Presqu’ile Provincial Park

Presqu’ile Provincial Park is on the north shore of Lake Ontario near the town of Brighton, about 90 minutes from Toronto, in Ontario.

Established in 1956, Presqu’ile Provincial Park is renowned among birdwatchers as one of the premier birding locations in the province. The park is located on a peninsula in Lake Ontario. The excellent food resources and the shelter provided from inclement weather attract large numbers of waterfowl, especially during the spring and fall. Click here for an overview of birding at Presqu’ile.

The camping is excellent. There are several kilometres of Lake Ontario shoreline to enjoy and over 380 sites designated for car camping with more than 160 serviced with hydro.

Site Review:

Camping is available in 8 campground areas:

• Pines
• Maples
• Craigs
• Lakeside
• Hidden Valley
• Elmvale
• Trails End
• High Bluff

1. Pines Campground:

• 24 sites (all serviced with electricity)
• There is a comfort station with flush toilets
• No lake access sites, though it is right beside the High Bluff campground and it is an easy walk to the shoreline
• Smallest campground in the park
• Can accommodate larger equipment

2. Maples Campground:

• 43 sites
• No electric sites
• Mostly tent sites
• No lake access
• Located near comfort stations with showers
• Sites are in a forest setting

3. Craigs Campground:

• 33 sites
• No electricity
• All sites located in a forest setting
• No lake access
• Only vault toilets (outhouses)
• Small sites suitable for tents
• Radio-free

4. Lakeside Campground:

• 45 sites
• No electricity
• Access to the lake and a rocky beach
• 5 premium sites
• Site #213 is the best site
• Only has vault toilets 
• A comfort station with showers and flush toilets is nearbySite# 213 in Lakeside Campground

5. Hidden Valley Campground:

• 30 sites
• Small sites suitable for tents or small trailers
• Sites are set in a forest setting
• Non-electric sites only

6. Elmvale Campground:

• Approximately 50 sites
• 8 of these sites have electric service
• Close to the lake
• 3 sites are situated directly on the lakeshore
• Sites are shaded
• Sites generally have good privacy
• Suited for smaller equipment (tents and trailers less than 18 ft)
• Some walk-in sites for tents only

7.  Trails End Campground:

• 45 sites
• Sites are a bit more open but still mostly in a forest setting
• Some sites have a view of Lake Ontario
• Some of the larger sites can accommodate equipment up to 32 ft.
• No shower or flush toilet facilities in the campground

8. High Bluff Campground:

• Most popular campground for the larger RVs
• About 100 sites
• Many sites are open and sunny
• More than 80 sites have electric service
• Easy walk from most sites to the Lake Ontario shoreline
• There are some sites directly on the lakeshore and while visual privacy is not great the sites are large with lots of space. Sites #59 #61 #63 # 65 #67 #69 #71 #73 #75 #78 #79 #95 #97 #99 and #100 are among the most sought after sites at Presqu’ile
• There is a walking path that connects the High Bluff campground to the park store
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  We had site #85 in the High Bluff campground during our stay at the park.

Activities:

Swimming:

It’s nearly impossible to talk about Presqu’ile Provincial Park without mentioning its 2.5-kilometre sandy beach. When the sun hits it just right, the turquoise reflection of the water makes it look like a slice of the Caribbean in southeast Ontario. The beach is shallow making it nice for families. No pets are allowed on the beach. There are no lifeguards. There are 3 beach parking lots that allow access to various sections of the beach. You will find washrooms with flush toilets located near the parking lots.

Note:

I have read reviews that have compared the beach at Presqu’ile Provincial Park with the beach at  Sandbanks Provincial Park.

Both parks are situated on the shore of Lake Ontario about 60 km apart. The reviews state that the beach at Presqu’ile is dirty and that the one at Sandbanks is much better. I have been to both parks. The Sandbanks beach is arguably nicer, however, I don’t think that is a reason to write off the beach at Presqu’ile. The beach at Presqu’ile is longer and largely left in its natural state with only sections of it groomed. And by “dirty”, that generally doesn’t refer to human litter or pollution but rather the debris like sticks, feathers, plant matter, and yes sometimes dead fish etc. that is churned up and washed ashore naturally by the lake. 

Why are there dead fish? Is the water polluted?

Lake Ontario (like all of the Great Lakes) is deep enough to have two distinct temperature levels. The lower, colder level has little oxygen and lots of phosphorus. Sometimes there are high winds across the lake and extremely high winds can churn up the deepwater creating a condition known as hypoxia, which can cause fish die-offs. When this happens dead fish get washed ashore. (This can happen on any of the Great Lakes).

The beach at Sandbanks is protected from some of the rougher wave action that would bring the dead fish ashore because of its location.

