Fifty Point Conservation Area is a beautiful campground on the shore of Lake Ontario, near Hamilton. Here are our thoughts on our stay!
Originally published June 24, 2023, Updated on 4/7/2026
The Fifty Point campground is part of an 80-hectare conservation area, just off Baseline rd in Winona. (Just outside of Stoney Creek / Hamilton.)
It’s since become a park that we frequently visit - not so much for the camping, but for the birding ... many times throughout the year, several years now!
Beyond being a birding hotspot, it’s also a popular spot for beach goers and boaters, and a beautiful place to take in some fresh air, in general. We love walking around the Fifty Point Marina area, especially in the winter.
Anyway, we first reviewed it as a campground back in 2023, and recently - April 2026 - returned as campers. Figured it was time to give it another go, and update our original review:
Aside from being able to boast about having some of the cleanest beaches on Lake Ontario, it’s also a great place to set up your RV for a few nights.
Host to a relatively large RV park, it’s a beautiful place to take your family camping!
Anyway, let’s get look at the details and get to our review!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Fifty Point Conservation Area
Address: 1479 Baseline Rd. Winona, Ontario
Website: Conservation Hamilton Website
Price $53-56 / night, plus 13.50 reservation fee and taxes. See Conservation Hamilton Admission & Fees page for more details.
Reservations: Hamilton Conservation Authority Reservations
Season: April 1 to November 30
Logistics
Some basic information to help you plan your stay at Fifty Point Conservation Area:
Registration and Check In
Booking our reservations online went quickly and easily, with a user-friendly website. They use the same software that the Ontario Provincial Parks reservation portal does.
We do receive a bit of a discount on our bookings, as we have a Hamilton Conservation Authority membership. It was a was a nice surprise the first time we visited, though we found the regular price to be reasonable.
The front gate staff is always friendly and helpful, with one slight mis-communication on our first stay. We were able to sign in quickly and easily from our truck window, low contact.
As for the mis-communication, when directing us to the camp site, she’d said something like “3rd on the right after you pass the comfort station”, so we started counting roads at the comfort station.
It was 3rd on the right from when we turned on the road, and was the road right after the comfort station.
No big deal, we realized the mistake and continued the loop around the pond and marina, to try again. It did give us a good chance to see more of the area!
As a note: unlike most of the Ontario Provincial Parks, Fifty Point has NOT gone paperless. Campers are presented with a few printed camping permits when they check in.
Maps and Signage
Some basic info to help you find your way around Fifty Point Conservation Area.
Park Map
The park map is available at the gatehouse, as a full colour, 11 x 17" sheet. One side has the overall map while the other side has a map of the campground area specifically.
It’s a great map - bright, high contrast, everything clearly laid out, etc.
The group camping and Poplars group picnic area are both shown as being on the other side of a stream or something - that was not the case.
Also, there’s a washroom shown near the fishing pond parking lot (across from the marina) that doesn’t seem to exist, and we were completely unable to find the Winona Pavilion or the Marinas Group Area during our first visit.
We did find those last two areas - but not the washrooms - on our most recent trip, but the map is definitely not very clear when it comes to access points from the roads.
They could definitely do better about naming things, though.
The site refers to “Pond Parking” and “Fishing Platform” parking in the disability accommodations section... Neither are labeled on the map, and the one spot that I figure those apply to... I would have assumed was BOTH of them. I have no idea where the second one would be!
Also, the trails aren’t named on the map, though there’s a mention on the site of a “Bluebird Box Trail”. There’s a section of trail that goes between the Marinas Group Area and the Winona Pavilion that has a few Tree Swallow boxes, but those aren’t listed on the map either.
Signage
The road signage around the park is good - well placed, easy to read, etc.
It’s a really straightforward park - especially if you have a map on hand - so you don’t need a TON in the way of directional signage anyway.
Waste & Water Services
The waste and water situation at Fifty Point Conservation Area is a bit different than in the Provincial Parks we’re used to.
