Pinery Provincial Park | Introduction To Pinery Provincial Park

Pinery Provincial Park is a provincial park located on Lake Huron near Grand Bend, Ontario. Provincial Park occupies an area of 25.32 square kilometres (6,330 acres). A natural environment-class Provincial Park created to help preserve oak savannah and the beach dune ecology. It has 1,275 sites of which 404 have electrical hookups. These include the Yurt camping area and the group camping sites.

The initial package of land for the park was purchased from the Canada Company in 1957. In 1966, the park saw a 433-acre addition, adding 200 campsites to the park’s existing 1,075 to accommodate the growth of the park patronage, which had reached peaks of 1,500 campers per day, causing many to be packed into overflow areas. Visitors to it may access free wireless internet at the Visitor Centre provided by the Friends of Pinery Park .

The Pinery Provincial Reviews

What travellers are saying

• There is however LOTS of poison ivy here, some even poking up through the platforms and stairs (at perfect height to graze your ankles).
• This park has it all, lake front on Lake Huron, many km of hiking trails through the park, wildlife, river sporting equipment (canoe, kayak etc), camping and bike paths to and from
• This issue aside, our experience at the dog beach and dunes was great, I’d return again!

Provincial Park Map

Park features on this map are representative only and may not accurately depict regulated park boundaries. For official map representation of provincial parks, visit Ontario’s Crown Land Use Policy Atlas.

Pinery Park Reservations

Day Use

Although most people who visit Pinery for the day like to swim by the beach, there’s lots more to see and do. Hike one of the ten walking trails or bike along the 12-km bicycle trail. Pack a lunch and plan a picnic alongside the river, or paddle one of the rental canoes down the Old Ausable Channel. See a movie in the Visitor Centre theatre or browse through the Friends of Pinery Park Nature Store. Don’t forget about Pinery’s many winter activities.

You should refer to the activity schedule for the times, locations and descriptions of all our interpretive events. It is available at all campground offices, gates, host and hostess sites, and is posted at the Visitor Centre and Comfort Stations throughout the park. Be sure to check the special events calendar on the Ontario Parks website.

Campsite Reservations

Campsite Reservations
Pinery’s busy season starts the long weekend in May, through July and August to Labour Day. To guarantee a site is available and avoid disappointment, we strongly recommend that a reservation be made well in advance of your trip. To make a reservation you need to contact Ontario Parks.
Phone 1-888-668-7275 (1-888-Ont-Park)

Camping in Pinery

Car Camping

Riverside Campground is located beside the provincially significant Old Ausable Channel and has electrical, non-electrical and pull-through sites. Amenities such as water taps, comfort stations and laundry facilities are located within each of the four areas of Riverside Campground. Area 1 Riverside is also open year-round for those that want to enjoy Pinery in all four seasons.

Burley Campground, open from May to September, is the furthest away from the main gate, but is well worth the extra drive! The sites in Burley are nestled between older pines and within close walking distance of the beach. These campsites are perfect for those campers that do not need electricity or pull-through sites. Dunes Campground is within easy walking distance of the beach, outdoor amphitheatre and Visitor Centre. This campground provides a mix of electrical, pop-up trailer and tent sites from May to September.

Dog-Free Camping

Area 4 Dunes Campground is designated as pet-free camping and includes such amenities as water taps, comfort stations and laundry facilities.

Group Camping

Organized groups and classes wishing to camp in Pinery can choose one of 10 group camping sites. These large sites are located adjacent to the day-use areas and are easy walking distance to the beach. Group camping is designed for tents only with parking space for six cars and one bus. Each site will accommodate up to 35 campers. Campers will find running water, a cold water sink, vault toilets near their site and a fire ring and picnic tables right on their site.When reserving online select “Group” as your reservation type.

Radio-Free Camping

Area 3 Riverside Campground is designated as radio-free camping and includes such amenities as water taps, comfort stations and laundry facilities.

Ecology

The park features the largest area of Oak Savanna in Ontario. To preserve this habitat, a population control program for White-tailed Deer has been implemented. During the early 1960s, because the value of the native savanna was not recognised, large numbers of Red and White pine trees were planted in the park, displacing the native vegetation. That is also how the park got its name.

The Old Ausable Channel is a wide, slow-moving river which flows through the park.