Go to website http://starkparks.com for more information. Sippo Lake Park (Perry Township) Sippo Lake is a 321-acre park with 107 acres of water and offers three entrances into the east, west and north regions of the park. The majority of Sippo’s natural areas are purposely preserved with limited public access and facilities. Each area of the park offers a unique recreational opportunity as well as an outdoor educational experience. East Sippo 5300 Tyner Street NW, Canton - off Perry Drive NW. Main Park Office: Located at the north end of Clubhouse building. Office hours: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday – Friday. Marina: Park operated concession available with boat rentals, bait sales, beverages, snacks, tackle and fishing licenses. The heated and air-conditioned building is available for rental October through March. Clubhouse: Heated and air-conditioned room with kitchen and restrooms for reunions, parties and meetings. Maximum capacity is 55 with overflow available on outside covered deck. Renovated in 1998. Boat Shelter: Large two-deck picnic shelter over-looking the lake with an attached kitchen. Maximum capacity is 90 people on the lower level. Upper level available for overflow but not reserved. Available for rental April through October. Fishing Facilities: 107 acre lake, 216 foot Sherban Fishing Pier, boat ramp and many shore fishing areas. Lake is stocked with catfish, bass, walleye, perch and pickerel. Picnic Facilities: Covered shelter, tables and grills available at Sippo Lake Park for rental on first-come-first-served basis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sippo Lake Park - North Entrance Off 12th Street NW, between Perry Drive Road and Genoa. In the late December 2003 the Stark County Park District closed the northern entrance of Sippo Lake Park to facilitate site development for the district's new education center and a new Perry Township Branch Library. Park operations staff will remove three old picnic shelters and a latrine. They will clear brush and trees, construct a trail to the park district's administrative office on the east side of Sippo Lake, and build a two-lane entrance road. Renovation of the Sippo Lake dam in this section of the park is also scheduled for 2004. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sippo Lake Park - West Entrance 800 Genoa Road NW (Perry Township) Massillon, 44646 Sanders Center of Outdoor Education - Extensive exhibits of live and mounted wildlife, rehabilitation program for injured and orphaned wildlife, nature programs and educational presentations for groups: open daily April - October, by appointment November - March. For more information, click here or call (330) 477-0448. Maintenance Headquarters – Provides public rest rooms. The Sippo Lake Connector is located within the City of Massillon, Perry Township and the City of Canton. The Sippo Lake Connector Trail is the major east-west connector that will link Canton with downtown Massillon and the Canal Corridor. It takes advantage of existing parks within Canton and Massillon and features the county park of Sippo Lake as its central focus. Predominantly routed through suburban residential neighborhoods of Massillon and Canton, the connector consists of a trail and several essential greenway opportunities along Sippo Creek. The creek is the central natural feature of the Massillon Parks of North and South Sippo Park and Reservoir Park on the northeast side of Massillon. These parks have been developed with walking and jogging trails. The identification of additional bike routes within these facilities will be a nice complement to the existing uses. It is anticipated that these routes can take advantage of existing roadways. The stream corridor has potential for ecological enhancements along its banks, with the goal being to return the stream to a more natural condition by reducing the impacts from the rapidly developing surrounding area. As the stream channel progresses toward Wales Park and its natural areas, there is a potential for an expanded greenway. This area will serve as an important refuge from the surrounding development. One of the few remaining farms within the vicinity provides the opportunity to extend the greenway toward Sippo Lake. Creation of recreation and conservation easements may serve as important protection tools for the existing land use. Utilizing low volume existing residential roadways for walking and bike routes is recommended to connect the northern edge of Sippo Lake Park and beyond to the Canton park system on the east side of Interstate 77. This route takes on a residential character at the County Fairgrounds. Recreational lanes will be along the road surface or potentially along sidewalks if regulations permit. The maintenance of parking on some streets will need to be evaluated. The proposed trail will be suited for pedestrians and