Headlands Beach State Park

Mentor Headlands Beach State Park 

When you can’t go on vacation, bring the vacation to you. 

Living in Cincinnati, you sometimes forget that we have one of the Great Lakes touching our very own state of Ohio (Lake Erie). I remember going for the first time at 16 years old, thinking it wouldn’t be that much bigger than the local lakes in Cincinnati, but it’s much more massive than I could have ever imagined. There are so many fun beaches along the coast, but I think I have found my favorite hidden gem. 

With all of the madness going on right now, we needed a little “socially-distanced” escape so we woke up super early and drove 4 hours north to the beach. Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor, Ohio. This is the largest beach in Ohio, running a mile long. There are two trails: The Buckeye trail(1.5 miles) and The Fishing trail(0.4 miles). There are some smaller pathways that can be found throughout the park. The pathway pictured above is located near the Headlands Dune State Nature Preserve.

This beach provides amazing views, tons of walking, and plenty to explore. One of the coolest features of this beach is the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse. As you approach the lighthouse, the shoreline changes. First, you are met with soft sand, but as you get closer to the lighthouse it becomes more lithic. The rocks come in a variety of colors so they are really interesting to look at. You may even find a few stacked rock creations on your stroll.

Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse.  

For lunch we stopped at Sunset Harbor Bar and Grill, which is about a 10 minute drive from the beach. There is plenty of outdoor seating. We got to sit out on the dock, which made for a breezy, relaxing lunch. By the time we had arrived at lunch our party was ready to order so we hastily made a decision of what to eat. I got the chicken finger dinner and Caleb got a cheeseburger. They were both really good, but the menu had many other delicious options to choose from.

Sunset Harbor Bar and Grill

After a long day at Mentor, we drove across town to Rocky River to end our trip with some Mitchell’s Ice Cream.🍨 We enjoyed our Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream while we watched the sunset at Rocky River Park. Then we embarked on the journey home. This trip was very quick, but so many memories were made.

Mitchell’s Ice Cream

Next time you’re looking for a quick escape and you can’t make it to the tropical destination that your heart desires, check out Headlands Beach State Park.