Sharon Woods Harbor Revitalization

Great Parks has started construction on the revitalization of Sharon Woods Harbor. The new harbor will offer a reimagined boathouse, plus a new terraced lakeside, play area, overlook, snack bar, parking and restrooms. Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2028.

Great Parks will reopen the temporary boathouse at Sharon Woods' Lakeside Lodge on the east side of Sharon Lake in spring 2027. 

Because the trail passes through the harbor, reconstruction of the harbor requires Great Parks to close a small section of the trail (approximately 0.18 miles) from October 2026 through the project’s completion.

Additionally, Great Parks will make grade improvements on two short sections of the Sharon Lake Trail north of Kemper Road and the harbor. Each section will be closed individually during the work, which will finish by late October 2026. 

Some temporary closures are necessary during renovation. The harbor and its small playground and parking lot will be closed throughout the project. Construction work will require Great Parks to close the Sharon Woods entrance from East Kemper Road from Oct. 2026 - May 2027. The Sharon Woods entrance from U.S. 42/Lebanon Road will remain open, and guests can use this entrance to connect to Buckeye Falls Drive, which leads all the way to Sharon Woods Golf Course.

To install new waterfront features at the harbor, Great Parks will need to lower the water level of Sharon Lake by several feet in fall 2026. The water level may remain at this reduced level over the winter. While the water level is reduced during the cold season, boating will be prohibited on the lake. Great Parks will return the lake to its normal level before summer season 2027.

Great Parks gathered extensive public input in 2024–2025, including an online survey and two open houses. The design process followed Great Parks’ commitment to Design Excellence, emphasizing community engagement, environmental responsibility and high-quality, inclusive public spaces. This approach ensures the new harbor design reflects public priorities and creates a welcoming and memorable experience for all visitors.

Removal of a small number of trees was necessary to build a new entrance drive from Kemper Road and improve parking capacity. Great Parks carefully designed the entrance to minimize tree removal and will ultimately plant more trees than were removed. Minimizing tree removal is important, as about 85% of Great Parks’ land is protected as undeveloped natural space. Great Parks is timing this work to avoid the mating season of the little brown bat, which is endangered.

These are two of the largest and most complicated projects in Great Parks’ recent history, and with limited resources available, they were kept separate for budget, safety and quality reasons. Features added during the lake improvement project will also allow more of the lake to remain full during harbor construction, reducing impact on wetlands and wildlife. While the lake was drained, Great Parks took the opportunity to perform maintenance on Kreis Dam, a $1.3 million project. This prevented the need to drain the lake again for dam work in the near future.