Fall Cavalcade of Color - 2025 Part 2

Cooper Foster Park Road looking east
where it intersects with Baumhart Road

I wasn't sure if there was going to be Part 2 of my annual look at fall foliage around Lorain County, thanks to the wind and rain we've experienced recently. But I grabbed what photos I could during my travels in the past few weeks and present them here now, in order. As you will see, I tend to go down to Mill Hollow and the Bacon Woods a lot, to walk the trails. The colors are muted but still nice.

Baumhart Road

Bacon Woods Reservation

Bacon Woods Reservation

The old quarry behind my condo on Woodland Drive

Bacon Woods Reservation

Bacon Woods Reservation

Bacon Woods Reservation

Bacon Woods Reservation

Bacon Woods Reservation

Mill Hollow

Vermilion Road looking north

I've done this a few times before, so feel free to check out some of the past autumns including Mohican State Forest in 2024; Mill Hollow in 2023 and 2022; Fall Foliage in 2021; Mill Hollow Revisited in 2020; and 2018, which seems to have some of the best color and biggest variety of locations.

Fall Cavalcade of Color - 2025 Part 1

Along North Ridge Road in Brownhelm

As is my custom each autumn, I've been heading out with my camera phone to try and capture some of the colorful fall foliage. It's a little disappointing this year because the drought affected it, and I haven't been able to get many shots. But the colors are getting better this week (although the rain and wind have stripped many of the trees of their leaves).

Here's a not-so-ample sample of what I've managed to photograph so far.

Brownhelm and Mill Hollow are always favorite subjects each year. 

This past weekend, I headed down to Findley State Park, another favorite place of mine. I was happy to see this sign honoring Judge Findley. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have Findley State Park to enjoy.

So even if the leaves aren't as colorful this year, it's still been a nice fall so far. Every autumn is different, and for me it's the high point of the year.

Journal Recreation Page – May 5, 1956

Here’s a nice reminder of the days when Lorain and its neighboring lakefront communities really embraced their nautical heritage.

It’s a full page from the Saturday, May 5, 1956 edition of the Lorain Journal and it's chockful of recreational suggestions for fishermen, boaters, picnickers and swimmers. There’s also plenty of ads for the local businesses to help make it all happen.

Of interest is the announcement about the new Findley State Park (its name is misspelled in the article), which was to open to the public on May 15, 1956. Many people might not be aware that Findley Lake is man-made.

(Findley State Park has been a favorite topic on this blog, including a post about the construction of its dam and spillway, and one featuring photographs of the park in the fall of 2014.)

There’s also an article about two other new lakes – Monroe Lake and Belmont Lake – under construction by the state.

A travel suggestion by the Lorain Auto Club (accompanied by a map that is little more than a scribble) suggests a trip to Steubenville (hometown of Dean Martin).

The rest of the page is a lot of fun to look at, including ads for many businesses that I’ve mentioned on this blog over the years, including Airport Tavern, Jordan Boat Rental & Sales, Yeager’s Acres, the Pueblo, Vian’s, and the Holiday Inn Restaurant.

Findley Lake in Fall

Like I mentioned yesterday, a few weeks ago I headed down to to Findley State Park to see how the fall colors were coming along by the lake. Although it was a week or so past peak colors, I still grabbed a few shots of one of my favorite places in Lorain County.

I wrote about the creation of Findley Lake back here.

Anyway, here are my late afternoon lake shots.

I pretty much had the place all to myself except for a fishermen or two. Too bad I didn't bring a pic-a-nic lunch!

Findley State Park Article – March 17, 1956

Here's another full page article with photos from the pages of The Lorain Journal. Like yesterday's post, this one is also from March 1956 and tells the story of how the lake at Findley State Park on Ohio Route 58 south of Wellington was formed by the construction of a dam.

According to the article, which ran on March 17, 1956 in The Lorain Journal, Findley State Forest had been established in 1936 when Common Pleas Judge Guy B. Findley donated 890 acres of his farmland in Huntington Township to the State of Ohio. It became Findley State Park in 1950.

I have many happy memories of camping at Findley State Park with my family in the late 1960s. Although it was only a short drive away (close enough that we could make a run home if we forgot something), the tall pines made it seem like you were camping in another state.

It was a good place to go to the beach too. I had no idea as a kid that the beautiful lake was man-made; I only know that we used to go there because Lakeview Park in Lorain at the time had very little beach – and what beach there was, hurt your feet!