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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  • 117parks & forests
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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

Mosquito Lake State Park

Cortland · Trumbull County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
2,483acres
15trail miles
1944established
1439 Wilson Sharpsville Rd, Cortland Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

In 1795 the Connecticut Land Company put a 17,247-acre tract called Bazetta Township up for sale, split into a hundred parcels. The first settlers arrived in 1805 to genuine wilderness — clearing ground, planting, building a log house and a stockade to keep the animals safe, because deer, turkey, rabbit and squirrel were plentiful and so were bears and wolves. Samuel Bacon arrived in 1816 and ran a sawmill until 1850, putting up some of the township's first frame buildings.

The dam finished in April 1944, wartime again, holding back 34 billion gallons across 7,850 acres. In 1946 the Army Corps of Engineers handed recreation management to Ohio. What resulted is the third-largest lake in the state and one of the most-visited parks in the system — but with an unusual wrinkle. The refuge at the north end, in North Bloomfield, is closed to the public except for guided tours and controlled draw hunts.

That closure is why the wildlife here is what it is. Birders regard Mosquito as one of the finest viewing areas in Ohio — red-tailed hawks, marsh hawks, kestrels, goshawks, bald eagles, osprey, and great blue heron are all findable from almost anywhere around the lake. The refuge also shelters the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, one of the rarest reptiles in Ohio. Around it, 2,483 acres of mature woodland and wide marsh, and a lake open enough for everything from sailing to water skiing.

Things to do in the park

  • Birding — widely considered one of Ohio's best wildlife viewing areas
  • 600-foot sand beach
  • Five boat launches, a marina with fuel pumps, boat and seasonal dock rentals
  • Free public archery range
  • Disc golf course and a 5-acre off-leash dog park with its own beach
  • Winter: ice fishing, ice skating, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Mosquito Lake State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Grand River Wildlife Area for hunting and birding
  • Warren and Youngstown, 15–30 minutes
  • Pymatuning State Park, about 45 minutes northeast
  • West Branch State Park to the west

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
Mosquito Lake State Park, 1439 Wilson Sharpsville Rd, Cortland
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Permitted in designated areas and times within the park, and in the nearby Grand River Wildlife Area. Controlled hunts by draw are conducted in the Mosquito Wildlife Refuge at the north end. Valid Ohio license required.

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

About 15 miles of hiking trail, plus 5 miles of mountain bike loops, 10 miles of bridle trail (bring your own horse), and roughly 29 miles of snowmobile trail in winter.

Wildlife you might see

  • Bald eagles, osprey, goshawks, marsh hawks, red-tailed hawks, kestrels
  • Great blue heron
  • Eastern massasauga rattlesnake — one of Ohio's rarest reptiles, in the refuge
  • Heavy waterfowl and shorebird migration in spring and fall
  • Vast marshes and mature hardwood forest

Birding

Mosquito Lake shares its shoreline and marsh with the adjoining Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, a documented nesting site for Bald Eagles with strong fall waterfowl migration.

  • Bald Eagle
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Osprey
  • Snow Goose (migration)
  • Tundra Swan (migration)
  • Common Loon (migrant)
  • Barn Swallow
  • Belted Kingfisher
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • American Goldfinch
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Hairy Woodpecker

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Mosquito Lake (7,850 acres): walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie. Shore and boat fishing both productive; ice fishing is a major winter activity.

Hunting

Permitted in designated areas and times within the park, and in the nearby Grand River Wildlife Area. Controlled hunts by draw are conducted in the Mosquito Wildlife Refuge at the north end. Valid Ohio license required.

Getting on the water

7,850 acres with no horsepower limit — open water big enough for sailing and skiing, with a designated open ski zone and a 15 mph zone elsewhere. The north end is a game refuge with no boating at all.

Launches & facilities

Five launch ramps
Spread around the lake; one is at the campground with shoreline tie-ups for campers.
Marina
Fuel pumps, bait concession, and rentals — jet skis, pontoons, fishing and paddle boats.
Seasonal dock rental
Available through the park.

Camper-reported waterfront sites

Site Lakeshore campground sites
Some sites sit right on the shoreline with panoramic views and boat tie-ups; the majority of the campground is set back in mature forest.

These come from camper reports, not an official ODNR list — verify against site photos on ReserveOhio before booking.

Good to know

  • The campground has its own boat launch with shoreline tie-ups — one of the few Ohio parks where you can moor at camp.
  • Watch the posted zones: game refuge (no boating), 15 mph zone, and open ski zone are all marked.
  • Ice fishing is serious here in winter, and the lake also draws ice skaters.

The Refuge Nobody Can Enter

The best of Mosquito Lake is behind a gate. The lake is the third largest in Ohio and one of the most-visited parks in the system, but the refuge at the north end, in North Bloomfield, is closed to the public except for guided tours and controlled draw hunts. That closure is the reason the wildlife here is what it is.

Birders count it among the finest viewing areas in Ohio: red-tailed hawks, marsh hawks, kestrels, goshawks, bald eagles, ospreys and great blue herons are all findable from almost anywhere around the lake. The refuge also shelters the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, one of the rarest reptiles in Ohio.

Behind the legend

The lake itself came in wartime. The dam was finished in April 1944 and holds back 34 billion gallons across 7,850 acres, and in 1946 the Corps of Engineers handed recreation management to Ohio. The land was older than that: in 1795 the Connecticut Land Company put a 17,247-acre tract called Bazetta Township up for sale in a hundred parcels, and settlers came in 1805 to a wilderness with bears and wolves. Samuel Bacon arrived in 1816 and ran a sawmill until 1850.

Around the refuge, the park has 2,483 acres of mature woodland and wide marsh.

If you go

Look for eagles and ospreys from the park side, and ask about a guided tour of the refuge.

Campsites

Electric site
216 electric sites among mature forest; some with lakeshore access and views
$33–37/night
Non-electric site
16 sites, 15 of them walk-in only
$23–27/night
Group camping
Two large non-electric group areas
Varies

On site

  • Shower building with flush toilets; pit latrines throughout
  • Free WiFi at the camp office
  • Laundry and camp store
  • Basketball, volleyball and horseshoe courts
  • Games and sports equipment loaned to registered campers
  • ADA sites 41 and 42
  • Pets permitted at all sites except yurts
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 "Mosquito Lake State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?330-637-2856

Restaurants nearby

Monty's By The Lake
Renovated lakeside spot; Friday fish fry. Open Fri–Sat only
Directions
Vasilio's Restaurant & Pizzeria
Italian and pizza, big portions. Closed Sundays
Directions
The Local Tap & Grill
Lakeside patio with live music and sunset views
Directions
Top Notch Diner
Open 6 a.m. daily — the early-start option
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Speedway
24 hours in Cortland
Directions
Valley View Food Mart
Local stop known for gyros and wings
Directions

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

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.