Pinery Provincial Park is one of the busiest provincial parks, welcoming over 750,000 visitors annually.
Pinery is a popular destination for camping and day-use visitors year-round.
Visitors may enjoy scenic hiking trails, 10 kilometers of freshwater beaches, canoeing down the Old Ausable Channel, biking, and nature programs.
Plan ahead to ensure you get the most out of your visit.
Planning a trip to Pinery Provincial Park? Check out our top tips for a fun and stress-free visit, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates.
- Where is the park located?
- What are the park hours?
- How much does it cost to visit?
- How can I avoid lineups at the front gate?
- How do I book my daily vehicle permit in advance?
- How can I get the campsite I want?
- What do I do if all of the campsites/permits are sold?
- How much are bike and canoe rentals?
- What else can I do in the park?
- Is the park accessible?
- Can I bring my dog camping?
- Can I bring my dog to the beach?
- Is the beach safe for swimming?
- Does the park have ticks/poison ivy?
- Are there bears in the park?
- Can I have a fire on the beach? Can I have a barbecue on the beach?
- How can I help to protect and preserve the park for future users?
- Where can I eat?
- Where can I get firewood?
1. Where is the park located?
Pinery is located south of Grand Bend on the shores of Lake Huron — 9526 Lakeshore Rd. RR2, Grand Bend, Ontario, N0M1T0.
2. What are the park hours?
Day-use visitors can enjoy the park between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
That means you can enjoy everything from an early morning hike to a beautiful sunset on the beach!
3. How much does it cost to visit?
A daily vehicle permit costs $21.00.
Discounts for seniors and persons with disabilities are available.
Visiting parks often? Purchase a seasonal or annual pass to visit as often as you’d like!
4. How can I avoid lineups at the front gate?
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a Pinery lifer, we’re thrilled to welcome you to the park!
While we know waiting in lines can be frustrating, we’re doing our best to help you start your vacation as quickly as possible. Please remember to pack your patience and be kind to our staff as we do our best to keep lineups moving.
Here are some more tips to avoid lineups throughout your visit:
Arrive early! Whether camping for a few nights or just visiting for the day, arriving at the park early in the day will help speed things up for you. We are the busiest at the gate between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., but the park is open as early as 8:00 a.m.! While campsites aren’t available until 2:00 p.m. on the day of your arrival, you can still explore the park in the morning before settling on your site in the afternoon.
Pre-register online for your campsite prior to your arrival. Please ensure all overnight guests are listed and the correct vehicle license plate is entered on the permit.
Visit us midweek. Weekends are by far our busiest days in the summer, especially long weekends. If you join us during the week, you can often enjoy a much quieter park while still having access to all the same amenities as on the weekends.
Book your daily vehicle permit in advance. Booking your permit online before you arrive not only speeds up the process at the main gate but guarantees your entry to the park, even if we hit capacity that day.
Choose your trailer dump/fill times wisely. If you’re camping with a trailer, please be aware that there may be wait times at the trailer dump/fill stations on your way out. Please plan accordingly.
5. How do I book my daily vehicle permit in advance?
Obtaining your daily vehicle permit in advance is a breeze!
Check out this blog for step-by-step instructions.
Reserving your vehicle permit online in advance comes at no extra cost for day visitors and guarantees your entry — this also applies if you have an annual or seasonal pass.
To reserve a daily vehicle permit in advance, please visit our reservations page or call 1-888-668-7275.
6. How can I get the campsite I want?
Pinery’s campsites are in high demand during the summer and on holiday weekends in spring and fall. While we can’t guarantee you’ll get a specific site, there are a few tips to ensure you have an unforgettable visit.
First, plan your trip as far in advance as possible. Bookings open five months in advance of the start date of your trip at 7:00 a.m. That means if you’re hoping to book a site from July 17 to July 19, February 17 at 7:00 a.m. is the earliest date you could consider booking a campsite.
Second, try to plan midweek visits. Weekends are by far our most in-demand time for camping. With some amazing and unique nature programs only happening on weekdays, you can often get even more out of a visit.
Please also pay attention to the site attributes included on the Ontario Parks reservation system to ensure your equipment or trailer will fit on the site you reserve. Due to the popularity of camping at Pinery, we may be unable to accommodate you if your equipment does not fit on the site you choose.
7. What do I do if all the permits/campsites are sold?
Don’t panic! While it can be disappointing to see things are booked up when you want to visit, cancellations do often happen.
Keep checking the Ontario Parks reservations website to see if things open up.
If the date you want to camp is approaching and you still don’t see any site availability, consider looking for availability at another provincial park.
We’d recommend nearby parks like Point Farms Provincial Park, Inverhuron Provincial Park, or Port Burwell Provincial Park.
Each park has amazing and unique opportunities to explore, and you may just find your next favourite park!
