How to Spend a Day at Presqu'ile

Purchase your daily vehicle pass and enjoy all that Presqu’ile has to offer!

Summer: Canada Day weekend to Labour Day weekend

Enjoy the sandy beach. Vault toilets available. No dogs allowed on the sand beach. No lifeguards on duty. Wheelchair accessible path from the south parking lot at Beach 1.
Take in the sights and sounds of the Marsh Boardwalk Trail. Bring binoculars to spot birds.
Get a view of Presqu’ile’s islands, breeding grounds to thousands of colonial water birds, along the 1km Owen Point Trail. Comfort station at entrance.
Make a stop at the Park Store for frozen treats or Ontario Parks merchandise. Open daily.
Have a picnic. The grassy Day Use areas along the southern shore have picnic tables and a reservable Picnic Shelter. Vault toilets available.
Swim at the rocky beach, on the southern shore. Water shoes are strongly suggested. Dogs are permitted. No lifeguards on duty.
Ride your bicycle: Most of the paved roads in the park have a bicycle lane. Bicycles are not permitted on trails.
Grab a trail map and walk up the gravel road from the Group Camp parking lot. Continue along the forested Newcastle Trail (orange) or Pioneer Trail (yellow) if you like. While both these trails are long, you can exit the trail where it crosses the loop road. Look out for chickadees!
Tour the Nature Centre, open daily 10am to 4pm, with live animals, nature displays and Discovery staff to answer your questions.
Visit the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre, open daily 10am to 4pm. Check out the history displays and art gallery. Indoor washroom facilities available.
Support the Friends of Presqu’ile Park by shopping at the Lighthouse Gift Shop, featuring nature books, apparel and souvenirs.
Walk around Presqu’ile Point to see the lighthouse and read historic plaques along the way. Skip stones or search for fossils along the rocky shore. Watch and listen for birds at the boardwalk lookout points.
Take a detour down Atkins Lane to visit the Calf Pasture day use area. Use the lookout to view Presqu’ile Bay or have a picnic. Vault toilets available.
Walk Jobes’ Woods Trail. This 1km walk takes you through Maple Beech forest, Black Ash Swamp and coniferous plantations. Wet areas are covered by boardwalks.
Participate in a Discovery Program. The weekly schedule features children’s programs, guided walks, evening program and Ask the Naturalist sessions. Get a copy of the schedule on social media (@PresquilePP), the Friends website and in the park.
Attend a Special Event. History Weekend, on the August long weekend is packed with historical activities. Monarchs & Migrants Weekend, on Labour Day Weekend features Monarch tagging and bird banding.

Create your own adventure!

There are lots of ideas for outdoor activities in books (check at your local library) and websites. You can also check out the Friends of Presqu’ile website for a list of downloadable resources: https://www.friendsofpresquile.on.ca/self-use-resources

Fall

While some facilities are closed in the fall, most campgrounds and comfort stations are open until mid-October.
Go camping! The campgrounds are open until the end of October.
Warm fall days are still great for picnics, bicycling, the beach and walking trails.
See the colours change along forested trails.

Winter

Observe ice volcanoes along the southern shore. On a windy day, lake water may explode out the top. For your safety, always stay off the shelf ice along the shore.
Attend Waterfowl Weekend in March to experience thousands of migrating ducks, geese and swans. Participate in indoor activities and outdoor waterfowl identification stations.
Hit the trails: open for walking and cross-country skiing (not groomed)

Spring

Go bird watching.
Attend Warblers & Whimbrels Weekend, on Victoria Day weekend, which features bird identification walks and bird banding demonstrations.
Walk any forested trail or along the pannes beside the beach roads and look for life in the vernal pools.
Go camping! The campgrounds open the last weekend of April.