The sites all have sewer, water, and hydro hook ups, so there’s no trailer sanitation station in the area. There also don’t appear to be any water taps, aside from those on the campsites.
Also: unlike with Conestogo Lake, we experienced no issues with the power - or anything else - during our stays there.
Connectivity
There was wifi at the park, which has seemed acceptable for the most part during our first stay. It came up as an option during our second stay, but we were both unable to connect to it.
Being so close to Hamilton /the Greater Toronto Area, there’s great cell coverage. We’ve never had a problem with cell reception there (we’re on Rogers Wireless).
Accessibility
In general - aside from having to walk almost a km to get to the beach from the campground - everything seemed pretty accessible.
The camp sites are arranged in such a fashion that the comfort station isn’t far from anyone, and it’s a flat, open walk to get there. The comfort station has accessible parking, an accessible stall in the washroom section, and a large barrier-free shower.
For the most part, the trails around the park are paved (or really well packed) and relatively flat.
One thing to keep in mind: They block off the road to the parking lot closest to the beaches on the weekends, making everyone park further away.
If you have a disability parking placard, though, they’ll let you through to park in the closer lot.
In general, there’s a fair amount of accessible parking throughout the park, at all of the major attractions. Sometimes you’ll see weird things - like a sailboat being stored in a prime accessible parking spot (Ingledale House) - though.
One thing that seems to be new since our first stay, is a wheelchair accessible fishing platform. It’s located in the parking area between the Marinas Group Area and the pond, and there are two designated accessible parking spots in that lot.
Pets
Pets are allowed, but dogs are supposed to be on a leash at all times, and never left unattended or be allowed to destroy vegetation or harass wildlife.
Owners are also expected to pick up after their dogs, and properly dispose of the droppings.
We did not notice any dog-specific areas in the park, and they’re not allowed on the main beach. That said, they ARE allowed on the multi-use beach.
Parking
The camp sites have ample parking for even big rigs, and we noticed that some people didn’t even disconnect their long trailers from their truck, upon parking.
There IS an additional parking fee for extra vehicles, though.
As far as parking throughout the park, most of the main attractions have some parking, though some of those have very limited parking (like the fishing pond / platform).
Also - as mentioned in the accessibility section - the parking situation gets a little weird on summer weekends, with a road blocked off to traffic, and swimmers having to park in the larger, further-away parking lots.
Miscellaneous
Some rules and random factoids about Fifty Point Conservation Area:
1. Fires restricted at this park, and as a result, they do not sell firewood. What the restriction means is: Open fires are limited to the community fire pit, next to the comfort station.
Campers can bring their own propane or charcoal grills, they just can’t be tabletop, and have to have legs to elevate them off the ground.
There are grills provided in some of the picnic areas, but people need to bring their own charcoal. Finally, no fires or grills of any kind are allowed on the beach.
3. Quiet time is 10:30 pm – 8 am, with the added specification that excessive noise is prohibited at all times.
4. Fifty Point Conservation Area has been used as a filming location a few times, recently. I was SURE I recognized Fifty Point Conservation Area in the Whale Scene of an episode of The Boys a few years ago... and I was right!
When I was Googling to verify that suspicion, I learned that it's also been featured in shows like Good Witch, Hardy Boys, Murdoch Mysteries, and Urban Legend.
5. The park is close enough to Hamilton that it’s not a great place for night sky viewing. There’s a TON of light pollution in the area, especially to the north.
That said, it’s a fantastic place to see the sun rise, especially from the rocky point near the marina!
6. On a clear day, you can even see as far as the Toronto skyline, from the shore of Lake Ontario at Fifty Point.
Campground Amenities & Info
Some information about the amenities at Fifty Point Conservation Area:
Creature Comforts
Though we didn’t make use of it ourselves, the camping area has a comfort station with laundry facilities, washrooms, and showers.
