Finding Seaglass on Lake Erie
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Lake Erie is the 4th largest of the Great Lakes. It’s a beautiful destination in Ohio for anyone who wants to escape the congested cities for some peace and quiet. Several beautiful beaches are located within easy driving distance of Cleveland. While Lake Erie was a major site of public dumping in the past (definitely not a good thing!), today you can find many unique pieces of seglass because of this waste dumping. So nature’s trash eventually became nature’s treasure.
Hunting for seaglass became a passion of my after living on a small island off the coast of Maine many years ago. Islesboro is one of the top destinations in the country for finding seaglass, and it was here that local residents shared their secrets on how to find these treasured gems. I have taken this knowledge with me and now search the shores of Erie with these tips in mind.
History of public dumping
In the past, trash was dumped at beaches and over many years of constant tumbling, old bottles and pieces of glass transformed into frosty gems. Beachcombing is now a very popular activity along the beaches of Lake Erie, and other coastal areas which were former dump sites. Mike and I have done our share of beachcombing since moving here over a year ago. Almost every weekend we are not traveling somewhere else, we are hitting a local coffeshop and then continuing on to one of the beaches for a morning of glass collecting.
Lake Erie has a long history of public dumping near waterways. Many companies and municipalities dumped trash directly into the water. The General Electric Plant in Conneaut threw trash into the water to combat erosion. Today, you can find rare pieces of cobalt blue and black amethyst glass in this region (more on my experience collecting rare blue here later on).
The EPA finally put an end to public water dumping. In 1988, The Ocean Ban Dumping Act was passed. Putting an end to this environment hazard means cutting down on pollution and preventing further loss of wildlife habitats. Not to even mention the potential health effects!
What color seaglass can you find?
You will find various types of seaglass and even marbles on different beaches. All different colors can be found although the most common will likely be green, brown, and white – mostly from old beer bottles. Consider yourself lucky if you find a piece of cobalt blue – it’s one of the rarer finds, as is red, pink, and orange. Marbles, pottery pieces, and even intact bottles are rarely found. Living in Maine, I actually found a ton of rare blue pieces and I have an entire container of pottery pieces. Purple glass is also a treasure although a bit easier to find – it is actually white glass which has been exposed to the sun for a long time.
As mentioned above, beaches near Conneaut are a good place to find rare blue pieces due to the old electric plant once dumping glass in the water.
On an interesting side note, the largest piece of seaglass ever found was a massive 275 lb in 2017.
My Favorites Picks
After living in the area for several months, I found my favorite beaches for collecting. I have found a few small pieces of blue and even a rare orange, but nothing too dramatic. Some of these beaches I happened on by accident and other gems local residents shared with me. I will update this post when I collect during the prime windy and stormy season. The pieces along Lake Erie tend to be smaller than the large pieces I found off the coast of Maine. Some people store their pieces in glass jars and vases, while others many crafts.
Perkins Beach
Perkins is probably the most well known beach for beachcombing. It is easily accessible from the city – just minutes from downtown Cleveland. This was the first beach I visited after moving here. It is a quiet beach with lots of shells and is much better for beachcombing than swimming. The scenery is great for a morning of shell collecting. I found a ton of pieces here although mostly in common colors of brown and green although you will see a few small blue pieces mixed in. This is a really fun places for newbies as there is lots of frosty gems to be found with just a quick walk. Update: In recent months, I have still found a lot of glass here, but the pieces have been much smaller.
Bradstreet Landing
Most tourists visit Bradstreet Landing to walk or fish along the historic 600 foot pier. I come here to hunt for seaglass. Out of all the beaches on this list, this is the one where I always walk away with a huge collection. It’s super rocky here (so not great for swimming), but a wonderful choice for beachcombing. It’s pretty quiet too which is a big bonus for me as I like searching for glass at isolated beaches like I used to do everyday in Maine. I love coming here right after a storm. I love the overcast ambiance and I usually find a lot of glass which has washed up on the shore due to the big waves.