cyclists.] The Stark Electric Railway Trail will connect Canton, Louisville, and Alliance Between Canton, Louisville and Alliance are the remains of an historic electric rail connection. The right-of-way is still visible in many stretches and to some degree remains in public ownership. The section of the proposed trail along Rt. 153 between Canton and Louisville is a mixed commercial/industrial/residential area. The section between Louisville and Alliance (Meese Road-Easton Street) is much more rural and passes through the small historic town of Maximo. Phase 1 of the Stark Electric Railway Trail was completed by the City of Canton with the dedication July 17, 2001, of 6,000 feet of trail along Mahoning Road from the city limits west toward Cook Lagoon. Funding was provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Enhancement Funds and through City Capital Improvement funds. The Cook Lagoon Trailhead was improved in 2000-02 with the dredging of the lagoon and the installation of a quarter-mile loop trail for pedestrians. Design of a restroom and picnic shelter have been completed, and funding is being sought. In the Canton area the East Branch of the Nimishillen Creek drains an area of rather heavy industrial use and parallels a major rail yard. As these uses are updated, it is recommended that the stream be restored to its natural condition for use as a greenway. East of Canton’s Cook Lagoon, a series of residential streets could be used to connect the Nimishillen greenway with the historic trolley right-of-way. As the future Stark Electric Railway Trail enters Louisville on the west, new streetscape improvements could provide an attractive gateway into town. At the eastern edge of Louisville, the proposed trail would use rail right of way and the Nimishillen Creek. It is recommended that a stream restoration program be undertaken. In Maximo the trail route would utilize the existing street and alley network. East of Maximo the historic right-of-way becomes visible as a utility easement. The proposed trail would parallel Easton Street to Alliance. It would cross Sawburg and go north to Electric and Electron Streets, traversing residential streets and connecting with the Iron Horse Trail at the southern edge of Alliance. The Stark Farmland Trail within Paris and Washington Townships would link Minerva and Alliance. The Stark Farmland Trail would be an alternate to the Iron Horse Trail. It similarly would provide a north-south connection between Minerva and Alliance, but would use rural roadways. It would enter suburban neighborhoods south and west of Alliance and intersect with the North County Loop, the Stark Electric Railway, and the Iron Horse Trail. Both trails will be pursued, and the option that becomes the most feasible will be constructed. This proposed roadside trail would be suited for bicyclists. The Upper Middle Branch trail will link Canton with Plain and Lake Townships The Upper Middle Branch Trail will become a primary north-south connector within the center of the county. It would connect Hartville to Canton at Riverside Park. Much of the route would parallel the Middle Branch of the Nimishillen Creek. The Canton Downtown Loop would further extend this route by connecting it to the West Branch Trail and Canton park network, and to the Lower Middle Branch Trail south of Munson Stadium. This section of the countywide system features a range of landscapes. From Riverside Park the route would be green space extending north to Martindale Park. The greenway would weave through inner city residential areas and back lot industrial areas and incorporate Cook, Maple and Reifsnyder Parks. Linkages would be made between these parks by using rail and stream corridors. The development of a greenway in this area could serve as an important revitalization tool. From Martindale Park the Upper Middle Branch Trail would continue through newer residential developments using low volume public streets and the reservoir of Central Allied. From here, there is the opportunity to establish an off-road greenway by utilizing airport and existing agricultural land. If cooperative agreements are not possible for public access and conservation zones, alternatives exist along the road network. The objective is to follow the creek with a protected zone of green space that would include a multi-purpose trail. The landscape becomes more rural and undeveloped as the route extends north to Middlebranch. Historic buildings and quaint alleys give Middlebranch an inviting character. The town has the opportunity to become a significant trailhead, providing an access point for surrounding residential areas. The Hoover Park Trail will join the Upper Middle Branch Trail in Middlebranch. From the town center the greenway continues for a short distance along the creek and through farmland. Then joins a series of rural roads and extends north, providing scenic