Apparently there are both individual showers, and an accessible shower, but I only saw the accessible one. I wonder if the individual showers just didn’t have labelling on the door(s)?
Anyway, there is only the one, centrally located comfort station for the whole campground area, we didn’t see any outhouses or portapotties in the camping area.
As for the rest of the park, there are a few other washrooms - actual washrooms at the beach, a few washrooms of some type in the gated boat area, and PortaPotties near the Ingledale House.
Some of these are only available seasonally, though.
Park Store
There is no park store at Fifty Point Conservation Area.
Visitor Centre
There’s no Visitor Center at Fifty Point Conservation Area, but there IS the Ingledale House, which is the closest thing they’ve got.
Signage at the historic building indicates that the house was built in 1815, some of the history of the house - and farming in the area - etc.
Marina Restaurant
There’s a big restaurant at the Marina - Limani at Fifty. It has a lot of outdoor seating, and I bet the views from up there are amazing!
Apparently they serve Greek and Italian food, unfortunately their website has been either offline or compromised every time I’ve tried to access it in the last few years.
So, the link above now points - safely - to their Facebook page.
Day Use Area
We didn’t see any playgrounds or sports fields, either in-person or on the map... but apparently - based on signage - there’s a soccer field (near Ingedale House) and ball hockey rink in there, near the beach?
Wild. Canadians will play some form of hockey, literally anywhere! We couldn’t find either, though, so maybe they’re no longer there?
2026 Update: We found the soccer field - it’s next to the Winona Pavilion - but didn’t see any signage about the hockey rink. Must have been taken out at some point.
Anyway, there are random tables and benches scattered throughout the park.
In particular, some of the areas along the trails would make for amazing picnic sites, with stunning lakefront views.
One favourite area of ours is on the little peninsula type area, between the two beaches. It’s a bench off to the left of the actual platform, and it overlooks the lake and the multi-use / dog beach. That multi-use beach is sort of secluded and super cute, also!
There’s also a cute little gazebo on the side of the marina. Love it!
There are two types of picnic areas that you can reserve for groups:
Group Picnic Areas
The first are literally just grassy picnic areas with some picnic tables. These are mostly right on the side of the main road, between the camping area and the main beach.
There are a couple more on the other side of the park - near the marina, and near the front gate.
The Ironwoods: 75 people, along the side of the road. No electrical, no fire pit. Across the street from parting.
The Marina's[sic]: 40 people, no electricity or fire pit, next to accessible parking but isn't particularly accessible.
The Pears: 75 people, next to parking and the Ingledale, close to a small lake. No fire pit or electricity.
The Poplars: 75 people, along the side of the road. No electrical, no fire pit. A little further from parking than The Walnuts, next to a stream and near a small lake, with a trail and footbridge near by.
The Walnuts: 75 people, along the side of the road. No electrical, no fire pit. Relatively close to parking.
The Willows: 75 People, no fire pit, right near the beach and parking.
Row 2: Ironwoods, Willows
Row 3: The Marinas, Pears
Sheltered Pavilions / Meeting Space
The other option are the two sheltered pavilions... and some meeting space at Ingledale House.
The Winona Pavilion is near Ingledale House, while the Lakeside Pavilion is near the main beach.
I particularly like the terrace type set up near the Lakeside pavilion - which is also where the change rooms and washrooms for the beach area are located. It reminded me of some of the Greek restaurants we’ve been to in the past, just... abandoned. Really pretty!
Anyway, here are the basics for the sheltered rental options:
Lakeside Pavilion: Building with washrooms, a kitchenette, fridge, and stove. There's electricity, but no heat or A/C. 50 people.
Lakeside Pavilion Patio: Can be reserved with the pavilion, but not on its own. 50 people, no fire pit.
Winona Pavilion: Next to a parking lot, with electrical and water available - 150 people.
Ingledale: There's a meeting room available to rent, in the historic house. It's not wheelchair accessible. There's electricity, water, and washrooms.
These can be reserved by calling the park: 905-525-2187.
