As we mentioned in our last post, we loved the eastern shores of Lake Huron so much that we planned a return trip within two weeks starting at the Pinery Provincial Park. This will be another short trip, five days and 4 nights only, but we’ll have a lot to share including beautiful parks and towns, some lovely hikes, and one disappointment.
We booked our first 2 nights at Pinery Provincial Park. The weather was dreary and cloudy, but this park is beautiful in any weather.
First, we hit the dunes and the beach.
A series of stairs, boardwalks, and platform lead to the shoreline.
While this provides easy access to the beach, it also keeps foot traffic off the fragile dunes to protect them from our destructive footsteps.
The colour of the water never seems to be the same and never disappoints.
Lake Huron is famous for its magnificent sunsets, but not on this trip. Every evening the clouds rolled in and hid the sun from us. This is as close as we got to sunset-resembling drama.
The beach on the other hand was a great source of entertainment for us. Although it was a bit too cold for a swim, beach walking and treasure seeking is at its best here.
Pebbles,
Distant boats,
and driftwood.
Fun act: Between the first and second dune ridge is the Pinery’s desert. In the summer, ground level temperatures can reach 70ºC (166ºF)!
The chilly day ended with a decent van-cooked meal and relaxing by the fire as the racoons looked on with envy.
The next day we planned to visit the Lambton Shores Museum but it was closed. This time not because of Covid; just because they were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
We did explore the displays outside the museum.
and the art.
Below are a few photos of a scaled version of Lambton County and its heritage features.
Including oil fields,
trains,
boats,
And bridges. It was fun identifying some of them!
Back in the park, we hiked the Wilderness Trail, a 2.6 loop
Where we caught a brief glimpse of some wilderness.
And then, the Cedar Trail, a 2.3 loop.
The trail took us through one of the rarest North American habitats – Oak Savanna, but it was getting gloomier by the minute,
and the rain started coming down when we were about half way in.
There was a bit of running involved towards the end of the trail.
We were soaked.
It rained for hours so we ate inside and went to bed early. Next we will visit, yet again an intriguing geological feature.
A terrific tour of a secluded, serene area…great photos and history!
And I briefly mention food 🙂
YES!
I like that scaled version of the town, and of course the views of the lake are wonderful. too bad about the rain….
Yeah, it was one of those trips where the weather was less than stellar. You gotta have some of those every now and then. We were still able to do a lot despite the weather.
I also enjoy the occasional bad weather day; a good excuse to stay inside and just take it easy…
The Great Lakes never disappoint. Beautiful landscape!
Right? Gorgeous every time!
I always appreciate how you show everything about the places you visit. The only thing missing here is the “here we are running like hell photo.”
Haha, that would have been the perfect photo to end this post 🙂
Wow – such a neat post. Love your pictures. Loved the walk ways and that picture of the drift wood.
Thank you! So glad to have you along!
Lovely pics of a beautiful park. Thank you
It is! Thanks for reading!
What a tranquil boardwalk! The shoreline looks gloomy, but brooding and completely atmospheric. There’s a certain beauty to such a place in a particular climate, and it looks like you had a peaceful time. 🙂
It was great, and yes, this park looks beautiful in any kind of weather!
I used to camp at Pinery every summer with my sisters for a number of years. We stopped going because my one sister moved to Ottawa and it was substantially a longer drive for her. I’m planning on returning to Pinery at the beginning of summer and have already booked my campsite. I have such fond memories or this place and can’t wait to come back.
It was our first time in Pinery. For some reason we always planned to go, but ended up going north or east instead. Making up for it now 🙂
Lovely pictures, beautiful park indeed!
Thanks! It really was!
My husband’s family camped at the Pinery often when he was a kid. He has such great memories of it.
It’s a beautiful park and an amazing place for kids when growing up. Did they come from the States?
Yes, he live just north of Detroit in Michigan.
Now that you have your RV you can come too 🙂 once it’s warmer and they open the border of course…
I hope the border will open soon.
Me too!
it’s always amazing to be that close to the beach 🙂 it was a pleasure to travel a bit with you in your blog 🙂 regards, PedroL
Thanks, Pedrol! It’s amazing what water does for our soul. Thanks for coming along 🙂
I live in the suburbs of Lisbon, close to the atlantic ocean, I totally relate when you say that eheh 🙂 PedroL