Grand State Wild and Scenic River

On January 17, 1974, the Grand River became Ohio's second wild and scenic river.

Designated sections include: from Harpersfield covered bridge downstream to the Nortolk and Westem Railroad trestle south of Painesville (wild, 23 miles) and from the US 322 in Ashtabula County downstream to Harpersfield covered bridge (scenic, 33 miles).

The Grand Wild and Scenic River represents one of the finest examples of a natural stream to be found anywhere in Ohio. Due to its rugged topography, the Grand River has not until recently felt the influences of urbanization.

During the Pleistocene or Ice Age, the Wisconsinan glacier spread over Ohio in lobes, one of which is known as the Grand River lobe. This lobe ground and scraped its way south across northeastern Ohio, but was halted by the steep, erosion-resistant sandstone hills found to the south.

As the glacier advanced, it eroded the soft shale of the region and deposited sands and gravels. The glacier altered the topography and forced changes in the drainage patterns.

Today, the Grand River follows an odd course that was influenced by the glacier. The headwaters of the river can be found in Portage and Geauga counties. From there, the river flows north through Trumbull County and into Ashtabula County. In the northern part of the county, the river begins flowing westward into lake County.

The upper portion of the Grand River in Ashtabula County is designated scenic. The river is bordered in many areas by extensive swamp forests of elm, ash, maple, pine, pin oak and swamp white oak.

The slow flow of this section of the river along with the adjoining wetlands, provides excellent habitat for a number of wildlife species, especially river otters, which have made a strong comeback after their reintroduction by the Division of Wildlife in 1986 and 1988.

The lower section of the Grand River in Lake County is designated wild. Here, the river is characterized by steeply-incised valley walls of Chagrin Shale. A view of the river in this area is truly spectacular especially following spring and summer showers when waterfalls cascade over the steep shale bluffs.

Insuring the natural heritage of the Grand River is not limited to protecting the immediate streamside environment. Land use activities within the watershed, such as urban and residential development may have a direct and adverse effect on the long-term protection and preservation of this important Ohio water resource.

Without local support and cooperation from the development community it will become increasingly difficult to protect rivers of the beauty and magnitude of the Grand State Wild and Scenic River. The Grand River has the most aquatic diversity of any Ohio Lake Erie tributary.

The Grand River has an active partnership group working with the state scenic rivers program and other agencies to assist with the rivers preservation.