Row 2: Lakeside Pavilion
Campsite Details
Fifty Point has 70 fully serviced individual sites, plus a small group camping site.
Car Camping
We saw a mix of Class A, Class B, and Class C motor homes of all lengths across our stays, but no tents.
Most of the campsites appeared to be back-in sites, though there are some pull through sites as well. The main camping area is big and wide open, so there’s not a ton of privacy in that sense.
That said, the lots felt spacious, and I did NOT feel like the other campers were all up in our business *at all*.
Anyway, 30 of the sites are seasonal, and the rest are transient sites that can be rented up to 11 months in advance of your trip.
Group Camping
There’s a small - kind of weird - group camping site at Fifty Point Conservation Area.
It’s called “The Hollows”, and can apparently accommodate 75 people, along the side of the road between the main campground and the beach.
It has picnic tables and a fire pit, and is near the comfort station in the main campground. It's priced with one flat rate - currently $45 - plus per-person, per-night fees ranging from $7-12, based on age.
There is no parking on site, no electrical, and you can only use tents.
It's a little further from parking than The Poplars, next to a stream and near a small lake, with a trail and footbridge near by.
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Entertainment and Activity
Some information on the things you can see and do, while camping at Fifty Point Conservation Area:
Hiking
While there aren’t really any named, definite-distance trails, there are something like 3.5 km of trails just sort of meandering around the park.
From the camp ground, there’s a ~1 km walk to the beach. It’s mostly just on the side of the road, with picnic areas on the other side of the trail.
Once you come to the beach areas, you can continue forward and up a couple of trails that go up a small hill to end at a fabulous lakefront view, or take a trail to the left to walk along / just above some secluded rocky beach areas.
From there, there’s a sort of ... breakwater?.. of large rocks, which jutted out into Lake Ontario, as part of the entrance to the marina. There’s a lighthouse towards the end of it.
You can walk right out on the rocks, and/or continue along the trail, the whole way around the marina.
This little trail is only maybe 150 metres for the whole loop (I’m guesstimating!), but has the most breathtaking views - especially at sunrise!
It would also be a pretty place for a shore side picnic, and we’ll definitely be going back to do just that!
.
You can cross the pond using another bridge, or just walk the whole way around. You’ll pas by Ingledale House, the Winona Pavilion (and soccer field), some swallow nesting boxes, the fishing area, the marina, and more.
As always, in this general area, you’re going to want to coat yourself in tick spray - ticks are EVERYWHERE, and yeah - they do carry lyme disease. GUESS HOW I KNOW.
(To clarify, not from Fifty Point specifically, but not far from it. It’s a thing in the area, in general.)
Oh, and one last note: The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail doesn’t go THROUGH Fifty Point Conservation Area, but it does run along the road (Baseline Rd / Winston Rd) right in front of it.
This is a ~3600 km long trail that runs along all of the Great Lakes - on the Canadian side.
Lots of gorgeous views to be had in MANY places along the route - and lots of camping opportunities along the trail, as well!
Biking
Cycling is allowed on the trails, as well as on the park roads.
Swimming
As mentioned in the pets section, there is a “Multi-Use Beach” nearby, with its own tiny parking lot. This one is a small, quiet beach in a cove, with a cute view of the nearby lighthouse.
... that’s not the main attraction, though!
There are change rooms located in a nearby beach house, which also has a beautiful terrace.
Just note: this beach is known to get extremely busy on warm summer weekends, so definitely plan ahead! Also: there is no lifeguard.
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
Over the years, Fifty Point Conservation Area has become one of our favourite destinations for birding, locally.
Along with the nearby Grimsby Wetland / Biggar Lagoon area (a couple minutes south of the park), it’s a hot spot for birds - especially migratory waterfowl and sea birds.
