Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
Try:
The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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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
2 to 3 daysto drive
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.

Google Maps: stops 1 to 9

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.