My Favourite Park: Pinery

I am lucky to live in Ontario, Canada, where campgrounds are plentiful and camping is one of the all time favourite ways of recreation. This is due in part to the vast territories and beautiful nature in this country. Unfortunately, because of the seasonal whether, for most of us camping is limited to summer/fall months. But it doesn’t have to be, since many parks are open year-round and offer yurts for accommodation.

In Ontario there are many private campgrounds, but the biggest and most prominent campgrounds are owned and operated by Ontario Parks . They are usually located in the most beautiful areas, wonderful for recreation, canoeing and swimming. Quite often they also offer many other activities such as bird watching and hiking. In Ontario we have an abundance of lakes and many of them have beautiful sandy beaches, ideal for kids and families. No matter what your favourite sport is, I haven’t yet met a kid, who does not enjoy a great beach and swimming.

Since I am a great beach lover, from all the parks that we have visited, my all time favourite is the Pinery. It is a large Provincial Park, right on the shores of Lake Huron, near a town of Grand Bend. Pinery is famous for its sandy beach: long (10 km) and wide, and its endless sand dunes. Many premium sites border with the dunes and most sites are only a short walk away from the beach. Often the wind may become quite strong and the waves quite high, which remainds me of the ocean. This is great for jumping the waves, but may be dangerous for small kids because of the undertow.

Pinery offers 10 hiking trails through its unique oak savannah and meadows, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and cycling. Pinery’s Visitor Centre features nature exhibits and an indoor theatre, as well as outdoor amphitheatre where park’s naturalists give talks and presentations about Pinery’s plants and animals. It is a fun learning opportunity for the kids. There is also a Story Time for kids, as well as other educational programs such as nature walks, bike hikes, canoe hikes and musical performances. So make sure that you check the schedule of activities during your stay. There is also a park store for your convenience. For winter campers Pinery offers 12 yurts and cross country skiing on park’s trails.

Pinery is a very busy park, with 1000 sites on 3 huge campgrounds: Riverside, Burley and Dunes. As you can imagine it can host many thousands of people at the same time. But, as in most Provincial Parks, you just don’t feel the presence of so many people around you, since the sites offer a good distance from your neighbours. However, the sites are booked well in advance, so reservations are a necessity.

What is your favourite park or campground?