Overall - in the warmer seasons - we’ve seen and/or heard: American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Robin, American Woodcock, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Dark-Eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Towhee, European Starling, Canada Goose, Common Grackle, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Hairy Woodpecker, Horned Grebe, House Finch, House Sparrow, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Northern Mockingbird, Pied-Billed Grebe, Purple Finch, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Red-Winged Blackbird, Rock Pigeon, Song Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Turkey Vulture, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Wood Duck, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, and various gulls.
Row 2: Canada Goose, Double-Crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker
Row 3: Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker
Row 4: Red-Tailed Hawk, Song Sparrow, Tree Swallow
In the winter, we also like to visit to see all kinds of “fancy” ducks - Long-Tailed Duck, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Mergansers - as well as some of the more basic ones, like Common Mergansers, Mallard Duck, and both Trumpeter and Mute Swans.
Row 2: Common Goldeneye (M), Greater Scaup, Hooded Merganser
Row 3: Horned Grebe, Long-Tailed Duck, Mallard Ducks
Row 4: Mute Swan, Pied-Billed Grebe, Red-Breasted Merganser
Row 5: Redhead Duck, White-Winged Scoter (F), White-Winged Scoter (M)
It’s only maybe 5-6 inches tall, about the size of my hand. We both kinda teared up, the first time we saw him - just overwhelmed at the CUTE!
We’ve seen Raccoons on a few occasions, and a cute Red Fox wandering on the boulders at the shoreline between the two beaches.
During our most recent camping trip, we also saw a couple different kinds of turtles, near the fishing platforms.
Row 2: Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Red Fox
Boating
On our impromptu drive along the interior roads to get to the camp site area, we marveled at the boating in the area - it seemed large and well-appointed.
The superb marina facilities at Fifty Point Marina include a double boat launch, as well as space for well over 300 boats, a fully serviced gas dock with pump-out station, visitor docks, hydro hook-ups, laundry facilities, washrooms, and even winter storage facilities.
It’s a pretty little inlet, opening out onto Lake Ontario, and there are plenty of vantage places to boat-watch, if that’s your thing.
Also, the marina has a Diamond rating under the clean marine program, which is the second highest rating that can be earned under the Ontario program.
Its purpose is to recognize Ontario businesses that follow best practices when it comes to preventing the pollution of land, water, and air.
Anyway, the park offers dry dock storage over from April 1 to September 30, as well as some sort of winter storage - we noticed boats all over the place, throughout the winter.
Fishing
Fishing is available both in Lake Ontario, and in a large fishing pond in the middle of the park.
The province used to stock the pond with rainbow trout, but that was discontinued back in 2018.
A few years after that change, the conservation area reported that the pond was turning around into a natural fishery area, reporting the presence of bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass, and even some largemouth bass.
There are two platforms you can fish from - both accessible from the same parking lot, or a short walk along the pond trail. The one next to the parking area is actually wheelchair accessible!
Aside from that, apparently you can fish for salmon from the shores of Lake Ontario.
Cultural and Educational Opportunities
There are a fair amount of educational signs around the park, covering various subjects.
A few of them are located in the general area of Ingledale House, which is a historic farmhouse that was built between 1815 to 1820.
Winter Activities
As previously mentioned, we visit Fifty Point Conservation OFTEN in the winter... even though it’s not open for camping.
The birding is great - lots of weird ducks! - and the views can be gorgeous.
In theory, they also offer ice fishing on the marina and ice skating on the fishing pond... but those never seem to be operational, given the warm winters we tend to get.
On the upside, Fifty Point Conservation Area seems really good about signs indicating whether or not the ice is safe and available for those activities.
Winter hiking, skiing, and snow shoeing are other options you can engage in at the park, just know that the trails are not groomed or maintained in any way during the winter months.
Especially if you’re walking near the water areas, we highly recommend wearing cleats. It can be ICY!
Niantic Games
There are two Pokestops / portals near the opening of the camping area / comfort station.
Though we were only a couple spots away from the entrance, we were not in range of either. It was just a short walk - barely out of our site - to reach them, though.
