Sandbanks Provincial Park, Ontario

August 2013

Sandbanks Provincial Park is located on the shores of Lake Ontario between Toronto and Kingston in Prince Edward County. It is a 2.5 hr from Toronto and 30 minutes from Kingston. The park is a very popular summer destination and features giant sand dunes and golden beaches. In some places the sand dunes soar as high as 25 metres. The main activities are swimming, sailing, windsurfing, camping, biking, and hiking. Definitely plan on hiking the Dunes Trail (2.5 kms loop), it is by far the most scenic in the park and offers beautiful views.

During the summer, this is a very popular park and you should plan on arriving early to secure a spot on the beach. Among the three beaches, the Dunes Beach is definitely the showpiece of the park while the Sandbanks Beach has a tropical feel with its pale turquoise water and soft white sand. One would even think that they are in the Caribbean. Outlet Beach is the most popular with young families as it is sheltered in a bay and has warm and shallow waters. For those who plan on camping, most of the best camping spots for June through August are booked by the end of February.




Sandbanks Provincial Park dunes

 

 

Dunes Trail

Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Ontario

August 2013

Situated just 150 kms east of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario, Presqu’ile Provincial Park is a major migratory path for birds and butterflies and is a good alternative to the busy Sandbanks Provincial Park.

 

The park has 2 visitor centres, Lighthouse Interpretive Centre which interpretes the parks cultural heritage and the Nature Centre which educates visitors about the flora and fauna of the park.

 There are 4 trails and a marsh boardwalk which total 10kms that pass through wetlands, marshes and forests. The Marsh Boardwalk is a 1 km loop that consists of a series of boardwalks and floating bridges is the best way to experience the large protected wetland. Other trails are Owen Point Trail, Pioneer Trail, Newcastle Trail, and Jobes Wood Trail.

In the spring and fall come to the park for birdwatching and in the summer for a refreshing swim or a walk along the 3 km long sandy beach. Be sure to visit the lighthouse which is the second-oldest operating lighthouse in Ontario.

A great way to explore the park is by bicycle. I parked my car at the first beach and cycled along the parkway stopping at the many points of interest.



Lighthouse at Presqu'ile Provincial Park

Marsh Boardwalk Trail

Lake Ontario

 

Owen Point



 

 

 

Craigleith Provincial Park, Ontario

August 2013

Craighleith Provincial Park is located on Georgian Bay between Collingwood and Thornbury. It is roughly a 1.5 to 2 hour drive from Toronto. The park is very small consisting of only 66 hectares of land and was mainly established to protect the unique landscape of fossilized shale and limestone rock.

 

The area is home to many fossils dating back over 450 million years when the park was covered by a salt water sea and is considered as having some of the oldest fossils on the planet. Trilobites, brachiopods, cephalopods and gastropods spanning anywhere from a few millimeters to several centimeters long are some of the types of fossil specimens that can be found.

 

Like most beaches and parks on the Georgian Coast, Craigleith offers some amazing sunsets. Some other nearby provincial parks of close proximity are Awenda Provincial Park, Sauble Falls Provincial Park, Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and Pretty River Valley Provincial Park.

There are numerous things to do nearby such as visiting Blue Mountain, hiking the Bruce Trail, exploring the Scenic Caves, swimming at nearby Wasaga Beach, canoeing the Beaver Valley and biking the Georgian Trail. The Georgian Trail is a 35 km linear trail that starts/ends in Collingwood and passes through the town of Thornbury to  Meaford. It is a flat limestone surfaced trail that follows Georgian Bay and at certain points provides some scenic views of the Bay. The great thing about this trail is that it passes by Craigleith Provincial Park.

 



Craigleith Provincial Park