Maumee Bay State Park, Ohio

Located along the banks of Lake Erie, Ohio’s Maumee Bay State Park offers activities for nearly everyone. You can stay in a very nice lodge with indoor swimming pool and toddler play area. Want more privacy? How about cottages? Camping? What? You don’t have camping equipment? No problem. The park has three Getaway Rentals that include tent, cooler, etc. for camping. Want something more unique? Ok, then. Maumee Bay has a Yurt for rent. But, they only have one, so reserve ahead.

Now that you are all settled in, what is there to do at Maumee Bay State Park? Plenty of outdoor fun, that’s what. Lake Erie beckons for walleye fishing or rent personal watercraft or ocean kayaks, go swimming or play on the beach. The gift shop has everything you need to make S’Mores including the sticks and wood for the fire. Walking is popular. My favorite trail was the two mile boardwalk that crosses swamp and marsh wetlands. There is even an observation blind if you want to do some birdwatching.

Try the 18-hole “Scottish Links” style golf course, or bicycle the paved trails. There are racquetball and basketball courts, plenty of open space and fresh air. The Trautman Nature Center, right next to the boardwalk, has hands on display and its Butterfly Gazebo is the big draw. During summer months you can see cocoons in various stages, and if you are lucky, watch a butterfly emerge from its cocoon. Butterflies flutter around and, if they like you, might land on your hat.

What I liked best was the Geocaching. This outdoor sport uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to find hidden caches or hide one. Geocaching has caught on worldwide as a fun, fairly inexpensive, family activity. A”cache” is typically a waterproof container containing a log book and some inexpensive items that you locate using coordinates and hints that are on the web or pick up a packet at the park. In other words, High Tech Hide and Seek. You can also rent a GPS receiver if your cell phone doesn’t give GPS coordinates. Geocaching has become so popular at Maumee Bay that the park offers package deals for geocachers.

Pack up your bunch and take a fun trip to Maumee Bay State Park. You won’t need a GPS to find it. Just head to 1400 State Park Road, Oregon, Ohio. If you are lost, call the park at 419-836-7758.