Headlands Beach State park Mentor Open Water Swimming

Headlands Beach State Park is located in Mentor, Ohio, offering access to Lake Erie with the longest natural sand beach in the state. The mile-long, 35-acre sandy beach features a gradually sloping bottom and stretches from Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve to the Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve. Access is via State Route 44, which terminates at the park entrance, with free parking available in large lots adjacent to the beach. Facilities include restrooms with changing rooms, outdoor showers, seasonal concessions at The Noshery, picnic areas with grills, and a mile-long paved hike/bike trail running along the back dunes. The beach sits at the northern terminus of the Buckeye Trail, and the eastern end features a breakwall popular with anglers. Stone breakwaters near the beach help reduce wave action and deter watercraft in the swimming area.

Open water swimmers can connect with O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club for organized swimming opportunities in the Lake Erie region. With approximately 300 members, this is the largest masters swim club in Ohio, offering both pool workouts and open water events throughout northeast Ohio. The club hosts the annual Brogan Open Water Classic at nearby Edgewater Beach, featuring half-mile, one-mile, and two-mile races in Lake Erie.

Water quality monitoring is provided daily by Lake County General Health District during the swimming season from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Testing uses a predictive model analyzing E. coli levels, wave height, turbidity, rainfall, and other variables, with results posted as “Good” or “Poor” signage at the beach. Additional water samples are collected three times weekly for E. coli analysis. Swimming is unsupervised with no lifeguards on duty, so swimmers should exercise caution. The beach attracts two million visitors annually and is particularly popular for beach glass hunting and sunset viewing.