Trails of Presqu’ile

Presqu’ile was made for walking; its flat terrain and views of Lake Ontario attract walkers all year round.

A favorite route for many is the paved one-way driving loop (Lighthouse Lane and Paxton Drive) around the peninsula. This road has a designated walking/biking 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 trails. All trails are clearly marked with coloured plastic blazes and are cleared of dead-fall on a regular basis.

Trail Map

Trail Map Pamphlet (printable)

Trail Descriptions

Trail Accessibility Information

Cycling

Cross Country Skiing

Trail Map

Download a printable copy of this map and trail descriptions

Map guide of walking trails and amenities for Presqu'ile Provincial Park

Trail Reminders

Dogs MUST be on a leash at ALL times in the park. Do not let your dog run free on trails. Please pick up your dogs waste and place it in a garbage can.

Bicycles are NOT allowed on any of the designated trails at Presqu’ile. A lane for cyclists and pedestrians is designated on the right hand side of paved park roads. A paved bike path is also provided between the campgrounds and the Park Store.

Woman walking dog with leash on path in park

Trail Descriptions

Jobes' Woods Trail
Length: 1.4 km loop

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Accessibility: wheelchair accessible boardwalks in wet areas, wood chipped trail in dry areas

Habitats: Old growth Maple-Beech forest, Black Ash slough, Spruce plantation. Mostly shaded.

Parking: Jobes’ Woods Trail parking lot on Paxton Lane

This 1 km loop trail winds through an area that was once part of a farm settled by Thomas and Ezekiel 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.

A printable interpretive trail guide introducing visitors to the ecology of the Jobes’ forest is available at the trailhead or can be downloaded here, along with other activity pages:

Interpretive Guide to Jobes’ Woods Trail

Forest Scavenger Hunt

Jobes’ Woods Trail Activity Pamphlet
Owen Point Trail

Length: 1.6 km loop

Estimated time: 45 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Accessibility: sandy substrate, some boardwalks in wet areas. Not recommended for strollers or wheelchairs.

Habitats: Cattail marsh, mixed forest, sand beach, rocky beach. Little shade.

Parking: Owen Point Trail parking lot on Presqu’ile Parkway

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.

A printable interpretive trail guide to the ecology of the point and the islands is available at the trail-heads or can be downloaded here: Interpretive Guide to Owen Point Trail
Marsh Boardwalk Trail
Length: 1.2 km loop

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Accessibility: 800m of wheelchair accessible boardwalk through the marsh, 400m of bare ground through forest, 2 viewing towers with accessible lower level and stairs to upper level.

Habitats: Cattail marsh, cedar forest, panne. No shade on boardwalk, shaded in forest.

Parking: Marsh Boardwalk parking lot on Presqu’ile Parkway

This 1.2 km loop trail includes over 800 meters of boardwalk that takes visitors into the marsh. The boardwalk includes three teaching zones, two viewing towers and a number of bridges and 16 interpretive panels. Some of the trail passes through forested sections with bare ground – this is where you will find the infamous ‘horse trees.’

Activity sheets related to the marsh can be downloaded here:

Marsh Scavenger Hunt

Marsh Activity Sheet
Pioneer and Newcastle Trails

Length: 8.1 km (Pioneer 3.8km, Newcastle 4.3km), 2 connected loops

Estimated time: 3 hours

Difficulty: easy

Accessibility: bare ground, some boardwalks in wet areas. Not recommended for strollers or wheelchairs.

Habitats: mixed forest, meadow. Mostly shaded.

Parking: Trail Head parking lot on Lighthouse Lane, Nature Centre parking lot on Lighthouse Lane, Lighthouse Interpretive Centre parking lot on Lighthouse Lane

These trails lead you through the forests, plantations and old fields found in the heart of the Presqu’ile peninsula.

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 on Lighthouse Lane, though there are a number of other access points along both trails; see the walking trails map above.

Both trails use roadways for part of their length so be cautious of vehicles and monitor children running ahead on the trail.
Lighthouse Foot Path
Length: 300m loop

Estimated time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Accessibility: brick sidewalk, wheelchair accessible. Little shade.

