A Wet Week at Pinery Provincial Park (Part 2)
On our way to the Pinery, we decided to stop at The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Mary’s, Ontario. I’ve wanted to visit the Hall for a while, hearing bits and pieces about it, and being a fan of both the Blue Jays and Expos. It was great to see the displays for baseball heroes such as Fergie Jenkins, and memorabilia like a base from the final Jays game at Exhibition Stadium. We enjoyed some lunch (and a cold beer) at the Parkview Creamery, and then continued on our way to the Pinery.
Early in the week, my son and I rented a 2-man kayak and went for a 1 hr trip down the Old Ausable Channel. It’s a nice, protected waterway where you can do a little ex
ploring with the kids, and get some exercise at the same time. Later in the week, my wife and some friends went on the guided Voyager canoe trip, where you will find out about the history of the channel, and the park. For this, you have to make reservations, and there is a small cost, but you get to ride in a 20-person canoe.
We (along with many other campers) took in the Rum and Spirits performance put on by the staff during the evening at the Amphitheatre. This is a very entertaining show, stepping you through the history of the park, as well as sharing camping messages.
Pinery is a great park for the active. We spent a lot of time cycling around the park. There is the 14km Savanna Bike Trail loop that takes you through the oak savanna and planted pines, along the channel, and by the day use beach. You can rent bikes at the Park Store area, and the cycling path goes by that area. We stopped at the store for an ice cream break, a priority for my 5 year old son (and for dad). The main roads in the campground are paved, making it easy for children to bike, and really, because of the design of the park with its dead end roads and loops, traffic is pretty slow, making the roads relatively safe. Since my son had just shed his training wheels, we did a lot of riding, rain or shine. By the end of the trip, he was completely independent, able to start and stop on his own. He did suffer his worst crash during the week, going down the hill near the amphitheatre; he went head over heels over the handle bars. Luckily he had gone off the paved path and into a sand dune, cushioning his landing. At the front entrance of the Pinery, there is a paved and gravel bike path that leads into Grand Bend. What a great way to get there!
In Grand Bend ($15 to park at the beach), we had lunch at Cocos, but I get the impression that this is a better place to visit in the evening. We played mini putt at the Village Green to determine who would do the dishes that night. The beach was packed with 100 teams playing beach volleyball in the Not So Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. I think we will look into putting a team in next year.
As you can tell, we packed a lot into our nine-day camping trip. And there is still lots to do at the Pinery. Next year when we go, we plan on hiking the ten trails within the park. It should be easier as our daughter was only 10 weeks old at the time of our trip.
See Pinery Provincial Park on a Map
Read Campsite Reviews for Pinery Provincial Park
By Kirby the Camper
Early in the week, my son and I rented a 2-man kayak and went for a 1 hr trip down the Old Ausable Channel. It’s a nice, protected waterway where you can do a little ex
ploring with the kids, and get some exercise at the same time. Later in the week, my wife and some friends went on the guided Voyager canoe trip, where you will find out about the history of the channel, and the park. For this, you have to make reservations, and there is a small cost, but you get to ride in a 20-person canoe.We (along with many other campers) took in the Rum and Spirits performance put on by the staff during the evening at the Amphitheatre. This is a very entertaining show, stepping you through the history of the park, as well as sharing camping messages.
Pinery is a great park for the active. We spent a lot of time cycling around the park. There is the 14km Savanna Bike Trail loop that takes you through the oak savanna and planted pines, along the channel, and by the day use beach. You can rent bikes at the Park Store area, and the cycling path goes by that area. We stopped at the store for an ice cream break, a priority for my 5 year old son (and for dad). The main roads in the campground are paved, making it easy for children to bike, and really, because of the design of the park with its dead end roads and loops, traffic is pretty slow, making the roads relatively safe. Since my son had just shed his training wheels, we did a lot of riding, rain or shine. By the end of the trip, he was completely independent, able to start and stop on his own. He did suffer his worst crash during the week, going down the hill near the amphitheatre; he went head over heels over the handle bars. Luckily he had gone off the paved path and into a sand dune, cushioning his landing. At the front entrance of the Pinery, there is a paved and gravel bike path that leads into Grand Bend. What a great way to get there!
In Grand Bend ($15 to park at the beach), we had lunch at Cocos, but I get the impression that this is a better place to visit in the evening. We played mini putt at the Village Green to determine who would do the dishes that night. The beach was packed with 100 teams playing beach volleyball in the Not So Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. I think we will look into putting a team in next year.
As you can tell, we packed a lot into our nine-day camping trip. And there is still lots to do at the Pinery. Next year when we go, we plan on hiking the ten trails within the park. It should be easier as our daughter was only 10 weeks old at the time of our trip.
See Pinery Provincial Park on a Map
Read Campsite Reviews for Pinery Provincial Park
By Kirby the Camper
posted by myCampsiteReview.com at
8:07 PM
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