Geneva State Park: Yellow and Orange Trails (Blog Hike #1097)

Trails: Yellow and Orange Trails
Hike Location: Geneva State Park
Geographic Location: north of Geneva, OH (41.85761, -80.96602)
Length: 4.8 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2025
Overview: A flat loop hike through woods and along the shore of Lake Erie.
Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/geneva-state-park
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 24, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: In northeast Ohio, take I-90 to SR 534 (exit 218).  Exit and go north on SR 534.  Drive SR 534 north 6.3 miles to the state park lodge and convention center on the left.  Park in the southwest corner of the large lodge parking lot.

The hike: Named for its location inside the village Geneva-on-the-Lake, the village and state park occupy the Lake Erie-front site of Ohio's oldest summer resort.  Originally named The Marsh and later renamed Chestnut Grove, as early as the late 1840s boats were being offered for use on Cowles Creek, and a picnic area stood here.  The State of Ohio purchased Chestnut Grove in 1964, and additional land purchases were made before the 698-acre park opened in 1972.

            The park remains vacation-oriented today, and the park is anchored by its full-service state park resort The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake.  The park also offers a developed 133-site campground, a large marina, boating, swimming, and fishing on Lake Erie, and 8 miles of trails.  This hike uses this park's 2 longest trails, the Yellow Trail and the Orange Trail, and it forms a loop by going out on the Yellow Trail and coming back on the Orange Trail.

Lodge trailhead

            Start at the southwest corner of the lodge parking lot and pick up the Yellow Trail as it heads southwest past Lake Erie Canopy Tours, an interesting zip line course that operates only in the summer.  Next you cross a branch of Cowles Creek on a long wooden footbridge and enter the forest, which consists mostly of lowland broadleaf trees.  This park's vegetation is heavily influenced by the lake, which is warmer than the air temperature in the fall and winter.  Although leaf color was near peak in Akron 50 miles to the south, the trees here showed only moderate color during my mid-October hike.

First bridge over arm of Cowles Creek

            The Yellow Trail is marked with yellow rectangular paint blazes, and at 0.2 miles it intersects Old West Lake Road, which is closed to vehicle traffic.  Turn right and cross the main arm of Cowles Creek to reach another trailhead where several trails intersect.  The Blue Trail and Yellow Trail both go left, and you could take either of them: they come back together in 0.6 miles.  Being the purist that I am, I chose to stay on the Yellow Trail.

Cowles Creek

            Just shy of 0.5 miles, you pass the restroom building and parking lot for the Crabapple Picnic Area.  Ignore the Red Trail as it enters and exits the Yellow Trail.  At 0.65 miles, the Yellow Trail forks.  Again you could go either way, but I recommend turning left and hiking the east arm of the Yellow Trail's loop because it takes you closer to a scenic wetland and is a little shorter.

Wetland

            Just past 1 mile, you reach the wetland: a shallow pond with lots of lotuses.  I saw some nice fall colors but no wildlife at this pond.  Ignore the west arm of the Yellow Trail as it exits right, and continue south on the Yellow Trail as it follows what may be an old dirt road.  At 1.2 miles, you reach West Lake Road, where the Yellow Trail seems to end even though the park map shows it turning right.  To continue the Yellow Trail, turn right and begin a long and boring road walk on dead straight moderately trafficked West Lake Road.

Yellow Trail re-enters woods

            After passing the Padanaram Road intersection, where the road starts to gradually curve right, look to the right for where the Yellow Trail re-enters the woods.  No sign marks this point, but a yellow blaze is visible on a tree down the path in the woods.  The Yellow Trail heads back north over more flat terrain and through more broadleaf forest.  What the Yellow Trail lacks in scenery and excitement it makes up for in ease.

Intersecting the Orange Trail

            You re-cross Old West Lake Road and then pass around a pair of parking areas.  I walked through a couple of swarms of midges in this area.  Though annoying, midges are harmless, biteless, and signify a healthy Lake Erie ecosystem.  3 miles into the hike, you reach the west end of the Yellow Trail where it intersects the asphalt Orange Trail.  Turn sharply right to head back east on the Orange Trail.

Main beach area

            The Orange Trail is paved and open to bikes, but it stays close to Lake Erie for about half of its distance, and therefore it is more scenic than the Yellow Trail.  At 3.3 miles, you reach the park's main beach area, which features some benches and a restroom building.  Short trails lead down to the lake, and nice views extend east and west along the lakeshore.

Geneva State Park marina

Lake Erie near the lodge

            Next the Orange Trail heads around the huge Geneva State Park Marina.  You could take a short-cut through the marina parking lot, but the official Orange Trail goes just south of Old West Lake Road before coming back north to complete its by-pass of the marina.  At 4.4 miles, you get back to the lakeshore and cross wide Cowles Creek on a nice bridge.  The lodge sits just beyond the creek, thus signaling the end of the hike.