Natural appeal Lake Erie isle offers glacial grooves, relaxing family atmosphere amid parks, preserves
KELLEYS ISLAND — The grooviest place in Ohio also is one of its most laid-back getaways.
Kelleys Island is home to the Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve, where huge gouges were left in the rocks by a retreating
glacier 18,000 years ago. The grooves, some of the largest glacial striations in the world, are a geological wonder that demonstrates the unlikely power of ice.
The Lake Erie island, Ohio’s largest, also is a relaxing summer destination, similar to, but quieter than, its sister island, South Bass.
Visitors to Kelleys Island, which can be reached only by boat or airplane, won’t find the party scene offered by the town of Put-in-bay on South Bass. Kelleys also has fewer lodging options, but it still offers plenty to see and do, especially for visitors interested in nature, history and small-town atmosphere.
It’s a great place for families, too. I decided to visit the island for a two-day getaway with my 13-year-old son, a nature lover and young outdoorsman whom I knew would find Kelleys appealing.
We took my pickup, loaded with our camping gear, aboard a ferry from Marblehead Peninsula. Visitors who decide to leave their vehicles behind can rent bicycles or golf carts, which are allowed to operate on island roads, at several sites near the ferry docks.
I already had reserved a campsite at Kelleys Island State Park. It offers camping, hiking trails, a fishing pier and boat ramp, and the park also has a large sandy beach, something that South Bass Island cannot claim.
But before we settled in at the campground, old Dad wanted to take a gander at the town and perhaps find a place where he could enjoy an adult beverage after the three-hour trip from Columbus.
Downtown Kelleys Island isn’t very big, but it does have a handful of restaurants and taverns — nowhere near the dozens to be found on South Bass, but enough to offer choices. There also are a few interesting shops and some diversions such as mini-golf (although it was too hot for us to play a round that day).
On the south shore, not far from downtown, we found the Kelleys Island Brewery. The covered, lakeside outdoor tables were a great place to relax and watch passing boats; and a cold pint of one of the site-made brews was just what old Dad was looking for. We both also enjoyed Lake Erie perch sandwiches, a delicious specialty at many island restaurants.
On our way back to camp, we made a stop at the Kelleys Island History Museum, an interesting little institution that nicely explores the island’s fascinating history: from Indian days, through the years when the island was a wine-growing center, up to the challenges and opportunities posed by present-day tourism and development.
Visitors to the museum also can stop next door at the historic Old Stone Church, built in 1866; and at the former church parsonage, now a second-hand shop supporting the museum.
After checking in at the campsite and pitching our tents, we started exploring.
The grooves were our first stop, of course. A walkway takes visitors around and over the 400-foot long grooves that look like something young mastodons would have used as water slides.
I had seen the grooves before but learned something new on this visit: They originally were covered with soil and debris, and their full extent wasn’t excavated until 1972. Unfortunately, similar grooves were destroyed in early quarry operations nearby.
Then it was a short hike to the North Shore Alvar State Nature Preserve, another interesting natural phenomenon. Alvars are rare ecosystems that form on the lakeside limestone shelves, where lichens, unusual grasses and small plants find purchase in the thin soil.
We also walked — and waded — on the boardwalk at the North Pond State Nature Preserve, where water had risen above the walkway in spots amid the 30-acre marsh and swamp forest. But we had come prepared with water shoes, and we were rewarded with sights of turtles and water snakes.
Given the hot weather, though, we soon decided that the best way to see the island would be from the lake. Kayak rentals are available near the state park beach, but we had brought our own, and we were able to launch over a low spot in the rocky breakwater directly in front of our campsite.
This was my son’s first paddling foray onto Lake Erie, so as we started out I regaled him with tales of my own paddling adventures on four of the five Great Lakes, and treated him — well, I considered it a treat — with an impromptu rendition of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
My arms were aching by the time I persuaded my progeny that we had explored enough of the shoreline and, with the sun setting low, it was time to return. But I also promised that we would set out in the other direction the first thing in the morning.
We built a small campfire, told tall tales and recounted the day’s adventures, then hit our sleeping bags early.
With the sun rising the next morning, we were off again, this time to explore the North Shore Alvar by water, a unique and beautiful perspective, especially in the rosy light of dawn.
After breakfast in town, we began to break down camp. On our way back to the ferry we stopped at the the verdant and expansive Charles Herndon Galleries and Sculpture Garden, located on the artist’s LAKE ERIE ISLAND LIFE
Each of Ohio’s Lake Erie islands is a destination with its own personality. And each — with the exception of North Bass, which requires a water taxi or charter boat — can be reached by regularly scheduled passenger or vehicle ferry from the mainland or from other islands.
• Kelleys Island
The state’s largest island, at 2,800 acres, offers a mix of amenities, unusual geological features and a quiet island atmosphere.
• South Bass Island
One of the state’s most popular destinations, this island is home to the town of Put-in-bay, along with plenty of tourist amenities, natural areas and Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, a national park site commemorating the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie and the lasting peace between Canada and the United States. Put-in-bay has a well-earned reputation as a party town, but the island also offers activities and diversions for families and kids.
• Middle Bass Island
An oasis of tranquility, with just a few eating, retail and lodging options. But when things get too quiet, it’s just a quick ride across the bay aboard the Sonny-s passenger ferry to the bustle of downtown Put-in-bay.
• North Bass Island
With no businesses, permanent residents or scheduled ferries, this is one of the most isolated spots in the state. But the newly opened Lake House, a four-bedroom state park rental cottage, allows guests a taste of that delightful isolation along with beautiful views of the lake.
More information about each island is available through the Lake Erie Shores & Islands visitors bureau at 1-800-255-3743 or at www. shoresandislands.com.
lakefront property near the small Kelleys Island municipal airport. The garden was a pleasant and shady place to stroll and admire the art by Herndon, who taught at the Columbus College of Art & Design for 34 years.
Finally, at Kelleys Island Wine Company, we stopped for a parting glass of island red, or at least I did. My son enjoyed a frosty bottle of orange soda, which he highly recommended. There was, in fact, no establishment we found on the island where my son was uncomfortable or unwelcome — which, for a parent, was very groovy.
sstephens@dispatch.com @Stevestephens