pinery provincial park

Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario comes with camping and breathtaking sunsets

Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario comes with a beautiful beach, kilometres of rare forests and rolling dunes. It also has one of the highest-ranked sunsets in the world and is a truly breathtaking and unique place.

The park is located just under three hours from Toronto along Lake Huron near Grand Bend. Although there are countless scenic spots along Lake Huron, the Pinery has to be one of the most beautiful. 

The park is home to a 10-kilometre sand beach and one of the largest freshwater coastal dune ecosystems in the province. 

Set against the backdrop of the sparkling Lake Huron, the area is also renowned for its sunsets. Sunsets here are ranked by National Geographic as among the top 10 best in the world. 

The beaches dune ecology isn’t the only rare and picturesque landscape preserved here though. 

It is a natural environment-class Provincial Park and protects the largest remaining tract of Oak Savanna, a type of lightly forested grassland where oaks are the dominant trees. 

There are 10 different hiking trails and a 14-kilometre bike trail that winds through the fragile Savanna forest. 

There are usually a ton of water activities to enjoy, with the option to canoe the Old Ausable Channel that runs through the park. 

This provincially significant wetland is fed only by precipitation, groundwater, and small amounts of runoff. Now, the habitat is shifting from a pond-like ecosystem to a more terrestrial ecosystem.

Although canoe, kayak and paddleboat rentals will be unavailable this summer, the Savanna biking trail, as well as a number of the hiking trails, including Bittersweet Trail and Hickory Trail, will bring you close to the channel. 

Whether you’re thinking of visiting for the day or pitching a tent on one of the many campsites and staying the night, there will be no shortage of things to explore. 

Lead photo by

Christopher Woo


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