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    Home » Campsite Reviews

    Long Point Provincial Park

    Published: Aug 8, 2023

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    Long Point Provincial Park is a busy - but gorgeous - beach-centered campground and day use area on the shores of Lake Erie, in Southern Ontario. Here’s our review of our short - but fabulous! - time there.

    The sun setting over lake erie. Overlaid text says rv campground review long point provincial park.

    Recently, we made the mistake of only booking 2 nights at Port Burwell Provincial Park. We eventually decided that we should tack another day on at the end of the trip, but time got away from us.

    So, sitting in our camper in Port Burwell, our only option was a single night at *one* available spot in that campground - not the one we were already on.

    On a lark, I decided to see what was between Port Burwell and home - that we weren’t already booked for (Turkey Point!)- and see if we could get a night or two booked there.

    Amazingly, Long Point had a single night of ONE camp site that would accommodate us! SCORE!

    After all, if we’re going to pull up and move, why not see a whole new park on the way home?

    Long Point Park

    Long Point Provincial park is located in the town of Port Rowan, in Norfolk County - less than a 2 hour drive from Hamilton.

    I’d first read of Long Point in one of those popular Toronto blogs, and it sounded amazing.

    It’s part of a 40-kilometre-long sandspit jutting out into Lake Erie, and is known for its pristine sandy beaches.

    Unfortunately, it’s also wildly popular during the summer months, so I’d been unable to get a reservation back when figuring out our summer plans!

    Fun fact: Established in 1921, this park is the fourth oldest provincial park in Ontario!

    It comes in behind Quetico Provincial Park (1909), Rondeau Provincial Park (1894), and Algonquin Provincial Park (1893), which is also the oldest provincial park in Canada.

    Also, it’s located in region designated as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

    Anyway, lots to talk about, so let’s get to it...

    Waves washing up on a sandy beach at Long Point provincial park.

    The Basics:

    Campground Name: Long Point Provincial Park
    Address: PO Box 99 350 Erie Blvd, Port Rowan, ON, ON, N0E 1M0
    Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/longpoint
    Price Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2023 Camping Fees for additional information.
    Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations

    Logistics

    As with all of our experiences booking with Ontario Parks, booking online was quick and easy.

    I’m still absolutely amazed we were able to find a site, in August, with only a day’s notice!

    Check in was quick and easy, through a window at the gatehouse. Once we had our vehicle passes, we had to show them at a little kiosk, to enter the park.

    Signage in the park was relatively decent in general, with one big exception:

    There *definitely* could have been some better thought put into marking the one way directionality, both in the park and on the map. (Monarch’s Rest campground, specifically).

    The only way we could tell where to go, was to NOT go into the “no entrance” streets, and try the next one up.

    Cell reception was decent. Not great, but it worked decently at most times, both in the campground, and on the beach.

    We were even able to stream an episode of “Good Omens” in the evening, with very few buffer drops.

    A middle aged white man smiling at the camera. He is holding a beach bag and standing on the sandy trail to long point beach.

    Campground Amenities & Info

    Some quick information on what this campground has to offer:

    Entertainment and Activity

    Long Point Provincial Park may be centered around the beach - for good reason! - but there are plenty of ways to keep yourself entertained in this sprawling campground!

    Swimming

    There are access points to the sandy beach areas in both the Monarch’s Rest and Turtle Dunes campgrounds, as well as in a day use area near the front gate of the park.

    We stayed in the Firefly campground, and even still, we were maybe a 5 minute walk from Long Point Beach - if that.

    IMHO, no matter where you stay in the “new park” area, you’re never more than a few minutes away from the warm waters of Lake Erie.

    A rainbow beach umbrella with a beach bag, set up on a sandy beach on lake erie.

    There’s over 2 km of beach here - not a single lifeguard though, so beach at your own risk.

    On that note, I did notice an undertow when wading in - and the waves were VERY powerful.

    I was actually kind of surprised not to see any wind surfing happening the first day, seemed like it would have been ideal conditions for that kind of thing!

    We did see a couple of them the next morning, though!

    The moon over Lake Erie at Long Point Beach.

    Beach Hours

    Campers have access to the beach around the clock, which we took advantage of.

    We enjoyed both the sunset the night we arrived, and then went back to watch the sun rise the next morning. So peaceful!

    We actually went to the parking lot at the far end of Turtle Dunes to hang out on the beach there - it was still dark when we arrived, with the moon brightly shining overhead.

    The waves were high, so it was actually pretty loud, but the weather was warm, there was a cool breeze, and it was just really nice. Highly recommend it, if you can drag your ass out of bed early enough!

    The HUGE day use area at the entry of the park does close at 10pm though.

