Crane Creek State Park

May 2008 posting titled Crane Creek State Park Land Transferred to ODNR

The beach is now part of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (state). Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (federal) is next door.

Natural beach ridge habitat is extremely rare on Lake Erie. Returning portions of the parking lot to habitat has not happened, and I don't think it's planned.

When the beach at Maumee Bay State Park opened in the early 1990s, I think that began the end of the Crane Creek beach as a public swimming area.

What you are seeing is an invasive plant called Phragmites. They have taken over almost all of the shallow shoreline of Lake Erie, and most of the rest of the country for that matter. Unfortunatly these places will never return to their former state.

I also remember spending many a days at Crane Creek. We used to go quite a few times during the summer and cook out while there. I haven't even been there in probably about 20 years.

When my mom wants to take the kids somewhere besides Maumee Bay she takes them to East Harbor State Park.

http://www.eastharborstatepark.org/

Here is another site from the DNR. Has a little more info

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/eastharbor/tabid/733/Default.aspx

a friend was just up to Sterling SP in Monroe and she said the beach is cleaner than she's ever seen it (a Monroe native, she) and they had a great time. I also second EHSP, excellent place, but Sterling feels closer to me (East Side), drive-wise.

Actually Sterling State Park is closer at least from mom's house. From her place (Rossford) it's only about approx a half hour drive, where East Harbor is almost an hour.

By the way Nana thanks for another place for us to take the kids. Never even heard of it before. We'll have to go check it out sometime since it's so close.

I was so disappointed to see Crane Creek recently. When I was a teenager, I got plenty of sunburns there. Loved the beach, and the park, where you could cookout and have a picnic.

East Harbor is nice, but small, and still free. I believe there is a charge for Sterling.

I took my kids camping at Sterling State Park in June. It is way more beautiful now than it was when I was a kid. And Michigan is offering a first time campers program http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10365-234646--,00.html

$20 for 2 nights and they provide you with a 4 person tent, firewood, cooking stove and fishing poles. I used this program to camp and the teens really enjoyed themselves. The youngest, my 13yr old couldn't sleep as he was in awe of all the stars and totally amazed at how many shooting stars he saw.

As for Crane Creek, I preferred swimming there than I do at Maumee Bay. Only set back was the biting horseflies. Now I will travel East Harbor if I have the gas, or Huron Ohio for their beach but Maumee Bay I just wish they had regular sand instead of the stone.

Sad to see this in a way. I remember going there ~2005 and it was a beautiful beach with people swimming and BBQ'ing.

Went there a couple weeks back with my family and the parking lot looked like it was right out of a zombie film and the beach was raw.

In retrospect if it's deliberate as a form of "going back to nature" then that's a lot better than neglect.

It is a nice place for wildlife viewing. Saw a red fox there once.

I'm surprised to see that you can even get to the beach at CC anymore. when I first heard of the closing, we drove out there, it had a big place in our lives at one time, and we could not get past the observation tower by the bird center. I was wondering if they were closing the boardwalk by the beach, too, but if you can get to the former beach, then maybe not. there will be a lot of disappointed birders come migration time if they do. :(

TL, Ohio has a program like that, too, it's called Rent-a-Camp. we used it when I was pregnant for our girl and the ranger gave us cots AND foam pads, very comfy!!

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/camps/campingoptions/tabid/202/Default.aspx/

"... we could not get past the observation tower by the bird center."

When did you visit Magee Marsh? The Magee Marsh Wildlife Area is closed for duck hunting from mid-October to the end of November except on Sundays. The parking lot at the migratory center is as far as you can go when it's closed for hunting.

Thousands of birdwatchers from all over the U.S. and beyond visit the Magee Marsh boardwalk each spring, mainly in May to see migrating songbirds, especially warblers.

lol, jr, I'm not used to thinking of Crane Creek as Magee Marsh yet, they haven't been one for that long. your first pic looks like CC so I assume you are speaking of that area. Not sure when it was we were there, but it was right after the name change. It may have been during hunting season, so good to know it wasn't a permanent closure, that ride to the beach is so nice for viewing. :)

I think only the beach was Crane Creek State Park. The boardwalk and the marsh was/is Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Magee Marsh and Crane Creek shared the parking lot, but I don't know which group was responsible for the parking lot when Crane Creek existed.

At least that's how I've known it to be, since I started birdwatching at Magee in 1999. So the first pic shows visitors who parked near the beach, but those people are mainly there to see the birds on or near the Magee Marsh boardwalk as depicted in the next two photos.

What’s funny is the sand under the new foliage is in much better shape than Maumee Bay State Park's beach now. I had forgotten about the steel dividers that run out away from the beach though. It is a wonder no one got seriously hurt on those. I assume it was for controlling erosion?

I already have my wife interested in East Harbor State Park for camping. Thanks for the info ifrost.