Make a Splash On the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail

Sailboat on Lake Erie (OH) [1]

When summer temperatures spike, take the kids and plunge into the cool waters off the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail. See why the Great Lake along this byway deserves its title as you play in and on Lake Erie and its neighboring waterways.

Enjoy the waters of the Maumee River with a historic ride on a mule-drawn canal boat at Providence Metropark, which lies about 10 miles southwest of the byway’s western terminus in Watertown, Ohio. On the 45-minute cruise, the family will love discovering what the mid-1800s were like as you all chat with the costumed crew and float down the Maumee.

Take the byway to Marblehead, about two hours east of Providence Metropark, and catch one of the hourly ferries out to Kelleys Island on Lake Erie. Arriving on the island, you’ll discover swimming beaches, ideal scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities that the kids will adore, public and private boat docks, and shore lines perfect for exploring in a sea kayak, which you can rent at the Island.

Beach Fun at Lake Erie (OH) [2]

To truly submerse yourself and your family in water recreation, go about 30 miles east of Cleveland to find the state’s largest natural beach at Headlands Beach State Park, just north of the byway. Let the kids experience the joy of sand between their toes and take a rejuvenating swim along this mile-long beach.

Just east of Headlands Beach lies Fairport Harbor‘s Lakefront Park Beach. After a day of swimming, canoeing, kayaking, or sailing, you and the kids will be hungry. Come onshore to cook a meal on the pavilion grills, play beach volleyball with friends, purchase snacks from the concession stand, or rinse yourselves off at the on-site shower facility. Don’t pass up a chance to participate in a kayak triathlon, take a boating class, or throw your own beach bash at this park.

Kayaking on Lake Erie (OH) [3]

On the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail you’ll find whole communities devoted to water recreation. One such town, Geneva-on-the-Lake, rests on the Lake Erie shore about 25 miles west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Explore the town’s substantial marina at Geneva State Park, open from May through October. It offers, in addition to docking space, boat accessories, bait and tackle, a deli, a convenience store, a repair service, and a fish-cleaning house. Pull away from the marina to treat the kids with an unforgettable moonlight, sunset, or sun-seeker chartered boat cruise on Lake Erie.

A few miles south of Geneva-on-the Lake in Harpersfield, join the Grand River Canoe and Kayak Race (registration required). Take your older children or teens and paddle hard over the 8.5 miles of the Grand State Wild and Scenic River in this annual April event. For added excitement you can enter the accompanying “Maddest Hat Contest," and wow the judges with your fancy fedoras.

Flock of Birds on Lake Erie (OH) [4]

Opportunities to swim, canoe, kayak, and ferry abound in this region of the Great Lakes, so trace Ohio’s northern border on the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail this summer to get wet, cool down, and have some family fun.