Turkeyfoot Beach
New Franklin, Ohio
Verified · 4 independent sources · top-verified
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- No fee found
- SEASON
- Best in summer
About Turkeyfoot Beach
Turkeyfoot Beach is the official public swimming beach on Turkeyfoot Lake, one of the eight interconnected Portage Lakes within Ohio's Portage Lakes State Park in New Franklin, near Akron. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes it as a 900-foot swimming beach with parking and vault latrines, a well-developed swimming hole for anyone weighing places to swim near Akron. Turkeyfoot Lake also hosts scheduled water-skiing and boating alongside the designated swim area.
The beach sits on Turkeyfoot Lake, one of eight kettle lakes in the 411-acre Portage Lakes State Park, a low, glacially-formed lake district on a watershed divide south of Akron. The park's wetlands and lake shores attract waterfowl, and nearby boggy areas support tamarack trees, skunk cabbage, and cranberry more typical of northern boreal bogs.
Swimming at Turkeyfoot Beach
Official ODNR materials describe a 900-foot sand swimming beach on Turkeyfoot Lake, open during daylight hours on a swim-at-your-own-risk basis (no lifeguard indicated). It is a developed, family-oriented lake swimming beach rather than a backcountry or wild swimming spot, suited to casual lake swimming and beach-going rather than deep-water or adventure swimming.
How to get to this swimming hole
Parking: On-site parking is provided at the swimming beach, per the ODNR Portage Lakes State Park page.
The walk in
No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. Confirmed drive-up beach: on-site parking sits directly at the 900-foot swimming beach, so no hike is needed to reach the water. No dedicated hiking trail leading to the swim area was found in this pass.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Developed 900-foot sand lake beach with presumably gradual lake-bottom entry typical of Ohio state park swim beaches, but the official ODNR page states swimming is at your own risk with no lifeguard mentioned, and Turkeyfoot Lake also carries motorized boat traffic and scheduled water-skiing/sailing on parts of the lake, so young kids should be supervised closely.
Parking
Lot
On-site parking at the swimming beach per the ODNR property page; no fee amount is stated on that page, and no separate parking-fee source was found this pass.
Restrooms
Yes
Vault latrines at the swimming beach, per the official ODNR Portage Lakes State Park property page (archived copy).
Hours
Park-wide hours are 6am-11pm daily; the beach itself is limited to daylight-hours swimming only, per the official ODNR Portage Lakes State Park page.
On the water
Restrictions: Per the official ODNR page (as captured in the prior research pass), Turkeyfoot Lake is one of the few Portage Lakes where wake sports (water-skiing, speed-boating, sailing) are permitted, on a rotating daily schedule, unlike most of the park's other lakes which are 'no wake.' Whether hand-launched craft like kayaks, canoes, or paddleboards are separately permitted or restricted near the designated swim beach was not addressed in any source found, so they are not listed as confirmed here.
No dedicated put-in/launch details for non-motorized craft at Turkeyfoot Beach specifically were found this pass.
Backstory
Portage Lakes takes its name from a Native American portage path linking the Cuyahoga River (draining to Lake Erie) and the Tuscarawas River (draining to the Ohio River via the Muskingum). Several of the lakes were originally built as canal-feeder reservoirs; after Ohio's canal system was abandoned following the Great Flood of 1913, the lakes served local industrial water needs until being transferred to the newly formed Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1949.
Turkeyfoot Beach: FAQ
Is Turkeyfoot Beach kid friendly?
Developed 900-foot sand lake beach with presumably gradual lake-bottom entry typical of Ohio state park swim beaches, but the official ODNR page states swimming is at your own risk with no lifeguard mentioned, and Turkeyfoot Lake also carries motorized boat traffic and scheduled water-skiing/sailing on parts of the lake, so young kids should be supervised closely.
Do I need to hike to reach Turkeyfoot Beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Turkeyfoot Beach?
On-site parking at the swimming beach per the ODNR property page; no fee amount is stated on that page, and no separate parking-fee source was found this pass.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Turkeyfoot Beach?
No dedicated put-in/launch details for non-motorized craft at Turkeyfoot Beach specifically were found this pass.
When is the best time to visit Turkeyfoot Beach?
Summer (the ODNR page references BeachGuard water-quality advisories for the beach from Memorial Day to Labor Day, indicating that as the designated swim season).
What are the rules at Turkeyfoot Beach?
Swimming is permitted during daylight hours only; swim at your own risk (no lifeguard mentioned); pets are not allowed on swimming beaches. Park hours overall are 6am to 11pm daily. Turkeyfoot Lake permits scheduled water-skiing/speeding/sailing on a rotating daily schedule, unlike most of the park's other 'no wake' lakes.
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