Pinery – the hardest choice is deciding whether to walk or ride your bike to the visitor’s centre

Pinery – the hardest choice is deciding whether to walk 
or ride your bike to the visitor’s centre
By Wendy Boucher

Did you know that the Old Ausable River is one of the cleanest rivers in Canada because it is not fed by groundwater runoff, it is fed by natural springs. I did not know this either and I have been coming to Pinery Provincial Park for family camping trips for almost half a century!

Let me tell you a little bit about our latest family trip we took at the end of August as well as some interesting facts and things to do during your camping trip to Pinery.

Whirligig Beetles, Damselflies, Great Blue Herons, and Flying Squirrels are all the amazing creatures you can learn about when you go on a nature walk with one of the very friendly and knowledgeable naturalists that work at Pinery. Every day you can attend a fun seminar at the outdoor theatre, go for a nighttime guided hike by red flashlight, or just wander around the visitor centre taking in all of the incredible facts and sights of Pinery Provincial Park.

We went on the night hike and experienced the nocturnal flying squirrels! My seven-year-old was astounded when she saw one flying through the air and then crawling up the tree. The super cool guides make it interesting for grown-ups and fun for children as well. We really enjoyed our guide’s various owl calls to try and get the owls to come out so we can see them. We also took a bat detector to our campsite so we could monitor the bats in the area. You can rent them for free from the visitor centre. Don't forget to report your findings to the visitor centre staff; you will then be an official citizen scientist!

Bring your bicycle! There are as many bicycles as there are tents at the campgrounds. Biking is one of the best ways to get around since everything is a quick bike away. And no one ever locks their bikes up… The only crime at Pinery is not bringing your bike!

Our day at the beach was glorious! We took our daughter and our furry-daughter to the dog beach which is either beach area number one or number two. Don't forget your poo bags! The waves are amazing body surfing fun, and collecting rocks can pass many hours away. Remember to pack a lunch because you're going to want to stay here all day.

We went to the beach on our last day at Pinery (after we packed up our entire campsite to head home!). Thankfully as dinnertime rolled around we remembered that there are barbecue and picnic table areas close to the parking lot exactly for this reason. We pulled our cooking gear out of the car and had a nice final barbecue before heading back to London.

A word about the bathrooms - the showering areas, the common washrooms, and even the outhouse type washrooms are the cleanest I've ever seen! If you have children you know that this makes it a whole lot nicer when you are little one takes 20 minutes to get their business done.

I've been going to the Pinery provincial Park since I was a baby and I'm happy to pass along this family tradition onto my child. It is a gift that will last her a lifetime as it has mine!