ODNR Guidebook Highlights Opportunities for Anglers and Paddlers

A new guidebook is now available from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) that highlights
publicly accessible sites found along 14 major Lake Erie river systems. Ohio’s Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook – Rivers Edition is available as a 285-page printed book as well as an online guide that includes links to interactive maps and Web resources.

“Whether it’s teaching your grandchildren how to fish or launching a kayak for your first trip downstream, spending a day enjoying Ohio’s waters is an opportunity to create lifelong memories,” said Office of Coastal Management Chief Scudder Mackey. “The Rivers Edition guidebook is another resource that Ohioans and visitors can use to help create those memories while supporting our local communities’ economies as they travel through the region.”

The Rivers Edition is a companion document to the popular Ohio’s Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook (Coast Edition), which the Office of Coastal Management published in 2010. The coast guidebook features 164 public access sites along the state’s 312-mile Lake Erie shore.

Ohio’s Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook – Rivers Edition features 220 public access sites along more than 870 river miles. The Rivers Edition highlights publicly accessible sites along (from west to east) the Ottawa, Maumee, Toussaint, Portage, Sandusky, Huron, Vermilion, Black, Rocky, Cuyahoga, Chagrin, Grand and Ashtabula rivers and Conneaut Creek, and describes the amenities, activities and services available at each site.

Access sites include federal, state, county, city, village and township parks; county metropark preserves and reservations; state and local nature preserves; state wildlife areas; scenic river and water trail accesses; former canal lands and towpaths; memorials and monuments; and roadside fishing areas. Sites range in size from small roadside fishing locations to the vast 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Ohio’s Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook – Rivers Edition is available at no cost at various locations, such as: the ODNR Division of Watercraft and Wildlife field offices in the Lake Erie watershed, state parks, metroparks and local and county visitor bureaus. It is also available on the Rivers Edition website at: http://LakeErie.ohiodnr.com/GoRivers.

Ohio’s Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook (Coast Edition), including additional sites and updates since it was originally published, is available as a printed brochure and online at: http://LakeErie.ohiodnr.com/GoCoast.

The Rivers Edition was developed by the ODNR Office of Coastal Management in partnership with the ODNR Office of Communications, and was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.