Eastwood MetroPark has amenities for just about any type of boating available. On the lake, power boats, water skiing, wake boarding, tubing and fishing boats are permitted on the even dates of the month; sailboats, personal watercraft and fishing boats at idle speed are permitted on the odd dates. Kayaks and canoes are permitted all days of the week. Personal watercraft must use the designated area marked with buoys at the west end of the lake, and there is a speed limit of 35-miles per hour for all watercraft. The Blue lake and the lagoon offer boating access for boats that are people-powered or electric motors only.

Events like the Annual Test & Tune, APBA Driving School and the Solar Splash are held at the lake each year. Check our calendar for upcoming events.

A trailside campsite is on the northeast side of the park side of Eastwood MetroPark along the Mad River Trail. The campsite is nestled along the Mad River under tree cover and tucked behind a tall grass prairie. This site has one campsite with room for up to 2 small tents. Fires are NOT permitted in trailside campsites. A restroom is within 1000 feet and is shared with users of the Harshman Road Trailhead. Potable water is available in the park about 1 mile away from April 1 to October 31. This site provides a great resting stop for backpackers of the Buckeye and North Country Trail along with bicycle tourists of the Great American Rail-Trail, Great Miami Riverway Alternate, and US Bicycle Route 50 in addition to other multi-day tours of the Miami Valley Trails and paddlers of the Mad River Water Trail.

Reserve a campsite

Eastwood MetroPark is connected with downtown Dayton by the Mad River Trail and with Beavercreek and Kettering by the Creekside and Ironhorse Trail. The Mad River Trail also connects this park with Huffman MetroPark, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Wright State University, plus the Fairborn and Riverside communities.

Learn more about the paved trail network.

The park’s riparian forest habitat along the Mad River includes is skirted by grasslands and young forest areas that are experiencing natural succession. The grasslands that your see as you enter the main entrance of the park are actually small portions of prairies that once blanketed the Mad River valley. These remnants retain their rich prairie soil and are actively being managed by MetroParks for prairie restoration.

The many water features in Eastwood, including lake, river and lagoon, are well known for attracting migratory bird populations, including waterfowl, osprey, shorebirds and gulls. In 2009, a pair of bald eagles, known as Cindy and Jim, began hunting at Eastwood Lake and along the Mad River after building their nest across Harshman Road in the treetops above the City of Dayton Mad River Well Field. In 2016, Cindy died after carrying a wet branch back to the nest that made contact with a power line.

MetroParks conservation staff members are working to promote fish and wildlife populations in the lake and lagoons, as well as encouraging the birds and insects of the park’s prairie ecosystem. Native shrubs are being introduced to establish a thicket habitat, important to many types of wildlife including cottontail rabbits, yellow breasted chats and willow flycatchers.

The Mad River Run, which opened in 2013, was a project that was part conservation and part recreation. This kayak and canoe feature along the Mad River includes significant bank stabilization measures, and restores a section of river from Eastwood MetroPark to downtown Dayton to as much natural functionality as possible. It improves public access, aquatic habitat and safety characteristics of the river.

Fishing is available at the following locations without a state fishing license:

• Blue Lake
• Lagoons

An Ohio fishing license is required for the following locations, where state limits also apply:

• Eastwood Lake – The lake has many species of fish as it is fed indirectly by the Mad River and has been and will continue to be stocked by ODNR. You can fish by boat or from the shoreline. Some of the more sought after fish are walleye and saugeye, crappies, catfish and largemouth bass; however many other species have been caught, like bluegill and other sunfish, carp, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout as well as an occasional exotic (Please contact the Wildlife Biologist if you catch an exotic fish, we wish to keep our species native and an exotic could become detrimental to the natural ecosystem). Eastwood Lake is open 24/7 (for fishing only) from April 1 until October 31.
• Mad River – Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, Bluegill and Carp can be found in the city limit section on the Mad River.

Did you donate a Christmas tree last Christmas? You can view a map of where the trees were placed.

The 3-mile loop in Eastwood’s main park offers trail runners a soft surface run through woods, open meadow, and riverside trail. The park’s paved trail access provides runners, walkers, cyclists and inline skaters with a 3.61 mile jaunt to RiverScape MetroPark down the Mad River Trail – just over 10K for a round trip. Create your own distance using the Mad and Creekside Trails.

Boat access points on the lagoon, blue hole or lake provide multiple spaces for SUP yoga.

Enjoy a day of bird watching, regular residence of kingfishers, great blue herons, great horned owls make this MetroPark a favorite spot for birders. This park offers a good chance to observe migrant waterfowl, gulls, terns, and swallows, as well as a chance of finding something rare. Eastwood Lake is well known for its migratory bird populations, including waterfowl, osprey, shorebirds, and gulls.

