Turkey Point Provincial Park

Turkey Point Provincial Park

Turkey Point Provincial Park is located within the village of Turkey Point on Lake Erie in Ontario.

Site Review:

There are 3 campground areas:

  • Walking Stick Woods campground
  • Fin & Feather campground
  • Whipporwill campground

Walking Stick Woods:

  • The sites are spaced nicely apart from each other with some sites being extra large.
  • There are both electric and non-electric sites.
  • 28 of the sites are pull-thru.
  • All of the sites are in a shaded forest setting with good visual privacy between most sites.
  • There is a comfort station with showers and flush toilets centrally located within the campground loop.Turkey Point Provincial Park
  • There are laundry facilities located at the comfort station.Turkey Point Provincial Park
  • Outhouse buildings are located at each end of the campground.

Fin & Feather Campground:

  • Has 22 sites.
  • Both electric and non-electric.
  • It is radio free.
  • Extra-large sites with generous spacing between sites.
  • No comfort station within the campground loop- only an outhouse building.
  • There are walking paths to both the Walking Stick Woods campground and the Whippoorwill campground where you can access the comfort stations located in those loops.

Whippoorwill Campground:

  • The same number of sites as Walking Stick Woods campground.
  • There are electric and non-electric sites.
  • There are no pull-thru sites.
  • The tree cover in this campground loop is mostly Red Pine. This provides an excellent canopy for shade but less visual privacy between sites.
  • There is a comfort station with flush toilets and free hot showers.
  • Laundry facilities are located at the comfort station.

Overall, I would say that the campsites at Turkey Point Provincial Park are of good quality in terms of size and privacy. Most, however, have a pretty uneven pad slope. You are going to have to get creative on some sites as to how you place your equipment trying to get level.

All sites have a fire ring and at least 1 picnic table (many have 2).

We had site #2 in the Walking Stick Woods campground. This site was uneven with the additional challenge of tree obstructions.Turkey Point Provincial ParkTurkey Point Provincial ParkIf returning, I would probably opt for one of the pull-thru sites #31 – #46 if available.

Activities:

Swimming/beach:

The layout at Turkey Point Provincial Park is different from a park such as Rock Point Provincial Park (located about an hour away also on the shore of Lake Erie).

At Rock Point, you have direct access to the beach from the Day Use Area, and the beach is also within a reasonable walking distance from the campsites. At Turkey Point, the park is located at the top of the bluff and you physically have to leave the park and travel 2 km down Turkey Point Road into the village to get to the beach. Your camping fee does not provide any private access to the lake’s shoreline. You are like any other beachgoer. 

Turkey Point Beach

The beach is sandy and stretches over 2 km along the shore of Lake Erie.

There are 3 beach entry points specifically with parking and restroom facilities.Turkey Point Provincial Park

There is additional access and parking on public streets within the town also.

Turkey Point is a beach town and has all the amenities you would expect:

  • shops
  • restaurants
  • liquor and beer storeTurkey Point Provincial Park
  • marina
  • equipment rentals

Note:

To access the beach from the Turkey Point campgrounds you will probably have to drive. I did see people loaded with beach paraphernalia doing the walk but you should be aware that there is a substantial hill down into town (and a substantial hill back up). I rode my bike and it is a challenging bike climb as well. Not sure I would do it with kids. There is no designated bike lane and the road is busy with traffic- much of it large pick-up trucks towing boats.

Hiking:

There are 3 named hiking trails within the park:

  • Lookout Bluff Trail
  • Oak Savanna Trail
  • Fin & Feather Trail

I checked out the Lookout Bluff Trail. It is easy to access from the trailhead near the gatehouse.Turkey Point Provincial Park The trail was a nice forest walk to an observation point on the bluff and then back. Turkey Point Provincial ParkThe view from the observation point was however, underwhelming.Turkey Point Provincial Park

Golf Course:

Turkey Point Provincial Park boasts being the only Ontario Park to have its own golf course. And while I suppose this is technically true, it is misleading.

The golf course, like the beach, is not where the campgrounds are. It is located down Old Hill Road a couple of kilometres away. I attempted to locate it when I was out on my bike and found what I thought was supposed to be the entrance but the sign was taken down and the road was gated off. A google search says that the address is 76 Old Hill Road and the phone number is (519)426-6683. Verify before going that the golf course is open if this is an activity you want to enjoy. We visited during 2021 and it just might have been due to Covid restrictions in the province at that time.

Biking:

Turkey Point Provincial Park’s surrounding area is great for biking.

Mountain Biking:

Road Cycling:

The Waterfront Trail in Norfolk County follows mostly paved rural roads. It connects Provincial parks, Conservation areas, public beaches, marshes, wineries and more. It is easily accessed a short distance from the entrance to Turkey Point Provincial Park.Turkey Point Provincial Park The road is paved with the shoulder lane also paved for riding. The edges were not crumbling and the road itself was fairly lightly travelled. I rode a section of it between Turkey Point and Point Rowan. I went on a Saturday there were no big trucks and most of the traffic was motorcycles.Turkey Point Provincial Park

Along the section of the route that I travelled there were a couple of nice wineries that looked inviting.Turkey Point Provincial ParkTurkey Point Provincial Park

Things to Know:

  1. There is no campground store.
  2. Wood and ice are available for purchase at the gatehouse.Turkey Point Provincial Park
  3. There are no rentals. You would have to bring your own bike if you want to enjoy the trails and your own watercraft if you want to enjoy the lake.
  4. There is an easy to access sanitation dump station where you can also get potable water.Turkey Point Provincial Park
  5. The layout of the park reminds me of Sauble Falls Provincial Park where the camping is done in one area and close by is a beach town with amenities where you can enjoy a public beach.

IMO:

When we are travelling for a weekend to an Ontario Park in our motorhome we rarely bring our tow vehicle. There usually isn’t a need to because typically all the activities we wish to enjoy are found within the park. This is not the case at Turkey Point Provincial Park. The camping and the hiking trails are together but the beach, the golf course, and the biking routes are all at least a couple of kilometres outside of the park and you will probably opt to drive in order to enjoy them. Knowing this ahead of time you can plan accordingly.

I liked Turkey Point. The beach is nice, the park is well maintained, the surrounding bike routes are easy to access and the proximity of the town is handy. I would recommend Turkey Point Provincial Park as an RV Place to Go.site icon