Presqu’ile has two visitor centres.
The Lighthouse Interpretive Centre focuses on interpreting the parks’ cultural heritage and its relationship to Lake Ontario’s history through a number of multi-media displays. The Lighthouse Gift Store, operated by the Friends’ of Presqu’ile, is also located in this building.
The Lighthouse Interpretive Building is open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm every day between Canada Day weekend and Labour Day weekend and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekends in spring and fall. It can be opened for group/school tours during the off season upon prior request, subject to staff availability.
The Nature Centre introduces visitors to the flora and fauna of the park through a number of displays, including live examples of reptiles, frogs, fish and monarchs. It is open 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily from Canada Day Weekend to Labour Day Weekend.
Presqu’ile was made for walking; its flat terrain and views of Lake Ontario attract walkers all year round. A favourite route for many is the paved one-way driving loop (Lighthouse Lane and Paxton Drive) around the peninsula.
This road has a designated walking/bike lane and is ploughed in the winter. This is still a road however and walkers are urged to be cautious, particularly in the busy summer months.
For those wanting a more natural experience Presqu’ile has 12 kilometres of traditional ‘off-road’ trails. All trails are clearly marked with coloured plastic blazes and are cleared of deadfall on a regular basis.
Two of these are interpretive trails with an accompanying trail guide. A third interpretive trail, the Marsh Boardwalk Trail, has been totally reconstructed by volunteers in 2009. A summary of these trails follows.
This 1 km loop trail winds through an area that was once part of a farm settled by Thomas and Ezekial Jobes in 1835. This part of their farm remained relatively undisturbed by settlement activity and today contains one of the oldest deciduous woodlots at Presqu’ile.
The trail passes by towering old maples, vernal pools crossed by boardwalks, conifer plantations, and an old field which is filling in with ash trees after a century of use by the Jobes family.
An interpretive guide introducing visitors to the ecology of the Jobes’ forest is available at the trailhead or can be downloaded by clicking here.
This 1.6 km loop trail offers excellent opportunities to see migrating shorebirds along the natural beach and distant views of the water bird colonies on their island nesting grounds. The trail can be accessed from the south end of the beach or from west end of High Bluff Campground.
To avoid disturbing migrating birds the natural beach is closed to foot traffic between ice-out and ice-in, but the trail provides a number of lookouts allowing views of the entire shore. To protect the nesting water birds access to Gull and High Bluff Islands is closed from March 10 to September 10 inclusive.
Gull Island can usually be accessed by foot after September 10 from lookout #7 of the Owen Point Trail.
An interpretive guide to the ecology of the point and the islands is available at the trailheads or by clicking here.
This 1.2 km loop trail includes over 800 meters of boardwalk that takes visitors into the marsh. The Boardwalk has been totally rebuilt by the Friends of Presqu'ile Park and their volunteers, with help from Park Staff. The new Boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and includes three teaching zones, two viewing towers and a number of bridges.
Click here for more information about the Boardwalk.
These trails lead you through the forests, plantations and old fields found in the heart of the Presqu’ile peninsula. Along these trails you will encounter a diversity of plant and animal life in the mature beech-maple forest, old fields and early succession forest which dominate this area of the park.
The Pioneer Trail is 3.8 km long and marked by yellow plastic blazes. The Newcastle Trail is 4.3 km long and is marked by orange plastic blazes. The trailhead for both trails is halfway along Lighthouse Lane, though there are a number of other access points along both trails; see map.
Please note that both trails use park roadways for part of their length so be cautious of vehicles and monitor children running ahead on the trail.
Bicycles are not allowed on any of the designated trails at Presqu’ile Park.
A Controlled Waterfowl Hunt is operated each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from the last Saturday in September until the last Saturday in December. Hunting is only permitted from designated blind locations in the Marsh and on High Bluff and Gull Islands. If interested, please contact the Main Office 613 475 4324, ext 226.
The Newcastle and Pioneer Trails are suitable for cross country skiing in winter. Routes are marked with orange and yellow trail markers respectively.
Parking is available at the Trail Head at the entrance to the Group Camping.
For more information about Presqu'ile Park,
please contact:
Presqu'ile Provincial Park
328 Presqu'ile Parkway, Brighton, Ontario K0K 1H0
613 475 4324
Other links:
Illustration by Martha Robinson
