Ira Trailhead Information

The trailhead has restrooms, picnic tables, and an information kiosk with more exhibits beyond.

NPS / Arrye Rosser

Quick Facts

Location:

3801 Riverview Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264

Significance:

Beaver Marsh is a popular wildlife viewing location. Its transformation from salvage yard to wetland is an iconic story of nature’s recovery in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Designation:

Ohio & Erie Canal District; Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area; Ohio to Erie Trail; Lake Erie Birding Trail; Industrial Heartland Trail Network

Amenities

13 listed

Accessible Sites, Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Picnic Table, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Tactile Exhibit, Toilet - Vault/Composting, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Wheelchair Accessible

Ira Trailhead is the gateway to Beaver Marsh, an extensive wetland popular for seeing and photographing wildlife. Once a dairy farm and then an auto salvage yard, the marsh reminds us of nature’s resilience. From the trailhead, walk a quarter mile north on the Towpath Trail to the boardwalk viewing area.

People and beavers both did work to create the marsh. After the National Park Service purchased the property, volunteers cleaned up the site. Beavers moved in after a 150-year absence. They built a system of dams to hold water in the marsh. It includes a dam across the Ohio & Erie Canal, as well as walls of mud and sticks that you can see surrounding the deepest water along the Beaver Marsh boardwalk.

Today the area is popular for birdwatching, wildlife watching, bicycling, hiking, photography, and much more. The trail is often congested. Use caution by staying to the right, controlling children and pets, and watching for passing cyclists.