The USRowing Summer National Championships return to Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park in Bethel. Photo courtesy of Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
National rowing championships just part of the draw now at this sprawling Southwestern Ohio gem
Watercraft users at Harsha Lake – also known as East Fork Lake – will find plenty of places to drop their boats and watercraft into the water. And while portions of the lake will be unavailable for public use during the national rowing championships, the Tate and North Shore boat ramps will be open, but with limited access.
Anglers and water recreation types quietly co-exist on Harsha Lake – also known as East Fork Lake – within East Fork State Park.
The vast beach running along Harsha Lake – also known as East Fork Lake – in East Fork State Park is the place to be on a hot and humid July day.
You’ll run into a trail head or system at pretty much every turn in East Fork State Park.
Fishing opportunities abound on Harsha Lake – also known as East Fork Lake – including at the fishing pier near the East Fork State Park campgrounds.
The view from the lookout at Lake Harsha, just around the corner from where the national rowing championships are being contested.
The feel from the lookout on Harsha Lake was about what you might expect for a weekday in early July.
Green-blue water framed by thick strands of trees, the vibe was lazy and tranquil, just the intermittent sound of boat motors in the distance.
The lull before the storm?
Harsha Lake – also known as East Fork Lake – sits within the massive East Fork State Park. It’s a huge draw for anglers and water recreationalists here, on the fringe of Brown County.
So yes, undisturbed moments like this are likely rare here this time of year. They’ll be nonexistent this week – even minus that whole boat-motor thing.
More than 1,400 rowers will descend on the tiny burg of Bethel and Harsha Lake for the 2023 USRowing Summer National Championships, which will return to the lake at East Fork State Park from July 13 through 16.
The four-day regatta will determine National Champions in the U16, U17, Youth, U23, and Open categories. Teams at the USRowing Summer National Championships and USRowing Youth Summer National Championships will compete for the Colgan Cup Overall Team Points Trophy standings, the Sulgar-Barnes Men’s Points Trophy standings and the Marion D. Ventura Women’s Points Trophy. Teams at the USRowing National Championships compete for the Colgan Cup Overall Team Points Trophy standings, the Sulgar-Barnes Men’s Points Trophy standings and the Marion D. Ventura Women’s Points Trophy.
The event is free and open to the public, with free parking. Races start at 7:30-8 a.m. each day. As of last week, more than 1,400 athletes from 71 rowing clubs across 20 states, the District of Columbia and Canada were entered in this year’s championships.
Among the top area participants will be Chris Bak of nearby Cincinnati. Bak won the gold medal in the men’s solo event at the 2022 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals (as well as the bronze medal in the mixed quadruple sculls with coxswain) and has qualified for the 2023 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals this year in both those events. This week, Bak will be competing in the Open Single and Open Double races.
The competition schedule (men and women):
• Thursday, July 13: Time trials for U17 and Youth; semifinals in the afternoon.
• Friday, July 14: Semifinals in the morning for U17 and youth; grand finals in the afternoon.
• Saturday, July 15: Time Trials in the morning for U23 and Open; semifinals in the afternoon.
• Sunday, July 16: Semifinals in the morning for U23 and Open; grand finals in the afternoon.
Harsha Lake, which features a 2,000-meter, seven-lane buoyed course, was also home of the USRowing Club National Championships from 2015-2017, the USRowing Youth Nationals from 1995-2010, the Big Ten Conference Sprint Invitational Regatta in 2021, and the National Collegiate Rowing Championships from 1982-1996. In addition, the venue hosts the annual Midwest Junior Championship and Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club High School Championship Regatta in the spring.
USRowing is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States, with 75,000 individual members and 1,350 member organizations.
While portions of the lake will be unavailable for public use during the championships (the USACE boat ramp will be closed, and the Tate and North Shore boat ramps will be open, but with limited access), the remainder of the sprawling lake and East Fork State Park are worth exploring, too, this week (and year-round).
The 7,480-acre (4,870 acres of land and 2,160 acres of water) East Fork State Park is one of the largest state parks in Ohio. Along with Harsha Lake, which typically offers unlimited horsepower boating, paddling, fishing, and swimming, other park amenities include a large scenic campground, picnic shelters, nature center, archery, and a vast trail system for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and backpacking.
Access to the north side of the lake is from Batavia-Williamsburg Road (old State Route 32). Access to the south side is from State Route 125. Off of State Route 222, south of Batavia, access is available to the west side of the lake that is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. State Route 133 has access to East Fork Wildlife Area on the northeast side of the lake. A total of six launch ramps provide access to the lake. The lake is an impoundment of the east fork of the Little Miami River and two small feeder creeks, Poplar and Cloverlick.
According to the park’s Kendra Fry, “We do have tandem kayak and canoe rentals out of the campground on the north side of the lake. The tandem kayaks must be transported by the renter, and the canoes are launched from the campground beach.”
For hikers, the possibilities in and around Harsha Lake and the state park are seemingly endless.
“William H. Harsha Lake is definitely the highlight of the state park, with thousands of miles to explore,” Fry said. “There are also thousands of miles of trails to hike at East Fork.”
For anglers, according to the park, “Crappies and bluegills can be taken around brush and in tops of fallen trees throughout the lake. Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass can be taken along the shoreline, around stumps and logs, and around old road beds.
“Millions of hybrid-striped fry have been stocked in the lake since 1983. Drift-fish with live shad (3 to 5 inches) in open water or fish soft craws at depths up to 20 feet to catch these hard-fighting bass. Cast jigs or surface plugs when bass chase shad at the surface in the early morning and late evening.”
During hunting seasons, East Fork is popular for hunting rabbits, squirrel, and deer. According to the park, “Hunting is best for gray squirrels in the larger stands of mature woodland and for fox squirrels in the smaller woodlots, along the streams, and in woody fencerows. Rabbits and woodchucks are most numerous along fencerows and woodland borders, and deer are found throughout the area. Waterfowl hunting is available on the lake and the streams flowing into the lake, and trapping is productive around pond areas and along the streams running into the lake. A dog-training ground is situated south of Williamsburg-Bantam Road.”
Also, the East Fork Wildlife Area features designated access roads for Electric Powered All Purpose Vehicle (EPAPV)/Motor Vehicle Use Permit holders. The permit allows use of an EPAPV with a 30-horsepower and/or use of a motor vehicle on designated access roads on specific state wildlife areas for mobility impaired persons. The 2,705-acre wildlife area, which lies on the northeast edge of Harsha Lake, where the east fork of the Little Miami River flows into the lake, is located on the southeast edge of Williamsburg. Access to the north side of the lake is from State Route 32 between Batavia and Williamsburg. Access to the south side is from State Route 125 near Bantam. The wildlife area may be reached from roads off State Route 133, east of the area, and Old State Route 32 west of Williamsburg.