1439 State Route 305
Cortland, Ohio 44410-9303 

Park Office	330-637-2856
Campground Office	330-638-5700
Camping Reservations	866-644-6727

Park Map | Campground Map

Naturalist Programs

• September 4-6

Water recreation, hiking, camping and picnicking attract visitors to Mosquito Lake, one of the largest lakes in Ohio • Mature woodlands and vast marshes provide safe haven for wildlife and will delight nature enthusiasts

Camping  

• 218 electric sites
• 16 non-electric sites
• The majority of the sites are situated in a mature forest while others provide lakeshore access and vistas
• Boat launching area for the campers with shoreline tie-ups
• Facilities include a shower building with flush toilets, and pit latrines are located throughout the campground
• Basketball, volleyball and horseshoe courts are offered in the campground, along with a playground area for youngsters
• Games and sports equipment are available to registered campers at the camp office

Boating

• Unlimited horsepower boating is permitted on the 7,850 acre lake
• 5 launch ramps provide access to the lake
• Fuel and other supplies are available at the Mosquito Lake Marina
• Jet Ski, pontoon, & fishing boat rentals are available at the beach • Call 330-638-0221 for reservations
• Fishing boat rentals are available at the Causeway Sportshop • 330-637-7076
• Seasonal dock rentals are offered through the park office

Fishing

• Fishing is popular throughout the year with plentiful catches of walleye, bass, northern pike and crappie
• A valid Ohio fishing license is required

Swimming

• A 600-foot beach provides recreation for swimmers and sun bathers
• Check for water quality advisories

Trails

• 2 hiking trails allow visitors to explore the woodlands and scenic shoreline of the park
• 10 miles of bridle trails give horsemen access to the park's interior
• Snowmobilers have access to 14 miles of shoreline and 15 miles of wooded trails
• Mountain biking is permitted on 5 miles of multiple-use trail

Picnicking

• 4 picnic areas are located in the scenic areas of the park
• Tables are provided

Hunting

• Hunting is permitted in designated areas of the park and the nearby Grand River Wildlife Area
• Controlled hunts, by drawing, are conducted in the Mosquito Wildlife Refuge in North Bloomfield, at the north end of the lake
• A valid Ohio hunting license is required

Cooperation Station Dog Park

• 5 acre off-leash dog park, surrounded by a split wood and mesh fence
• Separate areas for small and large dogs
• Swim area just for dogs
• Lots of shade
• Drinking water is provided seasonally 
• Developed by volunteers of the Mosquito Lake Dog Park Friends, and volunteers and employees of the following organizations: Trumbull Country Metro Parks, Trumbull County YouthBuild, US Army Corps of Engineers, Mosquito Lake State Park
• Help support the Cooperation Station Dog Park by joining the Mosquito Lake Dog Park Friends group
  
  
  • Annual membership fees:  $5 single • $10 family • $50 corporation/sponsor
  • 100% of membership fees are used to further the mission of the group
  • Send check or money order, payable to MLDPF, to Anna Campagna, 8900 South Street SE, Warren OH, 44484

More To Do

• Playground equipment is available some in day-use areas of the park
• Free summer concerts at the Mosquito Lake Marina

Area Attractions

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains five recreational areas along the dam site providing an nature trail and fitness course • A wheelchair accessible fishing dock is located in the Lakeside Picnic Area
• Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, at the north end of the lake, is managed under a lease agreement by the ODNR Division of Wildlife
• Grand River Wildlife Area is located west of the park along State Route 88
• Punderson, Pymatuning and West Branch state parks are located within a one-hour drive of Mosquito Lake • These parks contain numerous facilities including overnight accommodations and day-use amenities
• For more information on area attractions contact the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau at 866-360-1552 or Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism by calling 1-800-BUCKEYE

Nature of the Area

Before Ohio was settled, the banks of Mosquito Creek were hidden by a vast forest that covered most of the state • Little remains of the ancient forest that stood for nearly 10,000 years • In the Mosquito Lake area, regrowth has occurred and the nice stands of beech-maple woodlands can be enjoyed • In pioneer times, the beech-maple belt was very extensive and stretched from Mansfield to Pennsylvania • The reason is that this area has more cloudy days, cooler summer temperatures and more winter snow cover as compared to the rest of Ohio

The park's woodlands support colonies of spring beauties, anemones, Dutchman's breeches, purple cresses and other spring wildflowers • Goldenrod and asters will bloom in the fall in the park's open areas. Many wildlife species find the park's varied habitats suitable • Red fox, woodchuck, muskrat, beaver, fox squirrel, raccoon, rabbit and white-tailed deer are common • Recently, river otters were reintroduced in nearby favorable locations • Several otter families have been sighted

Many birds live in or migrate through the area including robins, warblers, swallows and sparrows • The yellow-bellied sapsucker and hairy woodpecker are uncommon in other parts of Ohio but abundant in this part of the state • Numerous species of waterfowl and shorebirds take advantage of the park's many wetlands during spring and fall migrations • Canada geese, herons, tundra swans, great egrets and a variety of ducks can be observed • Large predatory birds including several species of hawks and the magnificent bald and golden eagles have been spotted here

History of the Area

Mosquito Lake State Park lies in Bazetta and Mecca townships in the center of Trumbull County • In 1795, the Connecticut Land Company offered for sale a 17,247-acre tract of land named Bazetta Township • This large tract of land was divided into 100 parcels and offered for sale to the early pioneers • The first settlers arrived in the township in 1805 • The area was wilderness, and their first tasks were to clear the land, plant crops, build a log house and a stockade for their animals • Deer, turkey, rabbit and squirrel were plentiful • So were bears and wolves • By 1812, most Indians had left the area

Samuel Bacon moved to Bazetta Township in 1816 • The Bacon family operated a sawmill from 1816 to 1850 • Samuel Bacon erected some of the first frame buildings, developing stores in the community • Thus, the area now named Cortland was locally called Baconsburg

The village of Cortland became a reality in 1874 when the first railroad was built with a depot in Cortland • By 1882, the population of the village rose to 614 people • There were three churches, two newspapers, stores, mills and other enterprises

Agriculture was the first and foremost industry in the area • Most other industries were farm related: feed and flour mill, cheese, dairy and canning factories, mercantiles and lumberyards

In 1930's, plans were drawn up to dam the Mosquito Creek under the Federal Flood Control Act to alleviate floods on the Mahoning, Beaver and Ohio rivers • The dam would also provide domestic water supply for the city of Warren and pollution abatement as a result of the industrialized steel production along the Mahoning River • Completed in April 1944, the dam's capacity held 34 billion gallons of water covering 7,850 acres of land • In 1946. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers entered into an agreement with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to manage the recreation on the lake