views. These include Frommes, Gans, Wolf, and Wm. Penn Avenue. From Wm. Penn it will join Route 619 into Hartville. Route 619 is heavily traveled, and trails will need to be developed to segregate recreational traffic from automobile traffic. The proposed roadside trail will be suited for cyclists. The City of Alliance owns the majority of the land surrounding the two reservoirs with the Army Corp of Engineers controlling a small portion of land and a large portion of the water of Deer Creek Reservoir. In 1998 the city leased the land to the Stark County Park District to manage for public recreation. Since then, improvements to Walborn Reservoir have included the construction of a new marina, two-lane boat launch, paved parking lot, and a handicap accessible fishing pier. Boat rentals, bait, and food service are available April 1 through Columbus Day. An internal trail system is being developed which will connect with the Pontius/Price Connector Trail. The Stark County Park District also has installed a handicap accessible fishing pier at Deer Creek Reservoir, and it will build a new boat launch in the summer of 2004 with partial funding provided by a State of Ohio NatureWorks grant. The construction of a trail along the west side of the Mahoning River between the Deer Creek-Berlin dam and Earley Hill Park in Alliance is scheduled to begin in 2004 with partial funding provided by a Clean Ohio Fund grant. This trail along the Mahoning River will form the eastern section of the North County Loop trail, and will connect with Walborn Reservoir via the proposed east-west Pontius/Price Connector Trail. The park district has agreements with the Army Corp of Engineers and ODNR's Division of Wildlife to manage wildlife and fishing programs at both reservoirs. Shore line protection and ecological enhancement strategies are planned to improve the natural areas in the parks. Nearby fields, woodlands, and wetlands and are unique natural resources which will be preserved, and the surrounding farmlands offer a pastoral countryside that compliment planned recreational uses. The proposed trails will be suited for pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians. The West Branch Trail is within North Canton, Plain Township and Canton. The West Branch Trail runs north-south along the West Branch of the Nimishillen Creek, parallel to Interstate 77. It is an important connector for North Canton and Canton because it links Dogwood Park and Hoover High School in North Canton to the Canton park system. The Canton park system parallels the West Branch and is an established greenway of parks, cultural features and recreational amenities. This corridor has been cut off from the western suburbs of the City because of the Interstate and is interrupted by several east-west roadways. Modern road improvements and traffic patterns have obscured the historic connections. By improving intersection streetscape designs and establishing pedestrian crossings, a continuous north-south link of open space with walking and biking trails can be re-established. Several of the east-west countywide connections intersect with this route, creating primary activity nodes. This continuous link between all the parks along the West Branch will be feasible with infrastructure improvements and a consistent way-finding program of signage and landscape treatments. Residential streets are used to connect Dogwood Park with Price Park in North Canton. From this point a greenway connects the existing lands of Price Park and Ink Park and incorporates Covered Bridge Park and Arboretum Park. This connection utilizes the back lot area of a commercial zone along Whipple Avenue and an abandoned rail corridor. The Zimber Ditch provides some potential for an alternative route, although there is a conflict with the crossing of Interstate 77. From Ink Park, the corridor takes advantage of the established parks of Stadium Park, Monument Park, Waterworks Park, and West Park. These well-used parks feature several of Canton’s primary cultural attractions such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fawcett Stadium, Garden Center, McKinley National Museum, and Hoover Price Planetarium. South of West Park, as the West Branch becomes obscured by freeway interchanges, the trail and greenway take on a much different character. The park-like setting of the areas north are replaced by dramatic industrial buildings and overhead freeway and rail structures. The creek is no longer visible by the public which travels overhead on the freeway. After the interchange, the route joins the road system for a short distance within an industrial zone. A small vestige of an open space and recreational resource remains with the designation of Freeway Park. From here, the greenway continues with a connection to the Lower Middle Branch Trails at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium.