Presque Isle State Park

The peninsula is a recurved sand spit about eleven kilometres long, and it is not stable - longshore currents move sand from the western end and deposit it eastward, so the whole landform migrates and has to be replenished artificially to keep it attached to the mainland at all. It has been severed by storms more than once. That instability creates a sequence of habitats from bare new sand to mature forest across a short distance, which is why the park holds an unusually high number of the state's rare and endangered plant species. Eleven public beaches face the lake - the only surf beaches Pennsylvania has. It is a major migratory bird stopover, with over three hundred species recorded.

What you actually see

• A migrating sand spit - moving east and artificially replenished.
• Habitats from bare sand to forest - in a short distance.
• Eleven public beaches - Pennsylvania's only surf.
• Over three hundred bird species - recorded on migration.

When to go

May to September for beaches; spring and autumn for migration. A full day.

Honest expectations

Beaches are guarded only in season and rip currents are a real hazard when unguarded. Summer weekends fill the parking loops. Winter wind off the lake is severe. Lake water quality closes beaches occasionally.

Nearby

Erie is across the bay; the Lake Erie wine region is east.