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
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail

Ohio's north coast
Scenic byway · Conneaut to Michigan border near Toledo
293miles
9stops

A 293-mile drive along Ohio's Lake Erie shore, with lighthouses, beaches and island ferries.

Length
293 miles
Designated
December 2004
Route
Follows the coastline of Lake Erie from Conneaut in the east to the Michigan border near Toledo, along various state routes
Lighthouses
Fairport Harbor and Marblehead are among Ohio's best known
Best for
Beaches, lighthouses and the Lake Erie islands
Designation
An America's Byway

The story

The Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail follows the state routes that hug Ohio's north coast, across the state. The lake was Ohio's highway before there were roads: Perry's victory in 1813 opened it to American shipping, the canals joined it to the interior, and Johnson's Island in Sandusky Bay held Confederate officers during the Civil War. The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1871 to replace an 1825 tower, and Marblehead Lighthouse mark the harbors.

Today the trail links state parks, beaches, harbors and small towns. The islands of Kelleys, South Bass and Middle Bass are reached by ferry, and the peninsulas of Catawba and Marblehead are joined to the mainland by roads and bridges.

Stops along the way

1 Headlands Beach State Park
Ohio's longest natural beach and the Buckeye Trail's northern end. Headlands Beach State Park.
Open
2 Fairport Harbor Lighthouse
A 60-foot sandstone tower from 1871 and a marine museum. See the Fairport Harbor entry.
Open
3 Mentor
Garfield's home, Lawnfield, near the Lake Erie shore. See the Garfield Lawnfield entry.
Open
4 Geneva State Park
A lakeshore park with a lodge, marina and camping. Geneva State Park.
Open
5 Marblehead Lighthouse
Ohio's oldest lighthouse in continuous service. Marblehead Lighthouse State Park.
Open
6 Johnson's Island
A Civil War prison island, reached by a toll causeway. See the Johnson's Island entry.
Open
7 East Harbor and Catawba Island
Two Lake Erie parks on the peninsula. East Harbor State Park.
Open
8 Perry's Victory Memorial, Put-in-Bay
A 352-foot column on South Bass Island, reached by ferry. See the Perry's Victory entry.
Open
9 Maumee Bay State Park
A lodge and beach park near Toledo. Maumee Bay State Park.
Open

Take the stops with you

Load the 9 stops into your maps app to drive between them.

The file holds 9 waypoints and a stop-by-stop route line. Locations are approximate, often a town center, so use the stop notes to find the exact spot. Your maps app chooses the roads between stops, usually the fastest, so follow the byway signs where they differ. The GPX arrives in a zip file; unzip it and open the .gpx in a GPS or hiking app. The CSV imports into Google My Maps.

Where to camp nearby

Headlands Beach State Park
The northern end of the Buckeye Trail.
Open
Geneva State Park
A lakeshore lodge park.
Open
East Harbor State Park
A big camping park on the lake.
Open
Maumee Bay State Park
A lodge and beach park near Toledo.
Open

Tips

  • Ferries to the islands run seasonally; check schedules.
  • Lake Erie beaches are best from June to September.
  • Book island lodging early for summer weekends.

Distances are the route lengths given by the sources. Confirm road conditions, closures and seasonal hours before you go.

Ohio scenic byways list →

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.