CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Metroparks will charge a daily fee to use its four Lake Erie boat ramps this summer. All proceeds will benefit lakefront improvements.

You can pay $5 a day to load your trailered boat into the water, or a $30 fee for the 2019 boating season at ramps at Edgewater, Gordon and Wildwood parks and the Rocky River Reservation (about a half-mile downstream of Lake Erie).

The Metroparks have not yet determined when the fee will begin. Regardless, kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards can be dropped in for free all season long.

Cuyahoga County has nearly 28,925 registered boats, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources While we boast about a dozen private marinas and yacht clubs, there are only four free, public boat ramps along its 30 miles of Lake Erie shoreline.

Of course there are plenty more beaches and parks, where you could launch a kayak or standup paddleboard from the shore. But for actual motor boats, what’s missing in Cuyahoga County is privately owned boat ramps the public can use for a nominal fee. The vacation destination of Port Clinton, Catawba and Marblehead, for example, has two dozen ramps anyone can drop by and drop into.

The Ohio DNR lists all public sites on its searchable coastal website. And there’s a smart phone app, called simply “Boat ramps,” you can download to find one close by.

Boat ramps in Cuyahoga County are hopping on summer weekends.

Here are the closest public boat ramps to Cleveland, from west to east, Lorain County to Lake County, to make your boat ramp experience more efficient.

Lorain Public Boat Ramp: First Street at Oberlin Avenue. Six lanes, with a bait shop on site, near a public fishing pier.

Lakeside Landing: Alabama Avenue, west of Lakeside Avenue in Lorain. With grills, picnic shelters and a 2,300-foot-long East Pier made of brick pavers.

Sheffield Lake Community Park: Lake Road at Lake Breeze Road. Two lanes, with a concrete boardwalk atop an L-shaped breakwater.

Miller Road Park: 33760 Miller Road in Avon Lake. Two lanes, with 400-foot fishing pier, playground and picnic tables.

Rocky River Reservation: 1500 Cleveland Metro Park Drive in Lakewood. With full-service restaurant, marina and shop at the Emerald Necklace Marina, on the Rocky River, which leads to Lake Erie.

Edgewater: Whiskey Island Drive in Cleveland. Eight lanes, near Edgewater Marina and Edgewater Park, with nearby fishing pier, beach, beach house.

Gordon Park: 8701 Lakeshore Blvd. in Cleveland. Six lanes, with picnic shelters, grills and restrooms.

Wildwood Park: Lakeshore Boulevard at East 174th Street. With marina, fishing pier, trails, picnic areas, concession stand and playground.

Fairport Harbor Port Authority: End of Water Street. Four lanes, charges a fee.

Madison Township Park: 6717 Lake Road. With swimming beach, paved boardwalk, playground, baseball field, basketball and volleyball courts.

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