Sandbanks Provincial Park is one of the busiest parks in the province, welcoming over 800,000 visitors in 2020!
Many summer days — especially weekends — Sandbanks hits capacity and can’t welcome any more visitors. This year, you need to book your day use permit in advance to guarantee entry.
We really hate to turn away visitors, especially knowing many have driven several hours to get here.
Today’s blog was written by Jessica Stillman, school outreach coordinator at Bronte Creek Provincial Park.
Our beautiful beaches are one of the many reasons people choose to visit parks.
But you didn’t think they got that pretty on their own, did you?
Here’s a glimpse into some of the behind-the-scenes work you probably didn’t know was going on across the province…
In today’s post, Marina Opitz, Discovery leader at Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, regales us with shorebird drama of Shakespearean proportions. Thanks to Neal Mutiger for photographing our leading avian actors.
First, let us set the scene for our dramatic tale.
Picture an empty beach, orange sunrise gleaming across the waves, when two solitary plovers lock eyes from across the wrack line. It is love at first sight.
However, if we have learned anything from the immortal Bard, it is that not all romantic tales have a happy ending. And so we start on our path to eventual heartbreak…
Today’s blog comes from Piping Plover Biologist Monica Fromberger from Ontario Parks’ southeast zone.
Every year, Darlington Provincial Park runs a Piping Plover conservation program to help these special endangered shorebirds.
This year, the park’s plover lovers have done it again!
Lovebirds Blue and Miss Howard have successfully hatched, fledged, and raised all four of their chicks to migrate for the second year in a row.
Continue reading The Piping Plover power couple of Darlington
For a while, park staff have been wondering: why do some of our guests who come to visit natural environments feel compelled to leave their mark on that beach, waterfall, or lookout after they’ve left?
At MacGregor Point Provincial Park, we’ve noticed some changes being made to our shorelines by well-meaning sun-seekers who visit our beach for a short time, but leave behind structures made of driftwood.
Staff in our park and others have disassembled several driftwood forts upon discovering them on our beaches, which can be a dangerous task.
Let’s talk about why we’d prefer our visitors to leave driftwood where it lies, and some fun things you can do at the beach instead of building forts.
Continue reading Driftwood: shaping shorelines and completing communities
The famous Mazinaw Lake at Bon Echo Provincial Park attracts tons of visitors every year.
We love to see our visitors enjoy beginner friendly canoe routes or swimming in Joeperry Lake and Mazinaw Lake, however we want you to partake in water activities safely.
Here are some precautions to ensure you explore Bon Echo safely:
Welcome to Sibbald Point Provincial Park, located on Lake Simcoe! Our park is well-known for its wonderful boating, swimming, and fishing (not to mention its beautiful sandy beach!).
Whether you’re a parent, friend, sibling, cousin, or dog, we want you to be safe and wear a PFD when enjoying the water.
Here’s a few water safety reminders. Please read and share:
A day on the beach is an essential Ontario Parks experience. There’s almost nothing better than soaking in the sun, relaxing on the sand, or playing in the water with friends and family.
This summer, John Cairns, from the Wheelchair of Hope Foundation, helped make this possible for all North Beach Provincial Park visitors through the donation of two wheelchair-accessible Mobi-Mats.
Continue reading Improving accessibility at North Beach Provincial Park
Nothing beats a cool dip on a hot summer day so we asked park staff where they think the best swimming is in Ontario: Continue reading Where to swim at Ontario Parks
Whether you walk through the waves or jump off the dock, there’s no better way to cool off than going for a swim.
This summer, as you escape the sweltering heat in one of Ontario’s lakes, think about these head-to-toe benefits your body is receiving from that dip:
