Marblehead Lighthouse State Park

Marblehead Lighthouse State Park (Sandusky Bay Loop)

This small, 13.5-acre, park attracts scores of visitors—most who come to see the historic lighthouse. The tower was constructed in 1821 and its light has been in operation ever since, making Marblehead Lighthouse the oldest operational lighthouse on the Great Lakes.

Key Species by Season

Spring

• Spotted Sandpiper
• Belted Kingfisher
• Orange-Crowned Warbler

Summer

• Herring Gull
• Yellow Warbler
• Song Sparrow

Fall

• White-Throated Sparrow
• Common Loon
• Cape May Warbler

Winter

• Ring-Billed Gull
• Great Black-Backed Gull
• Common Merganser

At-a-Glance

4

55 - Marblehead Lighthouse State Park
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Ohio State Parks
110 Lighthouse Drive
Marblehead, OH 43440

419.734.4424

Public Access
Grounds open all day year-round. Tours available May through October, including Keepers House

Amenities
Hiking Trail, Restrooms, Visitors Center, Picnic Area

Driving Directions
Take State Route 2 to State Route 269 North. Turn right onto SR163. Park is located on SR 163 approximately 7 miles on left side, after town of Marblehead.

What to Look For

This small, 13.5-acre, park attracts scores of visitors—most who come to see the historic lighthouse. The tower was constructed in 1821 and its light has been in operation ever since, making Marblehead Lighthouse the oldest operational lighthouse on the Great Lakes. As the park sits on the lakeshore and is buffered by trees and other vegetation, birding can be quite good in spring and fall migration. Lots of warblers and other songbirds can drop into the park's trees after crossing the lake in fall migration, or congregate to rest and refuel before heading north across its waters in spring.

Local Resources

Lake Erie Shores & Islands  
Marblehead Peninsula Chamber of Commerce  
Ohio State Parks 

Nearby Lake Access Sites
Lake Point Park. Located a mile south of Marblehead Lighthouse on State Route 163. This nearly nine acre park is owned and managed by Danbury Township, and offers good views of Lake Erie.

Sandusky Bay Bridge Access. This is the old causeway road that formerly crossed Sandusky Bay, just to the north of the State Route 2 bridge. Access is off Bayshore Road, just west of its junction with Danbury Road.

About the Sandusky Bay Loop

The massive Sandusky Bay is the most conspicuous bay on Ohio’s Lake Erie shoreline. State Route 2 passes over the bay via a bridge that is over 2.5 miles in length, and is crossed by many of the nearly 7 million visitors each year. This region of Lake Erie is renowned for its marshes and the tremendous numbers of waterfowl that occur in migration. Historically, vast wet prairies occurred, remnants of which still exist.

The most prominent bridge along Ohio’s Lake Erie shoreline is the State Route 2 span over massive Sandusky Bay. Historically, the bay was ringed with mixed-emergent marshes and prairie wetlands, most of which have been destroyed. However, large marshlands are still protected and provide some of the most important bird habitat along Lake Erie. Sandusky Bay and vicinity is a very important stopover area for migratory waterfowl. The total species list for this loop is 313, and three of them – Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Magnificent Frigatebird, and Ancient Murrelet – have only been found in this region.

What To Look For

The massive Sandusky Bay is the most conspicuous bay on Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline. State Route 2 passes over the bay via a bridge that is over 2.5 miles in length, and is crossed by many of the nearly 7 million visitors that come to the Sandusky Bay region each year. This region of Lake Erie is renowned for its marshes and the tremendous numbers of waterfowl that occur in migration. Historically, vast wet prairies occurred, especially along the southern reaches of Sandusky Bay. While most of these prairies have been lost, remnants still exist, such as Resthaven Wildlife Area.

Noteworthy Rarities

The total species list for this loop is 313, and three of them—Blackbellied Whistling-Duck, Magnificent Frigatebird, and Ancient Murrelet— have only been found in this region. Many other rare birds have been seen here, including Eurasian Wigeon, Tricolored Heron, Western Tanager, and White-faced Ibis.

Natural Features

The largest remaining marshes in Ohio buffer the western end of Lake Erie. In addition to supporting tremendous numbers and diversity of birds, these wetlands also harbor many other animals and an impressive diversity of plants. Species of plants that are now threatened or endangered, such as wild rice and bullhead-lily, can still be found. Two interesting reptiles that can be found are the Blanding’s turtle and Eastern fox snake, both of which are largely confined to the western Lake Erie shoreline in Ohio. Large numbers of dragonflies of many species live in the marshes, and occasionally rare migrant dragonflies are found, such as the striped saddlebags.