston takes you on this journey at her blog post Buckeye Trail Bites - a Foodies Hike Through Hartville