A short drive northeast of Mentor, Headlands Beach State Park preserves the longest natural sand beach in Ohio — about a mile of undeveloped Lake Erie shoreline. Unlike most of the developed lakefront elsewhere in the region, the beach here is backed by a protected nature area and feels genuinely wild. The water is cold but swimmable in summer, and the swimming area is watched over by lifeguards during peak season.
Adjacent to the beach is Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve, a rare patch of coastal dune habitat that supports plants and insects found nowhere else in Ohio. The preserve has short walking trails. In autumn and spring, the headland is one of the best hawk-watching spots on Lake Erie, with thousands of migrating raptors funnelling past the point. For birders, the adjacent Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve adds wetland habitat and extends the potential list considerably.