October 8, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie
The largest inland lake in Ohio.
Grand Lake St. Mary’s in Ohio was once the world’s largest artificial body of water. It was dug by 1,700 German and Irish immigrants from 1837 to 1845, to supply water for the Miami-Erie Canal, a vital supply source connecting the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Toledo. At that time, it was the largest artificially constructed lake in the world, and today remains the largest inland lake in the state of Ohio.
In the summer of 2010, GLSM experienced a toxic algae bloom that was brought on by two types of blue-green algae. I was pleased to see cleaner water today when we were there. The lake was gorgeous.
As you enter the city of Celina from the north on Highway 127, the first historical site is the Celina Lighthouse. This forty-foot lighthouse was built in 1986, is functional, and is used by boaters trying to find the small marina and boat docks after dark.
Just across the street from the lighthouse is a lovely little restaurant called the Boardwalk Grill which we enjoy eating at on fair-weather days. With open walls, you can eat by the water and enjoy the view. Of course, it closes for the winter.
Grand Lake St. Mary’s is 9 miles long and 3 miles wide. It covers approximately 13,500 acres, but it is shallow with average depths of only 5 to 7 feet.
Traveling east from the Celina Lighthouse we drove through Lake Shore Park. This is a beautiful park with a lot of picnic tables and playgrounds and a wonderful parking and viewing area.
Let’s keep traveling east along the northern side of the lake. To get to the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Lighthouse by land you have to drive through a private residential area but we could see it from the road.
Grand Lake St. Mary’s State Park became one of Ohio’s first state parks in 1949. The park offers 52 miles of shoreline parks and swimming areas.
We saw several groups of mallards today. We rolled down the windows and breathed in the fresh air as we drove around the lake, enjoying the beautiful sunny day.
From a distance, I can’t tell if this is a crane, an egret, or a heron. What do you think it is? Its beak kind of looks like a spoonbill.
Driving around the eastern end of the lake to the southern side, we stopped at Behm’s (Grimm Memorial) Lighthouse. This historical landmark was the vision of Stan Grimm, co-owner of Behm’s Landing and Restaurant, located on the southern shore of the lake.
This octagonal, forty-eight-foot-tall lighthouse sits on a small offshore island and was dedicated on April 19, 2003, to the memory of Stanley Mike Grimm, who was killed in an auto accident on April 25, 1997.
Two gorgeous Canada Geese seemed to be paying their respects at the memorial beside the lighthouse. You can see the Grand Lake St. Mary’s Lighthouse on the other side of the lake in the background.
Several free public sandy beaches dot the shoreline of this lake.
We were shocked to see two large white pelicans on a freshwater lake in the middle of Ohio.
The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds in North America with a wingspan of 9-foot. A few of them got lost during one of their migrations several years ago, and each year the flock coming to Grand Lake St. Mary’s in Celina, Ohio has grown.
This one I believe is probably a great egret, but I am simply guessing. It is some kind of a tall white crane. I just couldn’t zoom in close enough to tell. It could be a spoonbill too.
The southwest corner of the lake consists of a 357-acre wildlife area and waterfowl refuge.
There is a walking trail and a viewing tower.
We were able to see a Bald Eagle nest from the road. I zoomed in on the photo and cropped it. Too bad we didn’t catch a glimpse of any bald eagles.
Heading north back on Highway 127, we pulled into West Bank Park.
And what did we see but about 50 more American White Pelicans?
Two years ago, over 600 were counted on the largest lake in Ohio, which was a state record. The fall migration season is now, and Rich and I were shocked to see these birds on the lake today, which is only about 30 miles south of us.
The drive around the entire lake only took us about three hours and that included stopping for lunch at the Rustic Haven Restaurant.
The food was good, the waitress was nice, and the decorations were spectacular.
On this gorgeous sunny day, a drive around the lake was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. I hope you enjoyed going with us.
Thanks for reading.