Sandbanks Provincial Park

Sandbanks protects what is generally described as the largest baymouth barrier dune formation in the world: sand carried by currents built bars across two bays, sealing them off and creating West Lake and East Lake behind, with dunes on top reaching about twenty-five metres. The sand came from glacial deposits reworked over thousands of years. Three beaches front Lake Ontario, with Outlet Beach the busiest and Dunes Beach backed by the largest dune field. The shallow water warms unusually well for Lake Ontario. Demand is so high that day-use vehicle capacity is capped and the gates close when full, often before noon.

History

The dunes were formed by glaciers 12,500 years ago. In the 1880s timber cutting and poor farming loosened the soil and the dunes drifted inland, burying the West Point Road under 30 metres of sand in 1881 and forcing the village of Athol to move; a reforestation project in the 1920s planted poplar to hold them, a 1964 plan for a paved road through the dunes was dropped after protests, and the park was established in 1970 (Wikipedia, Sandbanks Provincial Park).

What you'll find

• The barrier dunes - the largest formation of its kind, up to twenty-five metres.
• The sealed bays - West and East lakes cut off behind the sand bars.
• The three beaches - Outlet, Dunes and Sandbanks fronting Lake Ontario.
• The warm shallows - water that heats better than most of Lake Ontario.

When to go

June to September; arrive early, since day-use capacity fills and the gates close, frequently by late morning on hot weekends. Camping books five months ahead and sells out in minutes.

Before you go

The park regularly closes to new arrivals before noon in summer. Camping reservations are among the hardest to get in Ontario. Dune areas are fenced in places to allow regrowth.

Nearby

Prince Edward County wineries surround it; Kingston lies east.

Key facts