Chippewa Lake upgrades unveiled

The Medina County Park District has announced several new upgrades to Chippewa Lake, Ohio’s largest inland glacial lake, starting with a new paddlecraft access, located at 8108 Lake Rd., in Westfield Township, which offers visitors a convenient place to begin an adventure by canoe or kayak.

The paddlecraft site will be open May through October each year. Hours are 6 a.m. to one hour past sunset. It is not an ADA-accessible launch; it’s a pathway made of interlocking pavers leading to the outlet, where it’s a short, half-mile float to Chippewa Lake. Near the small parking lot is an H2Ohio-funded wetland enhancement project where, just a year ago, stood a monoculture of invasive grass.

The highly anticipated cleanup and restoration of the former Chippewa Lake Amusement Park is now underway as well. The former amusement park, which the MCPD purchased in June 2020, welcomed visitors for 100 years before closing in 1978. Rides were left to rust and decay, and Mother Nature quickly obscured the pathways and infrastructure.  

Chippewa Lake Mayor Joanne Dodaro has lived in the community for nearly 50 years and said is excited for this next chapter.

“I am very pleased that the park district will improve and preserve this beautiful piece of land for all to enjoy, once again,” Dodaro said.

Thanks to support from H2Ohio and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, MCPD will enhance two streams on the amusement park land, remove debris and crumbling asphalt, and remove non-native vegetation. The work will take place over approximately eight weeks.

“We’ll soon begin designing public access,” said MCPD Director Nathan Eppink. “This is the first step. We’re setting the stage for success.” Initial public access will include parking, trails, seating, picnic areas, displays, and more. A kayak launch for people of all abilities will be constructed in a future phase.

Launched by Governor Mike DeWine in 2019, H2Ohio is a collaborative water-quality effort to provide clean and safe water to Ohio. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency each has a significant role in H2Ohio through the natural infrastructure of wetlands, the reduction in nutrient runoff, and increasing access to clean drinking water and quality sewer systems. To learn more, visit h2.ohio.gov.

In conjunction with the park renovations, the MCPD plans to launch a new website dedicated to Chippewa Lake in the coming weeks. ChippewaLakeOhio.com will provide information about activities, rules on the water, partnerships, the park district’s master plan for Chippewa and more. ∞