Best Kayaking Destinations: Lake Erie
Have you ever dreamed of kayaking one of the Great Lakes? Take in the wonder of the breathtaking and serene beauty of Lake Erie on a kayak. Filled with beautiful bays, alcoves, and an abundance of wildlife, this Great Lake is a must kayak. Here are some popular water trails to help you explore Ohio’s 312 miles of Lake Erie shores.
Mainland Trail
Ohio’s mainland shoreline of Lake Erie offers views of the Great Lake, Sandusky Bay, Kelleys Island and South Bass Island. There are several points of entry from Catawba Island State Park on the west side to the Marblehead Lifesaving Station on the east. Explore rocky shorelines, marshes, wetlands and more as you paddle along the Egret Marsh Preserve, the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Marblehead Lighthouse, the oldest continuing operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes.
Kelleys Island Trail
Kelleys Island is Ohio’s largest island in Lake Erie at 2,800 acres. The State Park offers camping, trails and 430 feet of glacial grooves. With a rich history of viticulture and quarrying there’s much to see from your kayak. The North Pond State Nature Preserve is a wetland separated from the lake by a barrier dune. Scheele Preserve offers a land trail to the state-threatened rock elms savanna. Inscription Rock has nearly 100 Native American pictographs. The west side of Kelleys Island’s shoreline is dotted with Victorian-style homes. The North shore houses the North Shore Alvar State Nature Preserve with its unique ecosystem created from soil scrapped from the limestone by ice, wind and water.
South Bass Island Trail
This is one of the most visited islands in all of Lake Erie. It offers a wide variety of activities and spectacular kayaking. Paddle around the shoreline of the Oak Point State Park and catch views a beautiful rock arch. The Massie Cliffside Preserve offers breathtaking views of cliffs, woodlands, and a dock with a trail system for dry land exploration. Scheeff East Point Nature Preserves North and East have a total of eight acres of lakefront preserve with a trail and The Village Bathing Beach offers a sandy place to stop and visit.
Middle Bass Island Trail
Named “Isle des Fleurs” by French explorers, Middle Bass Island has a rich history of grape growing and winemaking. Paddle around the island for views of rocky cliffs, a historic boathouse, wet woodlands housing several threatened and endangered plants and amphibians and Bald Eagles.
North Bass Island Trail
Also know as Isle St. George this island is less than 2 miles from the Canadian border, making it an important stop for migrating birds island-hopping across the lake. Much of the island is undeveloped, offering a spectacular experience for nature loving kayakers. As you kayak around the island, you’ll have views of Fox’s Marsh State Wildlife Area, one of the few natural coastal wetlands remaining on the islands, undeveloped shorelines, a sand beach and small wetland area great for wildlife watching by Honey Point Wildlife Area.
Planning Your Lake Erie, Ohio Kayaking Trip
There’s much to see and explore along Ohio’s Lake Erie shores from historic sites and wildlife, sandy beaches and wooded trails, making a great destination for kayakers and nature lovers of all kinds. And what could be more thrilling than kayaking a Great Lake?
And when your trip is over, make sure you have a proper place to store your kayak. A custom kayak rack will help preserve your kayak, so it lasts longer and requires less maintenance and allows you to spend more time on the water. For specific questions, inquiries, or custom orders, contact Log Kayak Rack at 1-715-543-2006.