Sharon Woods is the oldest park in the Great Parks of Hamilton County system, and at roughly 730 acres it holds a golf course, a museum village, a gorge trail and a nature center. Most of that is spread out. The Harbor is where it concentrates.
It is the part of the park people mean when they say they are going to Sharon Woods: the lake, the boathouse, the playground with the water features, and a stretch of shaded seating looking out over the water.
This guide covers the Harbor specifically. What is there, how to reach it, what is currently changing because the area is mid renovation, and one observation about why the space works that applies directly to a backyard.
About Sharon Woods Harbor
Great Parks describes the Harbor as the central hub of Sharon Woods, offering a boathouse and a playground with water features for children, along with ample shaded seating and scenic views. It is somewhere to relax or picnic rather than a facility you visit for one activity and leave.
| At a glance | Sharon Woods Harbor, Great Parks of Hamilton County |
| Address | 4631 East Kemper Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241 |
| Phone | (513) 769-4326 |
| The park | Sharon Woods covers about 730 acres and is the oldest of the Great Parks |
| At the Harbor | Boathouse, playground with water features, shaded seating and lake access |
| Website | the Great Parks harbor page |
Great Parks traces back to 1930, when the system was founded as the Hamilton County Park Board after a campaign led by former Cincinnati mayor Murray Seasongood. Sharon Woods was its first park, which is worth knowing while standing at the Harbor. This is where the whole county park system started.
Location, Directions and Access
The Harbor is at 4631 East Kemper Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241. Phone: (513) 769-4326. Great Parks properties are open every day of the year, dawn to dusk.
From Interstate 275
Take the U.S. 42 exit and head south. U.S. 42 runs as Lebanon Road down toward Sharonville, and East Kemper Road crosses it near the park.
From Reading Road in Sharonville
Reading Road is the spine of Sharonville. From the city center, follow East Kemper Road east and it carries you to the Harbor entrance.
- A vehicle permit is required. Every Great Parks property requires a motor vehicle permit. Annual and daily permits are available, priced differently for county residents and non residents, and an annual permit covers every park in the system.
- Fishing needs a state license. Bait and tackle have historically been available at the pier, and an Ohio fishing license is required to fish the lake.
{Map Embed}
The Harbor Is Currently Being Rebuilt
Worth knowing before you drive out. Great Parks has a Harbor Revitalization project underway, and it changes a few practical things.
Boat rentals moved on 28 May 2026 to a temporary boathouse at Lakeside Lodge, 4661 Kemper Road, open seasonally for the duration of the project. Single kayaks, tandem kayaks, canoes and pedalboats are available there. The snack bar at the Harbor is closed while work continues.
The playground, the shaded seating, the lake and the trail remain open. If you are coming for the water features or a picnic rather than a boat, very little has changed.
Project timelines move, so check the current position with Great Parks before a trip built around boat rental specifically.
What the Boathouse Offers
In a normal season the boathouse is the reason a lot of families come. It has historically run from around mid March to mid October, with rentals by the hour and no reservation needed.
- On the water. Pedal boats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks, motorboats and pontoons have all featured in the rental fleet, with covered pedal boats being the popular choice on a hot afternoon.
- On land. Bikes have been available to rent hourly for the loop trail around the lake.
- Fishing. The lake supports shore and boat fishing, with bait and tackle sold at the pier.
Rental availability and pricing shift by season and are affected by the current project, so treat any specific figure you find online as a starting point rather than a quote.
Why the Harbor Feels Restful
Here is the thing worth taking home from a visit, and it is not the boats.
Great Parks’ own description of the Harbor leads with shaded seating and scenic views before it mentions any activity. That ordering is correct. The harbor is pleasant because you can sit down, in the shade, facing something worth looking at, for as long as you want, without doing anything.
Most backyards fail on exactly those three points. There is nowhere comfortable to sit. There is no shade at the time of day people are actually outside. And the seating faces the house rather than the garden, so the view is a wall.
None of that is expensive to fix, and none of it requires a bigger space. It requires deciding where the afternoon sun lands before choosing where the patio goes, putting something overhead, and pointing the furniture at whatever is worth looking at, even if that is only a tree and a fence line with something growing on it.
A small, shaded, well oriented space gets used every week of the season. A large, exposed one gets used for photographs.
For homes close to this stretch of park, deck ideas for homes backing onto the park looks at outdoor living for the neighborhoods immediately around here. Further east, trail adjacent backyard inspiration covers properties near the Little Miami corridor, where the same shade and orientation questions apply.
If your project involves hardscape rather than a deck, hardscape rules in a nearby village sets out what one small community expects. And across the county line, patio permitting in the neighboring county runs on a different process again.
Platinum Deck and Patio spends more time than people expect on orientation and shade before anything gets drawn. It is the cheapest part of the design and the one that decides whether the finished space actually gets used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Sharon Woods Harbor?
4631 East Kemper Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45241, within Sharon Woods park. The phone number is (513) 769-4326.
Can I still rent a boat during the project?
Yes, from a temporary boathouse at Lakeside Lodge, 4661 Kemper Road, which opened on 28 May 2026 and runs seasonally for the duration of the work. Single kayaks, tandem kayaks, canoes and pedalboats are available.
Is the playground open?
Yes. The Harbor playground and its water features remain open, along with the shaded seating, the lake and the loop trail. The snack bar is closed during the project.
Do I need to pay to enter?
A motor vehicle permit is required for all Great Parks properties. Daily and annual options exist, with different rates for county residents and non residents, and an annual permit covers the whole system.
Can I fish at Sharon Lake?
Yes, with a valid Ohio fishing license. The lake covers roughly 35 acres and supports both shore and boat fishing.
How big is Sharon Woods?
Around 730 acres. It is the oldest park in the Great Parks of Hamilton County system, which was founded in 1930.
The Bottom Line
Sharon Woods Harbor is the heart of the county’s oldest park, and it is going through a renovation that will leave it better. In the meantime the playground, the lake, the trail and the shade are all still there, and boat rental has simply moved a short way up Kemper Road.
The practical next step, if you are going soon, is to check the current project status and buy an annual vehicle permit rather than a daily one. It covers every park in the system and pays for itself quickly.
And when you are sitting there under the trees looking at the water, notice how little the Harbor is actually doing to earn that. Shade, a seat, and something to look at. Your own garden can manage all three.