Five Rivers MetroParks habitat and clean waterways conservation efforts have been rewarded with the return of American bald eagles. Perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse. Two bald eagles, known as Jim and Cindy, nested across the road from Eastwood MetroPark at the City of Dayton Mad River Well Field. The pair had hunted at Eastwood Lake and along the Mad River after building their nest in 2009. In 2016, Cindy died after carrying a wet branch back to the nest that made contact with a power line.

Read the Eastwood Eagle Watchers Blog

Check out the “urban prairie” just inside the main gate of the park. These grassland habitats are under a prairie restoration and draw in cottontail rabbits, yellow breasted chats and willow flycatchers.

Healthy habitats like those at Eastwood support wildlife like the chimney swift. You can spot this aerial hunter in Eastwood MetroPark. Bike the Buckeye Trail and look for nests built along the side of the Harshman Drive overpass.

Look for beaver activity as you explore the lagoon with a walk out on the islands. Mad River and the lagoon provide opportunities to see river otters, migratory water fowl, osprey, kingfishers and bald eagles.

Geocaching is an activity combining technology and nature, using GPS to search for and find “caches” hidden throughout the world. Visit www.geocaching.com and search by location to get started, and then head out on an adventure to find the geocaches hidden in this park.

The land that Eastwood MetroPark stands on has ties back to Dayton’s very early history. It is reported that in 1802 there was a grist mill at the site of present Eastwood Park.

The Miami Conservancy District bought up all the land subject to flood or change in any way by their construction of an earthen dam on the Mad River after the flood of 1913. After construction was complete, the city of Dayton bought the river bed to Huffman Dam as a right of way to carry the drinking water from their wells to pumps. The city then developed the area into a park by 1917.

Five Rivers MetroParks entered into a lease agreement with the City of Dayton to allow MetroParks to manage the Eastwood Park in 1990.

View history of the park

The park has over 3 miles of wooded and open meadow trails for walking, hiking, running. It offers scenic views of the Mad River and native prairie plantings.

The Buckeye Trail (BT), Ohio’s State Trail, and the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) run together through Eastwood MetroPark.   These long distance trails are co-aligned through the Dayton area as they are through much of Ohio, locally following the Mad River and Great Miami Recreation Trails.  The trails are marked by 2×6 inch blue blazes along the route and volunteers work closely with the land managers to promote the trail and maintain the blazes.

Learn more about these trails.

For an overview of the Buckeye and North Country Trail through the Miami Valley look for the blue dotted line on the Miami Valley Bikeways Map.

Eastwood MetroPark contains a winding shaded lagoon, a 185-acre recreational lake, forest habitat along the Mad River, thickets, and a few grasslands. These grassland openings are former prairies that retain the rich prairie soil and lend themselves to prairie restoration. In addition to its recreational uses, Eastwood Lake is well known for its migratory bird populations.

Eastwood Blue Lake
This small, sheltered, lake at Eastwood MetroPark which is a great place for beginners to try paddlesports for the first time. Use the 1401 Harshman Rd entrance, and drive all of the way to the other end of the park.

Eastwood Lake
185-acre Eastwood Lake, also known as the “hydro bowl” is a nice sized lake to take you paddling to the next step. This lake is often windy which can create decent sized whitecaps and has motor boat traffic. There are numerous locations to put your canoe, kayak, etc. into the lake. You can paddle on Eastwood Lake any day of the week – please take note that motor boats drive fast on even numbered days, and on odd numbered days Personal Watercraft (PWCs, aka jet skis) use the west end of the lake.

Eastwood Lagoon
The Lagoon is ~3/4 of a mile long, has 7 islands, docks, and a ramp. The Lagoon can be accessed by the docks near the restroom or by the ramp off at the corner of the last parking lot. This is a great body of water for beginners to explore.

Mad River Harshman Rd Access
Looking for a trip on the Miami Valley’s only whitewater river? Then the 4 mile long Mad River is for you. This access point includes a changing booth, portable toilet, and parking. Carefully cross the bike path and put your boat into the river. Part conservation, part recreation, Mad River Run feature includes two passageways, navigable on both sides.

Reserve shelters in the park for your exclusive use using our online reservation system.

Unreserved shelters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Picnic table sites also are available.

The park’s 3 miles of wooded and open meadow trails for are relatively flat and make for good cross-country skiing or snow shoeing with adequate snow fall. The paved trails are not plowed in winter and can also be used for skiing and snowshoeing.