    Sunrise over Lake Erie at Long Point Beach.

    Boating & Fishing

    There’s a boat launch area near the front of the park.

    The boat launch facilities open out onto Sturgeon Bay, and - from there - Long Point Bay. We didn’t see anyone launching when we visited, but the park says they’re able to accommodate most pleasure craft at the launch.

    The boat launch at Long Point Provincial Park, entering into Sturgeon Bay.
    The boat launch
    Adjacent to the boat launch area is a sheltered marshy area that extends a ways up this flat spit of land - which is popular for canoeing.

    I like that the use of the launch is included with your park entry, whether as camper or with a day use permit.

    Marsh land.
    Marshy area near the boat launch.
    Anyway, the area is known for its excellent fishing opportunities, particularly for yellow perch and bass fishing.

    The launch area includes a fish cleaning station, which I thought was a nice touch. Maybe I’m not super observant, but I haven’t seen one at a campground before!

    Anyway, as always, keep water safety in mind - life jackets are loaned out from the park. (Refundable deposit involved).

    The fish cleaning station at the long point provincial park boat launch.

    Hunting

    The park serves as the home base for the Long Point Waterfowl Management Unit, which oversees a controlled waterfowl hunt.

    Hunting takes place 4 days a week during the hunting season (September-December), but doesn’t actually take plan IN the park.

    (Hunting isn’t permitted in the park at all).

    Hiking

    While you can take some long walks on the beach, there really aren’t any hiking trails in Long Point Provincial park.

    Cycling

    As with Hiking, there aren’t any cycling TRAILS in this park... but there is over 5 km of calm roadways to bike on, and plenty of people seemed to be enjoying that option!

    A small black and white woodpecker on a tree.

    Birding

    Long Point Provincial Park is the perfect place for bird watching - in fact, it may have inspired me to take it up!

    (We’ll see if I actually follow through on this idea, though!)

    I knew it was a destination for those who like to watch song bird and waterfowl migration, as that had come up when I was looking into parks to visit.

    This one sees over 300 different song bird and waterfowl species migrating through every spring and fall, with 80 + different varieties actually nesting in the park.

    Even though our campground was FULL of people, what we heard most was the birds. SO many birds flying overhead, singing in the trees, etc

    We had a tiny woodpecker visit us while we were eating dinner, and one of the neighbouring sites even put up a bird feeder - they were VERY popular, as you can imagine!

    The largest bird we saw during our stay was a big white heron-type thing - there were a bunch of them in the marsh area near the boat launch.

    Knowing nothing about birds, I had to google them. I had no idea if they were a crane or stork of some kind (both of which are species that CAN be seen there, though!

    In the end, it turned out that they were likely Great Egrets.

    I had to laugh, as my first thought was that it’s too bad they weren’t SNOWY egrets... See, I used to skate to the soundtrack from Witches of Eastwick, and loved that movie back in the 90s.

    So, I have to say it... No, we haven’t seen any snowy egrets around here. Not that I’d know a snowy egret if I was pissing on one.

    Sorry, had to! I guess I’ll have to settle for puns about having no “great egrets” from our trip...

    Anyway, I can see why they make the claim to be one of the top places for bird watching in North America!

    A great egret standing in marshy water.
    A great egret?

    Of course, don’t take my word for what a great spot it is - it’s got all kinds of cred.

    The region is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Long Point Bird Observatory is located just outside the front entrance of Long Point Park, and the national headquarters of Bird Studies Canada (Birds Canada) is just up the road in Port Rowan.

    Big Creek National Wildlife Area is also not far from the park - there’s a LOT of nature happening in the area!

    ... though I’ve got to say, all the signs about snakes definitely unnerved me a bit!

    A collage of 4 road signs warning drivers to look out for wildlife, toads, snakes, and turtles.

    A concrete trail marker announcing that the wildlife area was donated by the Long Point Company.

    Family Activities

    The day use area has a picnic area, and discovery programs are available through the “exploration station” during the summer months.

    As with Port Burwell Provincial Park, the park offers a Discovery Activity Book for kids to learn about nature.

    Beyond that, there’s a fantastic playground at the end of the Firefly Campground (easily accessed from the Monarch’s Rest Campground as well), and apparently there’s a second playground in the Old Park Campground / Cottonwood Campground.

    2 large playground sets on sand.

    Niantic Games

    There are a few Pokestops / Gyms / Ingress Portals around the park, but very few and far between. You’ll have reception to play, but you’ll have to walk a fair distance to get anything done!

    A provincial park campground comfort station.
    Comfort Station, Turtle Dunes Campground.

