Ashtabula Scenic River

The Ashtabula River was designated as Ohio’s 14th state scenic river by ODNR on October 30, 2008. Ashtabula County, also home to Conneaut Creek and Grand scenic rivers, is the only county in Ohio to have three state designated rivers.

Located in northeast Ohio, the Ashtabula River watershed supports an exceptionally beautiful river system, High-quality natural features include an outstanding wooded riparian corridor and diverse populations of wildlife and plants. Unique recreational opportunities combined with pristine natural qualities further illustrates the importance of protecting the Ashtabula River as an Ohio Scenic River.

The Ashtabula River watershed features a variety of plant communities including: Great Lakes hemlock-beech hardwood forest, Lake Plain swamp forest, mixed oak, rich shrub fen, emergent deep marsh and northern rich mesic forest. Nearly 40 rare plant species have been documented in the area surrounding the Ashtabula State Scenic River.

The name Ashtabula (Hash-tah-buh-lah) is thought to be an Algonquin name meaning river of many fish. The Ashtabula River has had 88 species of fish documented in the river, truly a river of many fish. The river is also home to rare animals including black bear, bald eagle, Indiana bat, Northern harrier, osprey, spotted turtle, queen snake, Northern brook lamprey and least brook lamprey.

Many fishermen take advantage of the excellent water quality found in the Ashtabula. The Ashtabula has a great rainbow trout (steelhead) fishery, with 4 river miles of public access in the Ashtabula Township Park (Indian Trails). For the avid paddlers, seasonal opportunities are available to canoe or kayak class I, II and III waters through remote ravines. Water levels must be closely watched and are usually only floatable from late fall to early spring.

The Ashtabula Scenic River has a total of 46 continuous designated river miles on three stream segments including the mainstem, East Branch and West Branch. The following is a description of the designated stream segments:

• The Ashtabula River – from the confluence of the East Branch and West Branch of the Ashtabula River at river mile 27.54, downstream to the East 24th Street Bridge crossing at river mile 2.3, is a designated as state scenic river for a total distance of 25.24 miles.
• The East Branch of the Ashtabula River – from Pennline Fen at river mile 12.0, downstream to the mouth of the East Branch at river mile 0.0, is designated as a state scenic river for a total distance of 12.0 miles.
• The West Branch of the Ashtabula River – from the North Richmond Road (County Road 302) bridge crossing at river mile 9.05, downstream to the mouth of the West Branch at river mile 0.0, is designated as a state scenic river for a total distance of 9.05 miles.

The Ashtabula River qualified for scenic river designation as direct result of the exceptional stewardship by area landowners. Local landowners along the river have maintained wooded riparian buffers with widths of at least 120 feet along the river bank. Maintaining wooded buffers is key to protecting the high water quality of the Ashtabula River.

(Top photo courtesy of Mike Mainhart)