Huntington Reservation
Huntington is another place where you will likely find a large haul on just a single visit. Although I found mostly brown and white here, a few cool turquoise blues provided a colorful boost to my ever growing Ohio collection. This beautiful beach is located in Bay Village – it’s a great place to spend the day with lots of picnic and hiking opportunities, great birdwatching, and even a nice view of the city. Update: For some reason, I’ve had zero luck at this beach in recent months. Maybe the locals are beating me earlier in the morning, but I’ve walked away with nothing more than a few small pieces the last several times.
Euclid Beach Park
I headed out to Euclid mostly to take pics by one of the iconic Cleveland script signs. I was pleasantly surprised by the small, but colorful collection I came home with which included a nice cornflower blue piece. While I had to search pretty hard here, nevertheless, it was a still a fun experience.
Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve
This hidden gem in Huron features beautiful nature trails and a secluded beach. You will walk about a mile down the nature path until you see an opening through the trees for the beach. It’s so quiet here (I have visited several times and never saw another person). It’s an oasis for birdwatching in the spring and a gorgeous spot to enjoy wildflowers. I found a nice small, but very colorful collection here including a few beautiful pieces of green and blue and a nice little orange. The best thing about the glass here is that it is so smooth. The sand is a lot smoother here which means the glass is more tumbled. Update: I’ve come back here several times and seem to find more and more glass each time! This is now my favorite seaglass collecting spot!
Old Woman’s Creek
This serene beach is a popular spot to beachcomb amongst avid collectors. A shop owner in Vermillion actually recommend us to check this place out and we were not disappointed. We arrived early and found numerous collectors already on the hunt. I found a lot of frosty pieces here after just a short time period. Bonus – this beach is just 10 min from Sheldon Marsh, so you can save yourself a bit of time and visit both in a single day. Note that some of the beach is private, so please watch the signs.
Conneaut Township Park
This is one of my more recent glass hunting experience. This one is the furthest drdive from Cleveland (about an hour and 15 min), but the best for finding rare colors. On my recent daytrip, I found so many pieces of cobalt blue. This is one of the rarest colors to find as it comes from old Milk of Magnesia glass bottles from the late 1800’s. Typically, I consider myself lucky if I find a piece or 2, but I easily found an entire handful here (and that’s with arriving pretty late in the morning after all the locals!).
Best time to hunt for seaglass
After a big storm. Big waves and rainy conditions tend to bring big treasures to shore.
During the colder months. There will be less people out collecting, so a greater possibility to find unique pieces.
Early in the morning. Get there before all the die hards for your best chance of finding rare pieces. I’ve yet to find an entirely intact bottle (I am so jealous of those who do!), but your best bet is to get to the beach as early as possible. I have found several old bottle stoppers while searching in Maine.
Beaches with more rocks and debris tend to have more seaglass. I always look around the rocks and also by the debris that washes up right by the shore. Because the glass pieces are so colorful, they really stand out amongst the dull grey rocks! You will notice the colorful blue pieces pop out much more than the white and brown which can blend in with the rocks, unless it is a sunny day where they tend to glisten.
Low tide is typically the best time to find seaglass, however, Lake Erie has no tide times.
Learn more about Cleveland Metroparks beaches
Check out more of my favorite beaches around the US
Scusset State Reservation – Cape Cod: I found my most tumbled piece here, along with a cool Old Coke bottle piece. This one is located nearby the Cape Cod Rail Trail which I also highly recommend.
Seaglass Beach – Ft. Bragg, CA: This iconic beach is home to the world’s largest collection of seaglass. It’s located along Hwy 101, so a great detour if you are driving the PCH. Note that it is illegal to collect any of the glass here, but it is fun to look around.
La Jolla Cove: A surprisingly decent find in San Diego. This is alway a fun place to sightsee (lots of sea lions).
