FAMILY TRAVEL continued...
only way off the island is by small plane,
so children hop on board an airplane to
travel to school each day (except when
weather conditions prevent any travel).
Just a short
ferryboat
ride
from Put-In-Bay
is Kelley’s Is-
land, the largest
American island
in Lake Erie. The
entire island is on
the National Reg-
ister of Historical
Places. It is qui-
eter and much less developed than Put-
in-Bay and attracts nature lovers.
A highlight of the island is Glacial
Grooves State Memorial, the largest
and most spectacular example of glacial
grooves in the entire world. Walk the pe-
rimeter of this site to view a 400-foot by
35-foot wide gash of prehistoric glacial
grooves scoured
into native lime-
stone bedrock by
the advancement
of the Wiscon-
sin glacier 30,000
years ago. Even for
those not into geol-
ogy this is an awe-
some place.
Several hun-
dred years ago this island was an Indian
hunting ground. The remnants of that
time remain on Inscription Rock State
Memorial. This flat-topped limestone
boulder on the south shore of Kelley’s
Island has faint pictographs of men,
birds, and animals carved by the Erie In-
dians 300-400 years ago.
In the 800-acre Ohio State Park sys-
tem there are miles of self-guided nature
and hiking trails. The
North Shore Loop be-
gins behind Glacial
Grooves and follows
the woods along the
north shoreline. There
are fossils to discover
along the inactive east
stone quarry, as well as
wetlands and Horse-
shoe Lake on the east
Quarry Trail.
Migrating birds crossing Lake Erie
use Kelley’s Island as a stopping
off place. Bird enthusiasts can
spot herons, ducks, hawks, shore-
birds, woodpeckers, flycatchers,
thrushes, warblers, and orioles.
Kelley’s Island State Park
has a sandy beach
along North Bay,
a stone pier for
fishing, a free boat
launching ramp, trailer
parking, and 129 shaded
camping sites.
These are top fish-
ing waters and delicious
walleye are an especial-
ly popular catch from the shore or out on
a charter fishing excursion.
Golf carts and bikes are available
for rent.
Travel Tip of the Month: For in-
formation on Ohio’s Lake Erie islands
Photo courtesy Cedar Point.
74 WNY Family April 2019
visit www.shoresandislands.com or call
800-255-3743. For information on Ce-
dar Point visit www.cedarpoint.com or
call 419-627-2350.
Deborah Williams is a veteran travel
writer and author who lives in Holland,
NY. Her work has appeared in national
and international publications and she
is the recipient of the Society of Ameri-
can Travel Writers’ Lowell Thomas Gold
Travel Writing Award.
Photo courtesy Cedar Point.