If you play either game, you may want to book a site close to the entry, in case of rainy weather!
In total, there are about a dozen Pokestops/Gyms/Niantic Portals in the park - but most are pretty spread out.
Nearby Attractions
Fifty Point Conservation Area is located in a weirdly residential area, but is an easy drive from all kinds of shopping and restaurants.
There are gas stations, banks, a dentist, and even a Costco within 3 km of the campground.
Given the location, I’m assuming that most of the food delivery apps would service the site, though I’m not sure how that works with park entry - you may need to meet the driver at the gate.
The Grimsby Wetlands / Biggar Lagoon park is just a couple minutes south of the park. A relatively new natural area, it’s a GREAT spot for birding and duck watching.
Beyond that, Fifty Point is located close to wine country, with plenty of wineries located all the way up the QEW from Grimsby to Niagara Falls.
Casablanca Waterfront Park - home to Casablanca Beach - is 5 minutes south of the park
Final Thoughts
I think our initial thoughts from 2023 sum things up well:
We’ve lived a pretty short drive from Fifty Point Conservation Area for 5 years, and - despite having a HCA membership for a few months at the time of our first stay - we hadn’t checked it out, til we went looking for a local camping spot.
We will DEFINITELY be visiting this park frequently, going forward - whether as campers, or for day use.
What a gem!
More Southwest & Central Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See
Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Southwestern & Central Ontario? Here are some more posts!
Southwest/Central Ontario Campground Reviews:
Awenda Provincial Park
Balsam Lake Provincial Park
Bass Lake Provincial Park
Bronte Creek Provincial Park
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Conestogo Lake Conservation Area
Craigleith Provincial Park
Darlington Provincial Park
Earl Rowe Provincial Park
Elora Gorge Conservation Area
Emily Provincial Park
Falls Reserve Conservation Area
Inverhuron Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park
MacGregor Point Provincial Park
Mara Provincial Park
McRae Point Provincial Park
Meaford Memorial Park
Pinery Provincial Park
Point Farms Provincial Park
Port Burwell Provincial Park
Rock Point Provincial Park
Rondeau Provincial Park
Sauble Falls Provincial Park
Selkirk Provincial Park
Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Turkey Point Provincial Park
Valens Lake Conservation Area
Warsaw Caves Conservation Area
Wheatley Provincial Park
Southwest/Central Ontario Places to See:
Big Bay, Ontario
Canada's Dinosaur Park
Cheltenham Badlands
Devil's Monument
Doubes Trestle Bridge
Eugenia Falls Conservation Area
Flowerpot Island
Hogg's Falls
Inglis Falls Conservation Area
Indian Falls Conservation Area
Jones Falls
Keith McLean Conservation Lands
Lion's Head Lookout Trail
Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park
Menesetung Bridge
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
Niagara Falls White Water Walk
Niagara Glen Trail & Nature Centre
Peterborough Lift Lock
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
Point Pelee National Park
Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area
Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
Spirit Rock Conservation Area
Springwater Provincial Park
St Thomas Elevated Park
Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
Want to explore beyond Southwest and Central Ontario? Check out our full list of Campground Reviews, Ontario Waterfalls, and other Places to See.
We also have a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!
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Ray Thombs
Hello, nice review of Fifty Point. We have had a seasonal campsite at Fifty Point for a few years. We thoroughly recommend it.
If I may add a couple of campground features I saw missing in your review.
There is a dog beach just east of the break wall into the marina. Sandy and somewhat secluded. Our puppy loves it.
There are two campgrounds to choose from. The older, treed, full service campground has back in sites around the perimeter and three roads of pull through sites. I think you may have camped in the new open section just north of the old section which is off the first road on your right after leaving the gate house.
There is wifi in the campground, although spotty, but better near the comfort station.
They just added a large wetland area west of the north pond, and are in the process of bringing fibre cable to the campgrounds for better internet connectivity.
Keep up your RV adventures and passing on great reviews
Ray