Please be safe. It is never safe to stop your car on OH-2 in this area. State and local police ticket drivers pulled over to the side of this highway.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge spans two counties. The northern part of the refuge is in Lucas County and the southern part is in Ottawa County.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is a stop on the Lake Erie Birding Trail.

Stange Prairie is located on Stange Road, north of OH-2 and about two miles west of the main entrance road.

The habitat here is great for Northern harriers and Short-eared Owls in the winter. The observation deck provides an overlook into the southern edge of the wildlife refuge and provides a good viewing spot for migrating waterfowl in the refuge pools. Once spring arrives, you can expect to see Eastern Meadowlarks, Dickcissels, Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, and sparrows in the grassland.

From Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, travel west (right) on OH-2. Turn north (right) onto Stange Road. Stange Prairie is on the right approximately half a mile down the road.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge provides valuable habitat for a diversity of waterfowl and other migratory birds, resident wildlife, and endangered and threatened species. It provides a place for people to enjoy wildlife-dependent activities and learn about the complexities of the natural world through education and interpretive programming.

Ottawa Refuge is located in northwest Ohio. The entrance is located 15 miles east of Toledo, Ohio, or 16 miles west of Port Clinton, Ohio on OH-2. The entrance road is located on the north side of OH-2.

Visitors should stop at the visitor center which opened in 2007. This beautiful lodge-style building welcomes you and tells the refuge story. The building is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

There are ten miles of hiking trails. These trails travel through a variety of habitats and start behind the visitor center or from the trailhead parking lot.

The refuge wildlife drive is open on scheduled days from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The wildlife drive allows vehicles to travel through areas of the refuge not otherwise open to the general public. See the calendar of events for open dates.