Huntington Beach is the Lake Erie swimming beach in Huntington Reservation, a park of roughly 100 acres in Bay Village, Ohio, run by Cleveland Metroparks. The reservation sits on a wooded bluff on the north side of Lake Road (U.S. Route 6) in Cleveland's western lakeshore suburbs, and the sand strip at the foot of that bluff is one of the system's guarded swimming locations. On a clear day the downtown skyline shows up across the water to the east.

Most people park in the lots off Lake Road near the Porter Creek Drive entrance and walk down to the sand on one of the staircases that drop from the top of the bluff. Changing rooms, restrooms and picnic tables are near the top, and Metroparks keeps ADA beach wheelchairs at the beach. The lower lot by the water is a drop-off point for kayaks and paddleboards; drivers are asked to unload there and then park in the main lot.

The beach is a long, narrow strip of sand broken up by stone breakwalls that run out into the lake and make semi-protected pockets for wading. You walk in from the sand, and the breakwall rocks themselves are off limits under park ordinance. This is open Great Lakes water: Lake Erie is usually in the low to mid 70s F by midsummer, but wind can push waves and rip currents onto this shore with little warning. Lifeguards work only during posted dates and times. In 2025 they were on duty from June 7 to August 10, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and the 2026 guarded season opened June 6. Posted rules ban diving, pets, fishing near the swim area, inflatables (Coast Guard approved life jackets are fine), snorkels and climbing on the rocks, and no one may swim when the red flag is up.

There is no admission or parking fee. Cleveland Metroparks reservations are free to enter regardless of where you live, and the reservation is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The only paid swimming in the system is Ledge Pool in Hinckley, which has nothing to do with this beach.

Treat the lake seriously here. In August 2025 two young men went missing while swimming off Huntington Beach a week after the guards had left for the season, on a day when the National Weather Service had issued rip current warnings. Metroparks has also closed the beach to swimmers during high-wave days in past summers while leaving the sand open for walking. For water quality, the Metroparks status page points to Ohio Nowcast, the state's E. coli prediction for Lake Erie beaches, which can trigger advisories after heavy rain. Check the Metroparks swimming status page and the flag before you go in, and outside guarded hours stay near shore or stay out.

The rest of the reservation is worth an hour. The tall white tower above the beach looks like a lighthouse but was built to pump lake water to John Huntington's vineyards; next to it are Karen's Way Play Space and The Noshery, a seasonal snack stand that serves Honey Hut ice cream. About three miles of trails loop through the woods along Porter Creek, and the grounds also hold BAYarts, the Huntington Playhouse and the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center. Paddlers can launch from the beach and follow the cliffs east, though that stretch has no protection from the open lake.