Summit Lake NorthShore Park Update: April 15, 2026

The Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition as part of Akron Civic Commons will be releasing regular "hard hat" video updates on the development of the Akron Civic Commons 2.0 Summit Lake NorthShore Park, coming Spring 2026! Summit Lake's North Shore, currently owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is located near the center of the 101-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and was the highest point (summit) of the 308-mile canal. The Summit Lake NorthShore will be transformed into a natural and recreational destination for community members and visitors with accessible amenities like a canoe and kayak share, new boat ramp, lakeside seating and firepits, covered pavilions, floating boardwalk, and more. All of the park's main structures are currently in place (except for an additional storage building) including the Knight Pavilion, two picnic shelters and boat house. Work continues on the interior of these buildings throughout the spring, including electrical, HVAC, plumbing/restrooms, and drywall. The 8-foot fishing pier is also fully installed, providing a complete view of the lake from north to south. The park's layout is taking shape with the addition of curbing and concrete pathways, and crews are preparing to install the asphalt parking lot in the coming weeks. Through the vision of our Summit Lake residents and the support of our generous funders like the City of Akron, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, GAR Foundation and individual donors, we are reconnecting residents and visitors to Summit Lake by creating an attractive civic commons space that is accessible, equitable and welcoming to all. A special thanks to the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau for their grant support for our hard hat update videos, and to the Cavanaugh Building Corporation for providing the updates and their hard work on the development of the Summit Lake NorthShore Park.