Catawba Island State Park

About Catawba Island State Park

During the day, the park offers a variety of activities such as hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and camping. Swimming is allowed, but at your own risk, as it can lead to serious injury or death, especially in children under 5 years of age.

Lake Erie Islands State Park welcomes visitors to the shimmering Great Lake and its many islands. These five state parks offer a variety of activities including hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, camping and fishing.

The islands were formed during the Ice Age, when a massive ice sheet reached Ohio, and several parks include the Erie Islands. In the park you can go fishing, canoeing, kayaking, boating, hiking, camping and fishing in the Great Lake and its many islands.

Glaciers dug into the rock and washed it away, but its enormous weight left deep depressions filled with meltwater that formed the Great Lakes. Lake Erie, the smallest of the Great Lakes, is flat and allows for violent storms and high waves. The lake is divided into three basins; the western basin has an average depth of 25-30 feet, and the eastern basin has an average depth of 120 feet.

Lake Erie has warmer temperatures, which means that more fish such as wallise, perch and other fish species are produced. The dominant species are bees, with annual catch ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 pounds (5 to 7,300 kg) of each species.

The islands are made of limestone, and small scratches in the rock surface, known as glacial claws, are common, while large grooves like those on Kelleys Island are rare and impressive. A detailed description of the island and the limestone can be found here.

The Rattlesnake Island is so named because many reptiles lived here years ago. The coast of the island is home to a variety of reptiles, including a large, leggy reptile as well as some small ones.

Once rattlesnakes made of wood were widespread on the islands, but have disappeared from the area today.

Migratory birds rest here, fly over the lake and hundreds of different species can be identified, making it one of the state's most bird-rich observation areas. Many bird species live in this area, from breeding pairs to squabs and adult raptors.

Evidence of the island's existence is carved into inscriptions in rocks on Kelleys Island, and over 500-year-old pictographies are carved into massive limestone blocks. Indian tribes (Ottawa, Huron and Wyandot) occupied this region of Lake Erie before the 1812 war and at various times thereafter.

European settlers eventually drove out the Ottawa and Huron, and the 1812 war ended with the Americans defeating the British at the Battle of Kelleys Island in 1813. The decisive naval battle of this war took place in Put, the biggest battle in the history of Lake Erie. This victory led to the final defeat of the British in this war and gave the Americans control over Lake Ohio and its tributaries, as well as control over the entire Erie Lake.

Put Bay was first transformed into a sheep farm, where a herd of 2,000 animals once lived. The islands remained sparsely populated until J.D. Rivers bought five of the islands in 1854 and eventually handed them over to fruit farmers.

The islanders soon realized that the cultivation of grapes was very profitable and that the islands had a stabilizing effect. The islands, sometimes referred to as "wine islands," have a wine culture and played an important role in the development of the wine industry in North America and also in Europe.

By 1887, the area covered about one-third of the total land area in the United States and about two-thirds of the entire land area in California.

Besides the harvest, the islands supported other profitable industries, and some of the island's wineries still exist today. The wine of these islands was once rated by a good judge as comparable to the best production in France. An additional tool was the production of a variety of wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Chablis.

South Bass Island has been a famous summer resort for centuries, and the Victory Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1919, is still visible.

In the early 1950s, the five areas of Lake Erie Island State Park were added to the state park system. Several other state parks are located on the Lake Erie Islands, and tourism has flourished in the area, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in North America.

Swimming, picnicking, boating and fishing are popular in the eastern harbour, and at the northern end of the park there is a small beach with picnic area and picnic tables. Marblehead Lighthouse, built in 1821, is the oldest lighthouse on the Lake Erie Islands and the only one of its kind in North America. It is known for its spectacular views of Lake Michigan and is home to a number of historic buildings as well as a variety of other historic sites.

It is located at the eastern end of Catawba Island State Park, just north of the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The area around the sanctuary includes the Catawba Island National Wildlife Refuge and Ottawa County Wildlife Management Area. For more information, please contact the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau at (888) 562-5555.