Parking: Lighthouse Interpretive Centre parking lot on Lighthouse Lane

This loop connects the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre with the lighthouse itself. There are great views of Lake Ontario and Presqu’ile Bay, with waterfowl in winter and spring, and a cool breeze in summer. Interpretive panels illustrate the history of the area.

Download the following activity sheets for kids when you are visiting the point:

Lighthouse Area Scavenger Hunt

Fossil Identification Guide

Fossil Activity Sheet

Lighthouse Activity Sheet 1

Lighthouse Activity Sheet 2
Lighthouse Foot Path

Length: 300m

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Accessibility: not accessible

Parking: Camp Office Parking Lot (not available from May to September)

This path connects the cemetery interpretive panel at the Camp Office parking lot with the site of an abandoned pioneer cemetery. The site itself is marked with a commemorative granite boulder, though no other evidence remains.

Trail Accessibility

An all-terrain wheelchair can be reserved and borrowed to explore the park, including the beach. The wheelchair can be delivered to your location within the park, and a safety deposit is required. Additionally, a beach access mat is available at Beach 1 to facilitate easier access across the sand for those with wheelchairs, strollers, or wagons.

beach wheelchair with text "A non-mechanized All-Terrain Wheelchair is available for loan at the Main Gate. This chair helps everyone to enjoy our trails and beach."

Park visitors looking for accessible routes for exploring the park are encouraged to try the following:

"Group Camp Road": 876m return trip
Enjoy the row of giant Sugar Maple trees on this 2-lane dirt road that runs from the Trail Parking Lot to Group Camp. A great place to see birds and deer.

Beyond the Group Camp area, this road turns into a narrow dirt trail and also connects to the Pioneer and Newcastle Trails, which are not accessible.

Parking available at the Trail Parking Lot on Lighthouse Lane
"Forest Paved Path": 1.5km return trip
This paved path through the forest cuts north-south across the eastern end of the peninsula. The south end is forked – the western fork ends at the Nature Centre.

Parking available at the Nature Centre on Lighthouse Lane
"Loop Road": 6.1km paved loop (with 2.4km option)
Lighthouse Lane and Paxton Drive form a one-way paved loop road on the lower peninsula, with a multipurpose lane on the right hand side.

This shaded route takes you through the forest. It is plowed in the winter, and is busy with traffic in the summer months.

Length: 6.1km total or 2.4km if you park at the Nature or Lighthouse Interpretive Centre and take the ‘forest paved path’ across from the Nature Centre (see dashed line on map)

Parking is available at the Trail Parking on Lighthouse Lane (south of Group Camp); the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre; and Jobes’ Woods Trail.
Marsh Boardwalk: loop of 800m boardwalk, 400m trail
Starting at the trail head sign, this trail features 800m of wheelchair-accessible boardwalk through the marsh, with a viewing tower at each end. The last 400 m of the trail is uneven, hard-packed dirt through a shaded cedar forest. To avoid this area, turn around at the second viewing tower and return to the trail head sign.

Length: 1.6km return trip on the boardwalk only, 1.2km for the loop through the marsh and forest.

Parking is available at the Marsh Boardwalk parking lot on Presqu’ile Parkway
Jobes' Woods Trail: 1.6km loop
This forested trail has alternating boardwalks and hard-parked/woodchipped trail.

Length: 1.6km loop

Parking is available at the Jobes’ Woods Trail parking lot on Paxton Lane
Beach Accessibility Mat
This blue mat placed at the north side of the Beach 1 parking lot makes beach access easier for those on wheels.

Cycling

Bicycles are NOT allowed on any of the designated trails at Presqu’ile. A multiuse lane for cyclists and pedestrians is designated on the right hand side of paved park roads.

A paved bike path is also provided between the campgrounds and the Park Store.

The Ontario Highway Traffic Act is applicable on all park roads and is enforced by Park Wardens and the OPP. Helmets are required for cyclists under the age of 18.

Cross Country Skiing

Presqu’ile does not groom trails but 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.

Trails of Presqu’ile

Presqu’ile was made for walking; its flat terrain and views of Lake Ontario attract walkers all year round.

Trail Map

Trail Reminders

Trail Descriptions

Trail Accessibility

Park visitors looking for accessible routes for exploring the park are encouraged to try the following:

Cycling

Cross Country Skiing

Support

Navigate

Contact