The Lakefront · CLE History

The Shore

A City Built at the Water's Edge

Cleveland exists because of the lake. Moses Cleaveland chose this particular spot on the southern shore of Lake Erie because the Cuyahoga River offered a natural harbor, a protected corridor into the interior, and high bluffs ideal for a city grid. What grew from that 1796 decision was eventually one of America's great industrial ports, and the lakefront that made it possible was for much of the twentieth century all but inaccessible to ordinary Clevelanders, hemmed in by rail lines, industrial facilities, and highways.

The reclamation of the Cleveland lakefront has been one of the city's most consequential civic projects of the last half-century. From the opening of Edgewater's revamped beach house to the 1.2-mile Whiskey Island Trail that finally connected the west side to the river mouth, the shoreline has been rebuilt, piece by piece, into a continuous public commons. Today the lakefront stretches from the dog beaches of Perkins through the downtown piers of North Coast Harbor, east past the Gordon Park boat ramps and the unexpected wilderness of Dike 14's nature preserve.

It remains a work in progress. Burke Lakefront Airport (450 acres of publicly owned land between downtown and the water) represents the largest unresolved question on the shoreline. But the trajectory is clear: the lake is coming back to the city, and the city is coming back to the lake.

Parks, Beaches & Green Space

The Public Shore

Beach · Park

Edgewater Beach & Park

The westernmost and most beloved park in the Lakefront Reservation: 147 acres with 9,000 feet of shoreline, a swim beach, fishing pier, boat ramps, picnic shelters, and the Edgewater Beach House with its seasonal lakeside bar. The Lindsey Family Play Space and wooded upper trails add year-round appeal.

Swimming Fishing Boat Launch Picnic Volleyball

Beach · Dog-Friendly

Perkins Beach

A quieter, more secluded stretch within the Edgewater Park complex, known for its driftwood, beach glass, and fewer crowds. Popular with dog owners (it's one of the few off-leash lake access points) and paddlers launching into calmer inshore waters. A true local's beach.

Dog Beach Paddling Beach Glass Quiet

Park · Trail

Wendy Park & Whiskey Island

Perched at the industrial peninsula between the Cuyahoga's mouth and the open lake, Wendy Park is reached via the 500-foot pedestrian bridge over the Norfolk Southern rail corridor. A nesting habitat, paddling launch, and windswept promontory with unobstructed views of downtown and the river's mouth.

Paddling Birding Skyline Views Trail Access

Park · Pier

Voinovich Bicentennial Park

The original East 9th Street Pier, renamed for Mayor, Governor, and Senator George Voinovich, sits at the heart of North Coast Harbor. The Cleveland Script Sign, sand volleyball courts, bocce, seasonal concerts, and festivals fill this 20-acre urban green. Named for a politician the city still debates, but loved by everyone who visits.

Events Volleyball Bocce Sunset Views

Park · Boat Launch

Gordon Park

Established in the 1894 Parks and Parkways Plan, Gordon Park sits east of Burke Airport and offers six-lane boat ramps, fishing platforms, picnic facilities, and shoreline access. The Memorial Shoreway divided the park in the 1950s, but the lakeside section remains a working fisherman's park and community green.

Boat Launch Fishing Picnic Historic

Nature Preserve

Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve

Dike 14, once an active dredge disposal facility for Cuyahoga River sediment, has since transformed into an 88-acre nature preserve above upper Gordon Park. Operated by the Port of Cleveland, it offers a 1.75-mile perimeter loop trail, extraordinary migratory bird viewing, and unlikely wilderness steps from the Shoreway. Two sunken freighters lie offshore, part of its buried history.

Birding Hiking Wildlife Hidden Gem

The Cuyahoga River corridor, Whiskey Island

Trail · 1.2 Miles

The Whiskey Island Trail

For decades, the lakefront west of the Cuyahoga's mouth was effectively cut off from the parks to the east. The 1.2-mile Whiskey Island Trail, completed by Cleveland Metroparks, finally made that missing link, connecting Edgewater Park all the way to Wendy Park via a safe, off-road all-purpose trail.

The trail passes interpretive spaces that document the rich (and often turbulent) industrial history of the peninsula: iron ore terminals, salt works, and the long sweep of the active Port of Cleveland bulk terminal across the river. Views are industrial and spectacular in equal measure.

