Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

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Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Middle Bass Island State Park

Middle Bass · Ottawa County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
124acres
—trail miles
2001established
1719 Fox, Middle Bass Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

This was a winery island. August Schmidt of Sandusky bought the property from an earlier winery operation and built the 60-room Hillcrest Hotel, then sold it in 1926 to George Lonz and his wife. Lonz became a major wine producer, and Lonz Winery turned the island into a genuine tourist destination — boats ran out from the mainland, and the terrace overlooking the water was the place to be.

On July 1, 2000, that terrace collapsed. One person died and about 75 were injured. The winery closed, and in 2001 the State of Ohio bought the 124-acre property.

Seventeen years later Ohio invested roughly $4 million restoring the mansion and grounds and building a state park around them. The Lonz Mansion reopened in 2024 as a living history museum and inn. What surrounds it is quieter than anything on South Bass: a marina, wetlands, woodlands, glacial grooves, shoreline, primitive camping, and an island with an airport, a post office, a few eateries, and very little else. Ferry service runs roughly May 1 to mid-October.

Things to do in the park

  • The restored Lonz Mansion — living history museum and inn, reopened 2024
  • Marina with a store and eatery
  • Glacial grooves and shoreline geology
  • Primitive camping — rare on the islands
  • Cycling the island; birding through the wetlands

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Middle Bass Island State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Put-in-Bay on South Bass, a short hop by boat
  • Kelleys Island and its glacial grooves
  • Lake Erie island wineries
  • Ferry connections from Catawba and Port Clinton

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Middle Bass Island State Park, 1719 Fox, Middle Bass
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Very limited given the island's small size. Check current ODNR regulations before planning anything.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

Hiking trails

Short trails through wetlands, woodlands and along the shoreline. Biking is the practical way to see the island.

Wildlife you might see

  • Wetland and woodland habitat uncommon in the island chain
  • Migratory songbirds — the Bass Islands are a major stopover
  • Glacial grooves in the limestone bedrock
  • Shoreline birds along Lake Erie

Birding

Middle Bass Island State Park sits on the Lake Erie shoreline, part of the same migration corridor that funnels warblers past Magee Marsh each May, plus gulls, terns and waterfowl through the colder months.

  • Common Loon (migrant)
  • Osprey
  • Ring-billed Gull
  • Bald Eagle
  • Herring Gull
  • Spotted Sandpiper
  • Caspian Tern
  • Tree Swallow
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Purple Martin
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Canada Goose

Early-to-mid May is peak songbird migration along the shore; late fall through winter brings waterfowl and gulls. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Surrounding Lake Erie: walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Marina on site.

Hunting

Very limited given the island's small size. Check current ODNR regulations before planning anything.

The Castle Built on Grape Juice

The Lake Erie islands were wine country long before they were vacation country, and Middle Bass was the capital. In 1865 a winery known as the Golden Eagle Wine Cellar opened on its south shore and grew into the largest winery in the country. Then came Prohibition, and the Lonz family did something clever. They kept going by selling bottles of grape juice with instructions on how to ferment it at home. Their juice even won gold medals in France in 1929.

After Prohibition ended in 1933, George Lonz began to build his dream: a Gothic stone castle over the old cellars. It burned in 1941 or 1942, and he rebuilt it with a tower, and the castle became a landmark on the lake for nearly sixty years, visited by dignitaries including, Wikipedia says, five American presidents.

Behind the legend

The founding story of the winery changes from source to source, as with many family businesses. ODNR credits Andrew Wherle with the Golden Eagle in 1865, while an old WPA guide says George Wehrle founded it in 1884, carving a wine cellar 14 feet deep into limestone. The fire is dated 1941 by the WPA guide and 1942 by ODNR. The claim about five presidents is on Wikipedia and not in the state's own material.

The end of the story is documented and tragic. On July 1, 2000, a terrace collapsed, killing one person and injuring dozens, and the winery closed. The state bought the property in 2001 and made it Ohio's 74th state park. ODNR reopened the restored cellars in 2017, and the Lonz Mansion reopened in 2024 with a Prohibition-era museum on the ground floor. Wine is no longer made on site.

If you go

Take the ferry to Middle Bass and tour the old cellars and the restored tower. In the mansion's museum, look for the story of how a winery survived Prohibition on grape juice.

Historic sites near Middle Bass Island State Park

Forts, villages, furnaces and lighthouses within reach of this park. Tap one for its story and visiting details.

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Put-in-Bay · South Bass Island · Lake Erie
A tall stone column on a Lake Erie island that marks the naval battle that won Lake Erie and the peace that followed.
National Park Service site
About 4 miles from this park · 1813; memorial built 1912–1915

Beaches at Middle Bass Island State Park

Lake Erie beach details for this park. Check for water advisories before you swim.

Middle Bass Island State Park Beaches

Middle Bass · Ottawa County
Small pebbly beaches on quiet Middle Bass Island, a 10-minute ferry ride from Put-in-Bay, where the old Lonz Winery is now a state park.
State parkSmall beaches of pebbles, sand and stones
Lifeguards: None listed

Caves near Middle Bass Island State Park

Caves, rock shelters and cave attractions within reach of this park. Stay on marked trails and official tours.

Crystal Cave at Heineman's Winery

Put-in-Bay · Ottawa County
A cave lined with blue-white celestite crystals, billed as the world's largest geode, discovered while digging a well in 1897.
Geode cave
About 4 miles from this park

Perry's Cave

Put-in-Bay · Ottawa County
A limestone cave 52 feet under South Bass Island, traditionally tied to Commodore Perry.
Show cave (limestone)
About 4 miles from this park

Campsites

Primitive campsite
Limited primitive camping in the park
$19–23/night

On site

  • Marina
  • Park store and eatery
  • Restrooms
  • Playground
  • Primitive camping
  • Ferry-access only, roughly May 1 to mid-October
Continue to ReserveOhio →
Field Notes Ohio isn't connected to ReserveOhio, so it can't hold a site or take payment. Tapping through opens it in a new tab — search "Middle Bass Island State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?419-285-2112

Ferry access only, and service runs roughly May 1 to about October 15. Plan the trip around the boat schedule — there is no bridge.

Restaurants nearby

J.F. Walleye's
The island's main restaurant — back patio, pool, tiki gift shop. Closed Tue & Wed
Directions
The Island Grind
Coffee shop and speakeasy, opens 6:30 a.m. daily. Trivia nights
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Mobil (mainland, Port Clinton)
Fuel up on the mainland before the ferry — island fuel is scarce and expensive
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

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