Griffing-Sandusky Airport once sent small planes from Ohio's Lake Erie shore to the islands and across the border into Canada. Its runways went quiet in 2013, and now the wetland strip beside the water is getting a second life as The Landing, a 27-acre public park on Sandusky Bay. Construction started in 2025, with completion targeted for spring 2027, backed by a $24.5 million grant from a new connectivity corridor project.
The site sits about an hour from Cleveland in Sandusky, a town that has twice been named USA Today's Best Coastal Small Town in America. It's best known for roller coasters and waterparks, so The Landing will give visitors a calmer way to enjoy the shoreline.
The design leans into the fragile wetland setting. Raised boardwalks and ADA-friendly bridges will carry visitors over the reeds and lily-covered water rather than through them, protecting the habitat underneath. Two miles of the Sandusky Bay Pathway — part of a planned 100-mile trail network that will eventually link Lake Erie communities from Elmore to Vermilion — will thread through the park. The standout feature is the Canopy Walk, a route raised 20 feet into the treetops with views across the bay and, in the distance, Cedar Point's coasters. A second boardwalk drops down to a secluded seating spot at the water's edge, where turtles are among the regulars.
Birdwatchers have good reason to time a visit around the opening. Spring migration brings thousands of birds through the Lake Erie region, and the park's wetlands are expected to draw bald eagles, white pelicans and passing warblers. Anglers, meanwhile, already know Sandusky Bay for its walleye, smallmouth bass and yellow perch, and there will be shoreline space for casting a line. Non-motorized boats are allowed too, with a new kayak launch planned at The Point, the park's main recreation area at the end of the old runway. There you'll also find a 180-foot pier, restrooms, a playground, picnic areas and a pavilion for events, with food and drink concessions possibly to follow.
Why it matters: if your Lake Erie trip has so far meant queues at an amusement park, The Landing offers the opposite rhythm — a slow morning on a boardwalk, a paddle on the bay, an afternoon of birding. It pairs easily with the rest of Sandusky's waterfront dining and shops, or a ride on the completed sections of the pathway. While you wait for the 2027 opening, nearby Pipe Creek Wilderness Area in Sandusky and Sheldon Marsh State Nature Reserve in Huron offer a similar taste of the region's wetlands. Day trippers from Cleveland will find it an easy run up Route 6 along the lake.