The Sandbanks beach is nice. That, however,  does not mean that the Presqu’ile beach is terrible. In my opinion, the beach at Presqu’ile affords a typical beach experience. 

Hiking:

There is 12 km of walking trails at Presqu’ile:

Jobe’s Woods Trail: 1 km easy

A nice forest walk.

Owen Point Trail: 1.6 km easy

This trail is through the marshy section along the Lake Ontario shore with much of the trail walled by giant Bullrushes. There are many lookouts allowing long views of the shore, as well as of Gull Island. 

Marsh Trail: 1.2 km easy

Mostly boardwalk with viewing towers. (It was closed when we visited)

Pioneer and New Castle Trails: 8.1 km

The trails interconnect. Located in the centre of the park. No shore or lake views. Primarily a forest walk.

Lighthouse Footpath: 300m

This path takes you from the Lighthouse parking lot to the lighthouse. The Presqu’ile Point Lighthouse is 69 feet tall and was constructed originally in 1840. There is an interpretive centre located along the path with information about the lighthouse and its history.

Biking:

The paved 8 km road loop is marked with a bike lane and affords a nice ride through the park. The loop connects the picnic areas, the trails, the beach and the campground areas. A section of the route runs parallel with the shore of Lake Ontario with some really nice viewsThe road is flat and though the road is shared with vehicular traffic much of it is one-way so it’s not as busy as it might be when you have competing traffic flows.

You can also bike on all of the campground roads, though not on the hiking trails. You can also bike the area surrounding Presqu’ile Provincial Park. The Presqu’ile Promise Cycling Route is popular.

Bird Watching:

Birding is a very popular activity, especially during the migration seasons. Presqu’ile gets visited by a large number of birds because of “its location, shape, and diversity of habitats.” The fact that it is along the shore of Lake Ontario and that it is a peninsula is very attractive to migrating species. The park has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA)

Friends of Presqu’ile have compiled a checklist of birds that may be sighted throughout the park at various times of the year. Checklist to the Birds of Presqu’ile.

There are bird observation areas located throughout the park. You can ask for a brochure when you check-in that outlines the best birding observation spots.

Nature Centre/ Amphitheatre:

Activities and touch displays with information about the animals, the plants and the history of the area can be found at the Nature Centre. Details about presentations offered at the amphitheatre are often posted on the bulletin board outside of the comfort stations.

Canoeing/Kayaking:

Recreational canoeing and kayaking is not recommended on Lake Ontario. The wind and the waves from the lake make this activity challenging and potentially dangerous for the inexperienced. 

I did see some people kayaking at the Calf Pasture picnic area. The water is calmer there. The park does not rent canoes, kayaks or SUP boards.

Boating:

There are no boat launches at Presqu’ile Provincial Park.

Things to Know:

1. There is a camp store for a few forgotten items and ice cream! The town of Brighton is very close for any other needs.
2. There are no lifeguards at the beach.
3. To access Presqu’ile’s beach you would likely need to drive from the campground areas. You can walk or bike to it but it is a pretty substantial walk. Some of the campground areas do have access to the lake but none of them directly access the 2.5 km sand beach.
4. A couple of the campground areas do not have easy access to comfort stations with flush toilets and rely on the outhouses. I would check the campground maps on the Ontario Parks website before booking if that is a concern.
5. Leashed pets are permitted throughout the park including the hiking trails.
6. The park does not rent any equipment like bikes or canoes as some other Ontario Parks do.

IMO:

Pros:

I liked Presqu’ile Provincial Park overall. The beach was large, the sites were good quality, the biking was great and the lighthouse was a nice feature.

Cons:

What I didn’t particularly like was how loud the park got on weekend nights. The park is what I would describe as a party park. This atmosphere is great if that is the type of camping experience you enjoy. If you are that camper that likes to get loud into the wee hours (or doesn’t mind when other people do) then this park is great. There was lots of music playing, lots of loud talking and laughing, and people were driving through the park at night well past what is typically considered quiet time. There is no point complaining because it is not just a couple of campers.

I understand that people have different ideas of what’s a good time. The conflict comes when you are expecting a certain type of camping experience and are confronted with another. The party campers think everyone else is boring and just wants to ruin their fun, and the quiet campers think the loud ones are inconsiderate and don’t care about anyone else except themselves. It can get ugly and then everybody’s experience is ruined.

If you are looking for a quieter park that is nearby you might consider Ferris Provincial Park which is about 40 km away and you can use your park permit to allow you free entry to enjoy the Day Use activities.

We visited from Wednesday to Sunday during the summer and the camping experience was very different on Wednesday and Thursday night than it was on Friday and Saturday. I personally prefer more of a family camping atmosphere and I think outside of weekend summer nights that is what can be enjoyed here. I would recommend Presqu’ile Provincial Park as an RV Place to Go.