If you’re planning a trip to one of Ontario’s most popular provincial parks, you’ll find there’s no shortage of fun things to do. Here are some of our favorite activities to do while camping in the summer at Pinery Park!
Our family has been visiting Pinery Provincial Park at least once a year, but usually more than once, for quite a few years now and it’s really the perfect family campground no matter what your age, interests, or level of comfort with camping. There’s a reason why it’s so hard to book a campsite and you really need to be on top of planning your trip well in advance because many other families have come to love it and have made it a yearly tradition as well. In the colder months, like when we visit over March break or during the Christmas season, we usually book a yurt, but for our summer camping trip, we always stick to traditional tent camping. We booked our camping trip right at the start of summer this year and we had the best time even though we were rained out and had to cut our trip short, because there are just so many fun things to do during the summer at Pinery Park. I thought I’d highlight some of our favorites today for anyone planning their own camping trip to the Pinery.
Summer at Pinery Park: The Best Activities for Families
Go to the Beach
No trip to the Pinery is complete without visiting the beach. This is actually true all year round as the beach is stunning here even in the winter, but it’s a little (actually, big) slice of paradise during the summer months. You’ll find soft, white sand beaches, miles of shore to walk down, clear blue waters, and dunes that will keep kids young and old occupied for hours as they run up and jump back down over and over again. The fact that you have these beautiful sandy beaches combined with shaded wooded areas makes Pinery a really comfortable place to camp during the sunny days of summer.
Watch a Sunset
According to Ontario Parks, the sunsets in Pinery Park were listed by National Geographic as one of the top 10 sunsets in the world. Having seen many of them myself, I’m not surprised at all. The photo above was taken on a night when the skies were hazy from wildfire smoke, and our sunset views were still spectacular with a misty, moody quality to them.
Go Hiking
Pinery Park is full of hiking trails of all different lengths and levels of difficulty. There’s really something for everyone looking to get in a hike for a little classic campground recreation. The one thing every hiking trail in this park has in common is that they’re all beautiful, passing through different parts of Pinery Park’s fragile Pine-Oak Savannah forests. Many of the trails feature boardwalks and lookouts to help you get an even better view. Pick up a map, find a trail or two that suits your level of ambition for the day, and see where it takes you.
Go for a Bike Ride
Many of Pinery’s longer trails are suitable for bike riding, with wide gravel paths that go up and down over gentle rolling hills through the forest – lots of fun for families with older kids or anyone looking for a bit of an adventure. Cycling is also a great way to explore the park’s paved roadways and campgrounds, most of which are great routes for families with younger kids who need a smoother surface to bike on, or if you’re towing a trailer for babies and toddlers behind your bike. If you didn’t bring your own bike, the Pinery has a large bike rental shop with lots of different options to choose from to get you out and moving for the day.
Get Ice Cream
Pinery’s ice cream stand, located in the same building as the bike rental shop, is a must-visit stop during your visit. Although the park itself is open year-round, the ice cream stand is only open during the summer months. The lines can get long, especially on weekends, but they move quickly and there’s plenty of seating on picnic tables and under shelters in the central courtyard area between the main store and the ice cream window. Lining up on one of the big log benches in front of the ice cream shop, ice cream in hand, has become an essential photo opp for kids young and old.
Go Canoeing or Kayaking
The Old Ausable River Channel runs through the park and its glassy waters are perfect for an easy paddle of any kind. There are access points where you can launch your own canoe or kayak, or you can rent one at the dock and boat launch, which you can find by following the ramps down the river bank located right behind the ice cream shop. Rentals are on a first-come, first-served basis. Expect to see frogs, possibly some wildlife on shore, and lots of charming lily pads as you paddle along.
Pop in to the Visitor’s Centre
The visitor’s centre is one of the things that makes Pinery Park one of the best campgrounds for families with its beautiful building full of interactive displays all about the park’s ecosystems and history. It’s a great place to take a break from the heat, learn a little bit, and have good access to wifi for a few minutes. 🙂
Attend an Event with a Park Naturalist
If you check the weekly schedules posted on the bulletin boards at the washrooms and other buildings throughout the park, you’ll be able to see that there are quite a few events scheduled throughout the week for fun and education. These sessions are often held at the park store or Visitor’s Centre, but sometimes they’re scheduled as guided hikes during the day or at night so hikers and campers can get some exercise and learn at the same time. We’ve always had fun getting a little nerdy for nature at these Park Naturalist events and it’s definitely worth it to try to catch one while you’re in the park.
Go for an Evening Walk Through the Campground
The perfect evening activity. The campground comes alive with bonfires, string lights hung between tents, lanterns, and people cooking some pretty amazing meals. We smelled the distinct aroma of someone cooking Vietnamese pho a few years ago and we were definitely impressed. Pinery park has such a great evening vibe and a little stroll through the park is a great way to soak it all in before you head back and start your own campfire. RV camping isn’t my favorite, but I do always enjoy how the trailer campsites do a great job of decorating their sites for the nighttime.
Take the Night Off From Cooking
Of course, cooking over a campfire or on your camp stove is one of the best parts of camping, but the neat thing about Pinery Park is that you also have the option of just picking up dinner at the restaurant located in the camp store if you’ve had a really long day on the beach and just aren’t up for cooking over campfires. You’ll find basic fast food options like burgers, fries, and hot dogs there that will keep the whole family happy and fed if you really just want to relax for the evening. Pinery also hosts fish fry events every now and then to raise money for different park initiatives, so look out for those as an option as well.
Has your family ever camped at Pinery? What are your favorite summer memories from your time there?
MORE LIKE THIS
- Four Days in Pinery Provincial Park
- How to Love Camping, Even if You’re Pretty Sure it’s Just Not Your Thing (Favorite Camping Hacks)
- Two Days in Point Pelee National Park (Camp Henry Otentiks)
- The Best Dollar Store Hanging Camping Organizer
- Clever Camping Lighting Ideas
- The Ultimate Family Camping Gear Packing Checklist
- The Creek Line House Family Life Archives
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.