It is the longest natural beach in Ohio[3] and attracts two million visitors annually.

[4] The breakwall at the eastern end of the park, frequented by fishermen, is surmounted by the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light.

It is next to Fairport Harbor Coast Guard station and a Morton Salt mine[6] and abuts two other protected areas, Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve to the east and Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve to the west.

[3] In 1995, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland ranked Headlands as Ohio's best beach.

[9] In 2013, CNN listed Headlands Beach among the top 20 beaches in the United States per the nomination of readers of “CNN Travel.”[3] As with other state parks in Ohio, per Ohio Revised Code, both men and women are allowed to wear thong swimwear, and women are allowed to be topless, a practice upheld by Ohio courts in the 1990s, though discouraged by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in the interest of promoting "a wholesome family environment.