CLEVELAND — A well-known trail in Mentor is closed due to erosion along the Lake Erie shoreline. 

What You Need To Know

  • Kenneth Kaminski is in charge of parks in the city of Mentor and said the Mentor Lagoons trail is now closed for safety reasons
  • The existing trail was in place for about 30 years and was built when the shoreline was about 100 yards further out than it is now 

  • Kaminski said erosion is a growing problem and a lack of ice on Lake Erie is contributing to the situation

Kenneth Kaminski drove along the Mentor marsh and made his way to the Mentor lagoon trail. He’s in charge of parks in the city of Mentor.

"I think the joy is the fact that we have an opportunity to offer just about every recreational experience for our residents, anything from a marina to a golf course, senior center, rec center," he said.

The Mentor Lagoons trail runs along Lake Erie and the marsh. The trail has been eroding over the last eight years because of high water levels and because Lake Erie hasn't been freezing.

"The erosion is happening so fast that it is actually dangerous for our people and patrons that use the trail," he said.

The existing trail was in place for about 30 years. The shoreline was about a hundred feet further out than where it is now but has been eaten away by erosion.

"We probably had about 30 feet of beach, but as you can see now, we have no beach at all and it actually washed the stairwell away," he said.

Kaminski said the lake just isn't freezing during the winter, and that's a big part of the problem.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said it's seen a decrease in ice coverage across the Great Lakes, reaching an all-time low in 2024. 

As of Feb. 11 of this year, only .05% of Lake Erie was covered with ice, leaving the shoreline unprotected.

Kaminski said the goal now is to protect the shoreline that remains. 

"It’s very expensive to be able to do any type of these projects. We can put up revetment, which is just big pieces of concrete on the shoreline," he said.

But Kaminski said the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Natural Resources are not fans of adding these man-made barriers.

"And neither are we, because it doesn’t bring the natural setting to our nature preserve," he said.

Kaminski said the city is moving the trail back as the erosion eats up the area, but keeping up with the crumbling conditions won’t be easy.