A new water trail offers ways for kayakers, boaters and recreation enthusiasts to access and enjoy the outdoors along the Portage River.
On July 19, state and local officials designated the Portage River Water Trail, a joint effort by the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) and its Portage River Basin Council, waterfront communities and a list of partners who helped bring the project to reality.
In northwest Ohio the Portage River is popular for recreational activities such as kayaking, boating and fishing.
The new water trail features signage showing 12 access locations and facilities available along the river between Pemberville and Port Clinton, as well as hazards that people on the river may encounter.
A guidebook for the 36-mile water trail includes access points with mile markers and information about parking, restrooms and distance to shore, as well as safety tips and markers for hazards such as dams or where motorized boats and ferries may be traveling.
“We’re thrilled to be able to offer this new resource for people in our region,” said Ottawa County Commissioner Mark Coppeler, chair of TMACOG’s Portage River Basin Council. “The new water trail creates so many opportunities to experience everything the Portage River and the communities along its banks have to offer.”
The trail adds to a list of 16 existing water trails statewide, including another that was previously designated along the Maumee River.
The goal of Ohio’s water trail program is to promote the awareness of public paddling access while increasing safety by partnering with local communities to develop designated water trails on Ohio’s waterways. Trails are planned on the local level: communities, user groups and park districts are among those that recommend existing access sites for a proposed trail.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) guides the process, encouraging communities to work across political boundaries and providing reimbursement for brochures, maps and signage.
“These aren’t projects that are run by the state or one group. There are a lot of partners who help this to happen,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz.
The Portage River Water Trail project involved crucial support from partners including the Wood County Park District; Friends of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge; Port Clinton; villages of Elmore, Oak Harbor, Pemberville and Woodville; Oak Harbor Development Group; Ohio Department of Natural Resources; Ohio Sea Grant; Ottawa County commissioners; Park District of Ottawa County; Shores and Islands Ohio, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
For more information about Ohio’s water trails, visit ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/land-water/rivers-streams-wetlands/ohio-watertrails.