The 500-foot Wendy Park pedestrian bridge, arching over the Norfolk Southern tracks, is the gateway, one of the most striking pieces of civic infrastructure built in Cleveland in a generation.

Downtown Lakefront

North Coast Harbor

The inner harbor east of Voinovich Park is Cleveland's most concentrated lakefront destination. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, USS Cod Submarine Memorial, Goodtime III cruise ship, and the Steamship William G. Mather museum all anchor this stretch of shoreline.

The East 9th Street Pier hosts the Goodtime III seasonal cruise and connects to dining at Nuevo Modern Mexican. North Coast Harbor Marina offers boat slips and rentals. The Cleveland Script Sign on Voinovich's south edge has become one of the city's defining photo locations.

North Coast Harbor, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Cleveland's lakefront from the air, circa 1937. NARA

Infrastructure · Future

Burke Lakefront Airport

Opened in 1947 on landfill extending into Lake Erie, Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) occupies 450 acres between downtown Cleveland and the water, making it the largest single piece of publicly owned lakefront land in the city. It has hosted the Cleveland National Air Show since 1964 and once hosted the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland.

Burke's future is one of the most consequential questions in Cleveland planning. The airport remains operational for general aviation, corporate, and charter traffic, but studies suggest its lakefront position could be repurposed for mixed-use development and public greenspace, reconnecting downtown to the lake in a way last seen before the industrial era.

For now, Burke is an airport, and one of the few in the country where the runway nearly touches an open Great Lake.

Trail System

The Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway

The Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway runs the full length of the public shoreline, a patchwork of off-road paths, park drives, and on-street connectors stitched together over decades of civic investment. Its terrain shifts dramatically: bluff-top meadows at Edgewater give way to industrial panoramas along Whiskey Island, then open harbor views through downtown before the route turns east toward quieter green corridors.

The western and eastern ends are the most complete: smooth, separated trail through Edgewater and the nature preserve. The downtown gap was finally closed with the Wendy Park pedestrian bridge in 2021, an arching 500-foot span over the Norfolk Southern rail yards that is one of the finest pieces of new civic infrastructure in the city.

The full shore-to-shore ride (roughly 18 miles) remains partly on-road through the east side corridor, but the trajectory toward a fully separated path is clear. Future connections through the Lakefront Nature Preserve to Euclid Beach are planned as the next phase.

Route Length

~18 Miles

Perkins Beach to Euclid Beach

Key Connection

Wendy Park Bridge

Completed 2021 · fills the rail gap

Best Off-Road Stretches

Edgewater · Whiskey Island Trail · Lakefront Nature Preserve

Surface & Conditions

Mix of paved multi-use path, park drive, and on-street bike lanes. Year-round access; most sections maintained by Cleveland Metroparks.

Boater's Reference

Getting on the Water

Cleveland's lakefront marinas range from an 8-lane public launch ramp to full-service private clubs with deep-water slips. Here's what each offers once you're ready to cast off.

Marina / Access	Access	Slips / Launch	What to Know
Edgewater Marina & Boat Launch	Public	8-lane ramp · courtesy dock · 100 vehicle/trailer spots	Best public launch on the west side. Water taxi (eLCee2) runs to the Flats in season. Restrooms on site.
Whiskey Island Marina	Members	Slips · jet ski docks · guest/transient waitlisted 2026	Full-service private club known for its lakefront bar and summer events. Transient docking is extremely limited; call ahead.
North Coast Harbor Marina	Public	Seasonal transient slips · boat rentals	Downtown location steps from the Rock Hall and Science Center. Good for day visitors arriving by water. Goodtime III departs nearby.
E. 55th Street Marina	Public	Slips · fuel dock · 6-lane ramp	Fuel available dockside. Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center opening 2026. Volleyball and bocce on-site; e55 on the lake restaurant.
Gordon Park Boat Launch	Public	6-lane ramp · docks	Best ramp for smaller craft heading to offshore fishing grounds or the Lakefront Nature Preserve shoreline. No fuel on site.
Inner City Yacht Club	Club	Member berths · sailing instruction	Community sailing institution offering racing, cruising, and instruction programs. One of Cleveland's most accessible entry points to sailing on Lake Erie.
Lakeside Yacht Club	Private	230 deep-water slips (16–20 ft.) · fuel	Protected behind the Burke Airport breakwall, among the most sheltered berths on the lakefront. Full clubhouse, restaurant. Eight decades in operation.

The North Coast Lakefront