If you’re heading over to Tifft Nature Preserve, there’s easy access from Outer Harbor Drive – a designated underpass in the form of a bridge allows visitors to roll right into the clearly marked preserve (additional bridges are designated City Ship Canal, Outer Harbor and Old First Ward). Additional bike lanes have been added along the City Ship Canal (home of Seven Seas Sailing), offering cyclists additional sights to see, such as boating activity – a hotspot for bass, perch and catfish fishing. A roundabout for cars is now in place, which breaks up Outer Harbor Drive, while offering traffic calming measures at the same time.
Repairs have been completed at the Times Beach boardwalk.
The mangled walkways that prevented visitors from reaching the furthest
bird blinds and lookout areas are now functional, with composite planks
replacing the treated wood sections. For anyone looking to visit
Times Beach, located in close proximity to the Outer Harbor lighthouse compound
(US Coastguard property soon to be open to the public), the access road
has been freshly paved with designated parking along the entire
stretch. As for cyclists, final work is being completed on the bike
path that runs along Outer Harbor Drive, but there is still a dirt path that connects the two major
sections of boardwalk (actually, the path is a lot more fun to take
anyways).
Grab your bike and head to the Outer Harbor bike trail. You’ll be amazed at how much there is to see and do, with connections leading to Dug’s Dive, Tifft and Times, and ‘Pebble Beach‘ and boardwalk at the Gallagher Beach. The foliage along the trail has filled in nicely, and the breeze coming off the lake is refreshing. Now there needs to be an effort to plant conifer trees along Route 5 to drown out the sound of the cars and trucks. Who cares if the visuals of the lake are not great from a driver’s perspective. Three rows of pine trees planted along the highway would do wonders to enhance the natural scape for visitors.
^Repaired Times Beach boardwalk and the bird blinds
^Outer Harbor bike trail along Lake Erie
^A guy who knows how to relax at the Outer Harbor. Notice the new white stone seating arrangement in the background. It’s remnants from the old Saint Joseph’s New Cathedral!
^Here’s a couple enjoying the sights at ‘Pebble Beach’ aka Gallagher Beach. Are they waiting for the surf to break or the new sand to be delivered?
^Work on the new pavilion at Gallagher Beach is underway.