Imagine a beach that’s over a mile long, the sand is soft, there are sandbars far out into the water, shades of blue line everywhere you look, and the water is so clear you can see the ripples in the sand. Sounds like the Caribbean, right? How about the beach at Long Point Provincial Park in Ontario? Yep… we were stunned!
Long Point Provincial Park is on a sandy piece of land that juts off into Lake Erie on the Lake’s north eastern coast. As we approached Long Point we went through the little town of Port Rowan and started to get the feel of the beach… a marina and lighthouse, boat houses, and little shops selling beach supplies. On Long Point we passed marinas, summer cottages, and cars carrying people to the beach for the day.
Farther up the point is the Provincial Park campground where we stayed… we had heard the campground is great, but it was even better than we expected! We had a large wooded site just minutes from the beach. At night we could hear waves in the background!
After getting settled at the campground we headed for the beach. On the way, we noted a number of non-serviced sites (tent sites) that were in the sand and heard soft waves in the background. We walked over a small dune and couldn’t believe our eyes… beach as far as we could see in both directions, people all over enjoying themselves, blue water, and soft sand… paradise on Lake Erie!
We spent the evening and the next day enjoying the beach. We took long walks in both directions and were struck by a few things…
The water was clear and the sand was soft. There were lots of sandbars and Daniel had a blast because he could go farther out than usual. The water was a little chilly, but the weather was really warm, so it felt refreshing. There was no trash… none washing ashore and none was left behind by visitors. It was one of the cleanest beaches we have been on.
The crowd was very diverse… all kinds of languages were spoken, but not much English or French… we felt like we were in a beach in Thailand, not Canada! Everyone was having a blast… families truly enjoying time together and groups of young people having fun. People openly drink alcohol on the beach, but in a low key and relaxed way… definitely not a crazy party atmosphere. Overall the beach is very family friendly.
We did encounter a surprise as we ventured to a less trafficked area of the beach… a nude couple. It was strange, because we didn’t see anyone else on the beach nude or even partially nude. If this is a concern, just stay in the areas of higher traffic and this shouldn’t be an issue.
Interested in checking out Long Point? We highly recommend staying on the point. Camping is an awesome option, and the tent spots are some of the best we could imagine. If camping isn’t your speed, there are lots of cottages and many appear to be for rent. We didn’t see any hotels. There are also a number of marinas for those who may consider boating over.
Port Rowan is very small and has a few restaurants. Most of the options are beach shacks with snacks, burgers and fries, and ice cream treats. There are several paces to pick up groceries, beer/wine/liquor, and toiletry items. We enjoyed the beach so much that we just cooked at our campsite!
Long Point is a gem and we’re thrilled that we found it! We highly recommend a visit!