New Akron Trail Links Two Regional Routes

Hikers and cyclists in downtown Akron gain a paved path between the Freedom Trail and Portage Hike & Bike Trail.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Hiking

Wide view of an empty paved trail curving beside a rail embankment and mature trees, with brick rooftops in the distance. — Summit Metro Parks completed Phase IVa of the Freedom Trail, a paved path linking Mill Street and Buchtel Avenue in downtown Akron. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Summit Metro Parks has completed Phase IVa of the Freedom Trail, a paved path for hikers and bikers running from Mill Street to Buchtel Avenue in downtown Akron. The section gives Akron-area trail users a new connection between the Freedom Trail and the Portage Hike & Bike Trail.

Why it matters

For Akron residents who hike, bike or walk for exercise, the new segment adds a continuous off-road route through the city's core without needing to use busy streets. Construction of the trail has been underway since 2011 and is supported by a grant from the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study.

Summit Metro Parks' completion announcement, dated November 6, 2026, reports the trail's phase lengths, with the first three phases at 4.2, about 2 and 1.8 miles and the fourth at 1.4 miles. The announcement does not state the length of Phase IVa or a timeline for completing the full nearly 10-mile route.

The players

Summit Metro Parks

The regional park district that builds and manages trails and green space in Summit County, including the Freedom Trail.

Metro Regional Transit Authority

The public transit agency serving the Akron area, which owns land along the railroad corridor the trail follows.

University of Akron

A public research university in Akron that owns land along the trail and is connected to it through Phase IVb.

Kent State University

A public research university in Kent that the completed trail network links with the University of Akron.

The details

Phase IVa is a paved path designed for both hikers and bikers, running south from Mill Street to Buchtel Avenue. The new trailhead sits at the intersection of Mill and Lincoln streets and includes a seasonal drinking fountain and a kiosk with a map. The trail runs alongside a railroad corridor on land owned by Metro Regional Transit Authority, the University of Akron and Summit Metro Parks, and it links the Freedom Trail with the Portage Hike & Bike Trail.

Freedom Trail construction began in 2011.
Summit Metro Parks announced completion of Phase IVa on November 6, 2026.

Health Landscape

Connecting trail segments into longer continuous routes is a common way local park systems expand access to off-road walking and cycling. The Freedom Trail's planned route, once finished, would connect the Portage County line to downtown Akron, adding miles of protected path for physical activity.

Akron residents looking to add walking or cycling to their routine now have a new downtown option that avoids heavy street traffic. Regular moderate activity like this is a practical way to build exercise time into daily life, and anyone with a health condition that limits activity should check with their physician before starting a new routine.

The takeaway

A new paved link in downtown Akron gives hikers and cyclists another route between two major trail systems. If you plan to use it regularly, consider mapping a route from the new Mill and Lincoln trailhead and discussing any new exercise plan with your doctor.

What happens next

Phase IVb will extend trail access from the University of Akron to the Metro RTA Transit Center and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail near downtown Akron, though no date for that phase was given.