Preserving 646 acres in Lake County
Mentor Marsh, designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1966, occupies an ancient abandoned channel of the Grand River.
A beech-sugar maple forest occupies the higher elevations bordering the marsh. At the eastern edge of the preserve, there is a mixed oak swamp forest, a forest type destroyed in most parts of the Lake Erie region.
The most extensive plant community type is an emergent wetland dominated by reed-grass or Phragmites. This is the largest Phragmites marsh in Ohio. The area provides habitat for a diversity of wildlife species.
Local Directions
Located in Lake County, 3.5 miles west on SR 283 from Painesville, proceed 0.5 mile north on Corduroy Rd to the Mentor Marsh Nature Center. The Nature Center, operated by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, is open April through October, from 12-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. In March, the Nature Center is open from 11am-4pm the first Sunday of the month. Family nature hikes are offered from 2-3:30pm every Sunday the Nature Center is open. Programs are offered in all but severe weather, so please come prepared for the weather conditions. Reservations are requested for all programs and can be made by calling the Nature Center at (440) 257-0777.
Special Features
Woods
Wetlands
- Emergent marsh
- Wildlife viewing
Facilities
- Parking
- Nature Center
- 4 mile trail system
- including boardwalk trail