West Branch SP--West Boat Ramp

About this Location

This is a good vantage point for scanning the lake for waterfowl. It is also the West Branch Trailhead in addition to being a boat launch. There are pit toilets on site (handicap accessible) and picnic tables.

About West Branch State Park

See all hotspots at West Branch State Park

West Branch State Park in Portage County is situated on the glaciated plateau of northeastern Ohio. Although the land was uplifted as part of the Appalachian Mountain building process, the glaciers were able to override the gentle hills of the plateau. Huge ice blocks broke free from the glaciers and kettle lakes formed as the blocks melted. Eventually, these lakes filled with sediment leaving boggy wetlands with unique assemblages of plants. The West Branch area contains numerous bogs filled with buttonbush, alder, skunk cabbage, and swamp white oak.

Another natural feature of the park is the stand of beech-maple forest. In pioneer times, the beech-maple belt in Ohio was very extensive and stretched across the plateau from Mansfield to Pennsylvania. These woodlands harbor a variety of plant and animal life. Woodland wildflowers such as Dutchman’s breeches, bloodroot, and trillium are found here. Red fox, skunk, opossum, and raccoon find the park’s habitat suitable. Songbirds occupy the leafy canopy of the woodlands while waterfowl and shorebirds dabble in the reservoir.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Roadside viewing

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from West Branch State Park Official Website, Ethan Kistler, Tom Forwood, and Susan Carpenter