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.

Henslow’s and Grasshopper Sparrows have been reported during the breeding season in this restored prairie.

Located on the western edge of the main complex, Grimm Prairie is an excellent spot to look and listen for sparrows, Meadowlarks, Bobolinks, and Dickcissels with potential for Golden Plovers if conditions are right. This restored prairie habitat offers a parking area where you can set up a scope, or hike down the grass trail to explore further. Henslow and Grasshopper sparrows have been spotted here during migration. Keep an eye to the sky for migrating hawks and resident Sandhill Cranes.

From Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, travel west (right) on OH-2, then turn north (right) on Stange Road. Turn west (left) on Krause Road. Grimm Prairie will be approximately half a mile down on the left.

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.