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Bicycling
Bring your own bicycle or
rent one after you arrive. Kelleys Island has over 30 miles of road for
your bicycling pleasure. Bicycling is
fun, enjoyable, and a great way to get, or stay, in shape!
 Boating
Kelleys Island is the perfect
recreational boating destination because it has many private
marinas and boat ramps. In addition to these facilities, Kelleys Island State Park has a public boat launch with ample parking
for trailers.
Click
here for the current weather conditions from Buoy 45005.
 Camping
The family campground at
Kelleys Island State Park contains 45 non-electric and 84 electric
sites, showers, flush toilets, and a dump station. During the
summer season, two Rent-A-Camp units for groups and two Yurts,
complete with an efficiency kitchen, bath with shower and
furnished living area, are available. Pets are welcome at
designated sites. Other campground amenities are showers, flush
toilets and a dump station. The 100-foot swimming beach,
volleyball court and playground are very popular.
 Fishing & Ice Fishing
People come to fish the waters
around Kelleys Island for
catfish, yellow perch, smallmouth and white bass, and walleye. Island bait shops sell supplies and licenses.
Fishing charters are available through Captain
Parks Lake Erie Charters. Walleye fishing challenges the skills of both pros and
beginners and reigns as the king of sport fisheries. Walleye in
the 2 to 4 pound class are common, and trophy fish in the 5 to 10
pounds are no surprise.
Click
here for instructions on how to fillet walleye.
Call
1 888 HOOK FISH (1 888 466-5347 or 625-3187 in Sandusky, Ohio) for
the current Lake Erie fishing report.
When ice forms on the western basin of Lake Erie, shanties and
"bucket fishermen" dot the ice-covered landscape with
anglers in pursuit of Lake Erie's most popular sport fish, walleye
and yellow perch. Anglers use ice jigs or jigging spoons
tipped with live minnows to catch walleye and perch spreaders
baited with minnows for yellow perch. Anglers can call 1.888.HOOK
FISH for a recorded ice fishing report and 1 800-WILDLIFE for a
list of licensed fishing guides.
 Fossil Hunting
Whether
strolling along the island’s shoreline or hiking its
trails, visitors will find fossils because they are everywhere.
Almost every piece of stone is a maze of fossils!
Click Here for more information!
Great Lakes Circle Tour
Kelleys Island is part of the
6,500-mile Great Lakes Circle Tour: a scenic, international road
system connecting the five Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River!
Click
here for information.
Horseshoe Pitching
& Volleyball Court
If you enjoy pitching
horseshoes or playing volleyball, visit the Kelley’s Island Wine
Company on Woodford Street. The friendly competition of both these
sports, combined with opportunities to be with family and friends
and be outdoors, make them ideal activities while you are on
Kelleys Island.
Hunting
& Trapping
Kelleys Island has limited
hunting grounds. Details are available at the Kelleys Island State
Park Office, telephone 419 746-2546.
Miniature Golf & Video
Games
In the downtown area there is
an 18-hole mini golf course at Caddy Shack Square. This is the
place to go to play video games, too.
Picnicing
What better way to celebrate summer than to take the kids on a
picnic! Besides the picnic area and picnic shelter at the Pavilion
Ball Park, there are places to picnic on the grounds of Kelleys
Island State Park.
Playgrounds
There are two playgrounds, one at the Pavilion Ball Park on
Addison Street and the
other at the Kelleys Island School at the corner of Division
Street and Ward Road.
 Relaxing
Relaxation is probably the most popular island activity. It
doesn’t get much better than reading a good book while rocking
in a porch chair or lying in a hammock! Each person can discover
their own way to rest one’s weary bones and cleanse the soul!
 Sailing
The romantic notion of sailing is as true today as it has been
throughout maritime history. Out on the water, in harmony
with the natural forces, sailing provides different things to a
myriad of people. Western basin sailing is both rewarding and
filled with beautiful natural sites. End your sailing day by
mooring in a protected bay on Kelleys Island.
Scuba
Diving & Snorkeling
Lake Erie contains approximately 1700 shipwrecks and 50 of them
are in the waters surrounding Kelleys Island. Explore them while
snorkeling and diving from our shoreline. One of the best things
about diving and snorkeling is seeing something new on every
outing. Of course, diving on shipwrecks is a growing interest of
many Lake Erie scuba divers. The cool fresh lake water has
preserved shipwrecks that would have disappeared long ago in a
salt water environment. For a surface temperature map. Click
here to order a Shipwreck Guide (PDF) of the F. H.
Prince, the Hanna, and the Adventure from Ohio Sea Grant.
Sea
Kayaking
With 17 miles of shoreline, a
host of changing vistas awaits paddlers as they circumnavigate
Kelleys Island. Start your paddle at the Kelleys
Island State Park’s sandy beach and explore the island as you go
around the island.
 Walking
& Hiking
Six miles of scenic trails give visitors access to the island’s
outstanding natural features. First, the East Quarry Trail cuts a
grid-like pattern through the maze of brush and woods surrounding
an old stone quarry and its water-filled east end,
Horseshoe Pond. A good time to hike this trail is in the
morning when deer and numerous birds are more active. Next, the
North Shore Loop Trail is beautiful anytime but, perhaps, is at
its best as the sun sets behind the Bass Islands and Perry’s
Monument. This trail parallels a moss-covered rocky limestone
shelf area recently classified as an alvar ecosystem because of
its unusual plant. The newest addition to the trail system is a
boardwalk at North Pond, a
natural estuary south of the state park campground.
Water
Skiing
There’s a saying that anyone can water ski, if they have the
will to give it a try. So, if you have urge, you can try this
exhilarating sport on your next visit to Kelleys Island!
 Wildlife
Watching
Kelleys Island offers endless opportunities for viewing wildlife,
everything from birds and butterflies to resident deer and coyote.
(When driving the roads at dawn and dusk, exercise caution because
white-tailed deer are the most active at these times.) Night
sounds include howling coyotes chiming in with hooting
Great-horned Owls. Of course, remember another island
specialty, the Lake Erie Water Snake. With less than a world
population of two thousand individuals, your best chance to see
this reptile is on Kelleys Island. Watch for the occasional Osprey
or Bald Eagle and, during the nesting season, the abundant Yellow
Warbler and the more secretive Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
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