Mentor Lagoons Preserve (Cleveland Loop)
This 450-acre site lies at the western end of Mentor Marsh Sate Nature Preserve, and some of its more than three miles of trails link to the state nature preserve. The centerpiece is 1.5 miles of completely undeveloped beach. Swimming is not permitted and the wild beach offers a glimpse into the past and what many of Lake Erie's beaches once resembled.
Key Species by Season
Spring
- Swamp Sparrow
- Veery
- Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Summer
- Downy Woodpecker
- Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
- Wood Thrush
Fall
- White-Throated Sparrow
- Swainson's Thrush
- Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Winter
- Tufted Titmouse
- White-Breasted Nuthatch
- Dark-Eyed Junco
At-a-Glance
13 - Mentor Lagoons Preserve
City of Mentor
8365 Harbor Drive
Mentor, OH 44060
440.205.3625
Public Access
Open daily, dawn until dusk
Amenities
Hiking Trails, Restrooms, Picnic Area, Handicap Accessible Trails, Outdoor Feeders
Driving Directions
From the west take State Route 2 or I-90 to State Route 615 (Center Street). Turn left and continue north until the road ends at Lake Shore Boulevard. Turn right and then an immediate left at Harbor Drive. At the stop sign turn right and follow the road to the trail head.
What to Look For
This 450-acre site lies at the western end of Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, and some of its more than three miles of trails link to the state nature preserve. The centerpiece is 1.5 miles of completely undeveloped beach. Swimming is not permitted and the wild beach offers a glimpse into the past and what many of Lake Erie's beaches once resembled.
Marshy areas along the east and south side of the preserve can be excellent for sparrows and other marsh birds in migration. The trail that leads from the parking lot to the beach bisects mature woods that can be full of songbirds in migration, and also supports a diversity of breeding birds. The bluffs above the beach offer commanding views, and can be an excellent area to scan the lake for waterbirds.
Noteworthy Rarities
Clay-colored Le Conte's and Nelson's sparrows have turned up in migration. The waters of Lake Erie, offshore from the beach, have produced King Eider and Pomarine Jaeger.
Natural Features
A rare Ohio tree, the pumpkin ash (Fraxinus profunda) grows along the main trail from the parking area to the beach. In late summer and fall, lots of dragonflies of many species can gather in vegetation behind the beach, and this is a good locale to watch for rare species such as striped saddlebags (Tramea calverti).
Local Resources
Lake County Visitors Bureau & Welcome Center
City of Mentor
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society
About the Cleveland Loop
The Cleveland region—Cuyahoga and Lake counties—is by far the most populous area along Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline. It also harbors the most birders, and as a consequence the bird life of the Cleveland vicinity is better known than probably anywhere else in Ohio. Birding is good at all seasons, and records of exciting rarities abound.
This loop is the most populous region on the trail, as the city of Cleveland and neighboring areas are the most developed locales on Ohio’s Lake Erie shoreline. There are more sites on the Cleveland Area Loop – 28 – than any other loop. Every type of habitat found along the lake occurs on this loop, and some of the sites are among the most famous birding hotspots in the Midwest. The total species list for this loop is 356, and a remarkable 12 of those have only been recorded in this region.
What to Look For
The centerpiece of this loop is the city of Cleveland. The Greater Cleveland area is the largest metropolitan region in Ohio, with a population over two million. There are probably more active birders here than anywhere else in the state and as a consequence this loop's bird list is large and spectacular.
Many of the sites along this loop offer outstanding birding opportunities during spring migration, and a number of these same sites support a great diversity of breeding birds. Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve is a standout among migratory hotspots, and boasts one of the largest bird lists of any single site in Ohio.
The greatest sheer numbers of birds occur in fall migration. Lakeside spots such as Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve draw in scads of songbirds: warblers, thrushes, sparrows, and many others. As fall merges into winter, tremendous numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls and Red-breasted Mergansers build up, especially along the downtown Cleveland lakefront.
Even winter has its charms. Eighteen species of gulls have been found, which puts the Cleveland region near the forefront of North America's best gull-watching locales. Joining the gulls are a wide variety of hardy waterfowl, including scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and the occasional King Eider.
Noteworthy Rarities
At least nine species of birds have been found in the Cleveland region, but nowhere else in Ohio. Some of the mega-rarities include: Common Eider, Ivory Gull, Ross's Gull, Black Guillemot, Common Ground-Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Boreal Owl, Rock Wren, and Painted Redstart. Some of the sites on this loop are great places to look for rare species such as Purple Sandpiper and Red Phalarope.
Natural Features
Ohio's best remaining natural beach community is found at Headland's Dunes State Nature Preserve. Many rare plants occur there, such as Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus), American Beach Grass (Ammophila breviligulata), and Seaside Spurge (Chamaesyce polygonifolia). Fantastic concentrations of Monarch butterflies can gather at lakefront sites in fall migration. Cuyahoga Valley National Park and The Holden Arboretum, in particular, support a staggering array of botanical diversity across a broad range of habitats.
8365 Harbor Drive Mentor, OH 44060
