Kayaking Across Ohio: Winton Lake: A Day of Firsts

5 April 2015

Lake #17 Winton Lake, Winton Woods, Hamilton County

Easter morning found me 20 minutes north of downtown Cincinnati within the 2700-acre Winton Woods Park. Winton Woods is one of Cincinnati’s biggest and most visited parks. It is located at 10245 Winton Road. The 156-acre Winton Lake is among its many features. The lake was created in 1952 by damming the West Fork of Mill Creek. Originally, the lake was only open to the park system’s rental fleet of boats. It is now open to private kayak and canoe paddlers as well. Like the rest of the lakes in southwestern Ohio that I had visited over the weekend, Winton Lake was experiencing high water levels. You could paddle up to benches in the lake and take a seat.

Winton Lake, a "Little" Flooded

Winton Lake Harbor

This Female Mallard Was Enjoying the High Water

This is really a nice metropolitan park. I wish Columbus had something similar. It costs $3 per day or $10 annually to park, but there is no additional fee to use the lake. The park has several boats for rent to compete with your space on the lake. Happily, the boathouse was not open when I was there. The fleet of pedal boats lined up at the boathouse had the look of an amusement park ride. The park also has rowboats, pontoon boats, kayaks, canoes, motorboats, and stand-up paddleboards for rent. A large pontoon boat, called the Harbor Point Winton Queen, takes visitors on tours of the lake (I can’t even imagine how much fun that must be, yes I am being sarcastic).

Winton Woods Boathouse

Rental Pedal Boats and Pontoon Boats Waiting for Warm Weather

Motorboats for Rent at Winton Lake

Canoes and Kayaks Ready for Action

Harbor Point Winton Queen, Not Looking Too Queenly

At Winton Harbor there are restrooms with running water but they were under repair the day I was there; portable toilets were set up for use in the parking lot. Two really nice playgrounds are located at Harbor Point; one is a wet playground called Parky’s Ark (I was tempted to play on it even without the water). There is a paved hiking/biking trail and you can rent a bike during the season. In addition, there are basketball courts, a snack bar with outdoor dining, and fishing from the pier.

Winton Woods Harbor Central Overlook

Parky's Ark Wet Playground

The Winton Woods Campground is open March 6^th through November 29^th. I was surprised at how many people were camping Easter weekend. The campground has 123 sites, including: 25 RV back-in sites, 12 RV pull-through sites, 68 sites with 30-amp hookups, 10 basic cabins, and 8 large deluxe cabins. The area is wooded and offers more privacy than many campgrounds. Several campsites are located at the water’s edge. As a special bonus to paddlers, the campground has its own kayak/canoe launch.

Winton Woods Campground in the Background

My Paddling Buddy and Hubby in Front of the Campground

Winton Woods Campground Boat Launch Area

As I was there on Easter morning, there was plenty of parking and room to turn around my trailer. In the summer, parking might be a challenge. The launch ramp is located east of the harbor. There was a mother and daughter kayak duo exiting the lake when I put in. While I kayaked, there were no other boaters out on the lake. It was only 9:30 a.m. on Easter morning. For all I know, it could be a zoo on any other day. From the boat launch, I paddled east heading towards the campground. There is a pedestrian bridge to paddle under before reaching the campsite. The support pillars made for a little paddling diversion.

Winton Lake Canoe and Kayak Boat Ramp

Winton Lake Boat Ramp Viewed From Harbor Point

Harbor Point

Heading East Away From Winton Harbor

Walking Trail Bridge

Paddling Under the Bridge

I then checked out the little finger, south of the campground. You never know what you might find in the little nooks and crannies of lakes. What I found this day were lots and lots of turtles. Along the banks, several turtles were out in rows on logs basking in the sun. It was only about 55 degrees out, but like the turtles I felt the warmth of the sun and its promise that spring was finally here. These were the first turtles I have seen this spring. I believe the turtles I saw were Midland Painted turtles; although, I did not get close enough to see their red markings. In their honor, I named the Easter “bunny” duck for today “Honu” which means sea turtle in Hawaiian.

Six Little Turtles

Five Little Turtles

Four Little Turtles

Three Little Turtles

Two Little Turtles

One Brave Little Turtle

Winton Lake Baby Duck "Honu"

Paddling northeast towards the dam, I passed an island. I christened it Goose Island, because of the several Canadian Geese nesting there. I found an Easter egg hanging on the edge of the island in some exposed tree roots. In all my days of paddling, I have never found an egg before. It seems quite a strange coincidence that I found my first and only egg on Easter morning. As I paddled away, I felt sad for the goose that would never exist but then I remembered how annoying Canadian Geese can be and didn't feel so bad anymore.

Goose Island (I Don't Think It Has a Real Name)

Nesting In Progress

I Found an Easter Egg

Many lakes that I have paddled have had no buoys or warnings located near their dam spillways, even in situations where a paddler would be at risk of serious injury or death if they continued on. Winton Lake has gone to the opposite extreme. The dam area is roped off with what look like numerous giant pool noodles. I don’t think a kayak could even make it through the small spillway. This is an indication to me that the lake sees a lot of inexperienced paddlers normally. After paddling to the east end of the lake, I turned around and went to check out the area north of the campground.

Winton Lake Dam

Beware: Giant Pool Noodles

The campground itself looks nice and the boat ramp serviceable, but the lake around the north shore is not attractive. Construction work is being done, running a very large sewage pipe over the lake. I did get to see my first wildflowers of the season growing along the bank, so I was content. After this, it was time to start paddling back to the put in location. I followed a Snow Goose and a Mallard duck, and we headed west.