8. How much are bike and canoe rentals?
| Rental Rates 2024 | ||||
| Time | Canoe/Kayak/SUP | Corcl | Bike | Trailer |
| 1 hour | $30 | $10 | $20 | $20 |
| 2 hours | $50 | $15 | $35 | $35 |
| Full day | $100 | $30 | $80 | $80 |
9. What else can I do in the park?
There are many activities to enjoy when you come to Pinery.
Self-directed activities in the park include canoeing, biking, hiking, swimming, having a barbecue, and enjoying a sunset over Lake Huron.
Download a community science app or visit the Visitor Center to learn about our community science initiatives. These include iNaturalist, eBird, a photo-monitoring project, and a bat detector loaning program.
Learn about the ecosystems, animals, and plants in Pinery at the Visitor Centre, which is generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the summer and on weekends.
Naturalists at Pinery lead different nature-based programming, including guided hikes, children’s programs, and evening programs. You can check out our updated activity schedule and events here.
10. Is the park accessible?
Pinery has three accessible trails: Riverside Trail, Cedar Trail, and Heritage Trail.
All three give their own unique view of the park’s ecosystems. Pinery also has an accessible beach at Dunes Beach, as well as beach and trail wheelchairs to ensure everyone can enjoy their visit to the fullest.
The Park Store, Visitor Centre, roofed accommodations, and select campsites are accessible.
11. Can I bring my dog camping?
Yes! Pinery is a great place to explore with your dog.
However, dogs are not permitted in Dunes Area 4 Campground.
For the safety and consideration of other visitors and the park’s ecosystems, dogs must remain on leash (maximum 2 m) at all times when visiting.
Make sure to pick up after your dog and dispose of any waste in one of our outdoor animal-proof garbage bins.
Follow these tips, and you’ll surely have a great camping adventure with your dog.
12. Can I bring my dog to the beach?
Pinery has two dedicated dog beaches for our canine companions, P1 and P2.
These beaches can be accessed by taking our one way road and will be the first two beaches you encounter.
Like the rest of the park, dogs must remain on a leash (2 m leash) at the beach to ensure the safety of other visitors, the beach ecosystems, and the animals that rely upon them.
These parking lots fill up quickly, so we recommend arriving early to secure a spot if you plan on having a beach day with your pup!
Always stoop and scoop to ensure these sites remain clean, safe, and welcoming and can continue to be offered at Pinery.
Please note that dogs are not allowed at the campground beaches.
13. Is the beach safe for swimming?
All 10 kilometers of Pinery’s beaches are amazing for a swim!
There are no lifeguards present on the beach, and strong undertows, waves, and winds can be present, so please be careful and ensure you always are able to return to shore.
Occasionally, after rainfall, increased levels of bacteria are present in the lake, which can lead to the beaches temporarily being posted as unsafe for swimming.
Check our social media accounts for more information about current beach postings.
14. Does the park have ticks/Poison Ivy?
Pinery’s habitat is perfect for housing ticks and Poison Ivy, so there are plenty of both in the park.
While that may seem intimidating, there are some easy ways to ensure they don’t put a damper on your trip. Check yourself for ticks at the end of each day and stick to trails to minimize any surprises.
Check out this blog for tips on avoiding ticks and what to do if you find one attached to yourself.
Read this blog to learn how to identify Poison Ivy and what to do if you encounter this itchy plant.
15. Are there bears in the park?
Yes — for several years now, Pinery has been home to Black Bears.
We want to be able to enjoy the park while maintaining Pinery’s habitat for bears.
Tips on how to be a Bear Wise visitor can be found here.
16. Can I have a fire on the beach? Can I barbecue on the beach?
No. Fires on the beach pose a serious danger to other visitors and the surrounding ecosystem.
Fires may only be lit on campsites in the fire pits provided and must never be left unattended.
Barbecues must remain on campsites or at designated day-use locations.
There are charcoal barbecues installed at many day-use locations that can be used to cook as well if you would like to bring your own charcoal.
17. How can I help to protect and preserve the park for future users?
We all love Pinery and want to ensure it’s around for a very long time!
You can do your part to help by obeying all park signs and regulations.
Use designated trails when crossing the dunes to access the beach. Coastal dune ecosystems house species-at-risk and are incredibly fragile. Dune grasses, which hold the dunes together, are particularly at risk of being trampled by feet.
Dispose of garbage properly. Pieces of garbage left on campsites, trails, and the beach harm Pinery’s ecosystems and local wildlife.
For example, food garbage left out for raccoons improves the survival of these predators, which means that more raccoons are around to predate turtle nests in the park.
18. Where can I eat?
In the summertime, Pinery’s restaurant sells hot-cooked meals.
If you would like a treat during your visit, the Park Store has snacks and drink items available, along with an ice cream stand to cool yourself down on hot days.
Restaurant, store, and ice cream hours can be found on our Instagram page throughout the summer.
19. Where can I get firewood?
Firewood is sold at the woodlot in the park.
You can also purchase firewood outside of the park at local stores.
Always buy wood locally and do not transport firewood outside of county limits.
Tree diseases, such as Oak Wilt, are transported to unharmed areas in this way and severely impact ecosystems.