    Creature Comforts

    Each of the 3 campgrounds has a comfort station with showers and flush toilets. There are also a few flush toilets throughout the campgrounds and in the day use area.

    The comfort station in Monarch’s Rest also has a washer and dryer.

    Firewood and ice can be purchased at the park store, which is located at the park office for New Park.

    The store also carries the standard offerings for provincial park shops - the park stickers, crests, camping supplies, ice cream treats and other snacks, etc.

    A provincial park campground comfort station.
    Comfort Station, between the Firefly Campground and the Monarch's Rest Campground.

    Campsite Details

    We stayed in the Firefly campground, which appeared to be mostly pull through sites, with basically no privacy at all.

    The sites were large, but everything was right out in the open:

    A tightly packed campground area.

    The sites we saw in the Monarch’s Rest Campground looked to be back-in.

    These were also large, and had more privacy in terms of the other camp sites, but pretty much all of them are en route to the beach, so expect a ton of people to walk by!

    A large open campsite, bordered with trees.
    One of the campsites in Turtle Dunes campground.
    The Turtle Dunes campground looked to be the best in terms of privacy. Many of the sites there were off on little offshoots from the main road - these are the premium site locations.

    They were right in the sand dunes, very close to the beach - but due to the layout, wouldn’t have anywhere near as much walking traffic as the sites in Monarch’s Rest.

    A sandy drive up an embankment, leading to a few secluded camp sites.
    One of the paths leading to more secluded campgrounds in the dunes at Turtle Dunes campground.
    The Cottonwood Campground is a radio-free campground completely separate from these grounds. It is gated off with pass cards - so we were unable to check out those sites.

    We saw a wide range of equipment used in this park, and the roads were generally good for even larger trailers.

    Some of the turns in our campground may have been a bit rough for the larger bus-style campers, but I’ve never driven one, so take that with a grain of salt.

    We were surprised at how clean and quiet the park was, given the layout and number of people. We are early sleepers, and had no problem going to bed at 9pm.

    Even when we were making breakfast outside, with people milling about - we heard birds and the waves on the lake... not people!

    A tightly packed campground area.
    The photos do not do justice to how crammed full the campground was.

    Services

    As with most of Ontario provincial parks, you have the option of hydro or not, and that’s about it. In this case, I’d estimate that around half the sites were electrical.

    Firefly looked to be pretty much all electrical, with Monarch’s Rest and Turtle Dunes looking to be a mix of electrical sites and non electrical sites.

    There is a single water fill station as you enter the park, so be prepared for a WAIT.

    An RV potable water fill station.
    The Fill Station.
    If you want to get creative with your route, you could also get potable water at the dump station.

    Again, there was only a single dump station. We didn’t have any wait, but we were leaving on a Thursday afternoon going into a long weekend.

    I’m betting Monday involved a LONG wait to dump!

    The garbage and recycling area was huge, well laid out, and clean. How old am I, that I get excited about well-appointed recycling areas? LOL!

    Trash and recycling bins under a canopy of willow trees.
    I love an ample, clean, and well organized recycling area!

    Accessibility

    Ok, so the good: All of the comfort stations have barrier free access, as does the park store.

    There are two “barrier-free” campsites in the entire park - one electrical (Firefly), and one non-electrical (Cottonwood).

    On the upside: no matter where you’re camping, you’re not super far from the lake.

    On the downside: The roads are fairly rough and uneven, and I would imagine would be difficult for those using a wheelchair.

    The two paths we took to the beach were fairly inaccessible.

    Walking from the parking lot at the end of Turtle Dunes to the lake was soft, unlined sand - the kind you really sink into as you walk. (I was spoiled at Port Burwell Provincial Park!)

    The path we took from Monarch’s Rest to the beach had some kind of synthetic path liner on it, but it was crumpled really bad - nowhere near as amazing as the Port Burwell one.

    I think it would have been a rough go for wheelchair users, but I didn’t see what the other paths from that campground - or in the day use area - looked like.

    Silhouette of a person with their dog on a beach, with a rainbow beach umbrella in the foreground.
    The dog beach

    Pets

    Pets are definitely welcome at Long Point Provincial Park, and we saw a TON of dogs - all having the times of their lives.

    The far end of Turtle Dunes Campground has a small parking lot and a short walk to the dog beach. It’s also an off-leash dog exercise area.

    You know, I’ve really taken a liking to parking our butts on the dog beaches at parks. I LOVE watching how excited they get, and the joy is infectious.

    This time, we saw a German Shepherd trying to EAT the waves, and a large, spotted Very Good Boi desperately trying to get his owners to play with him, as they were dancing.

    It was hilarious to watch him throw his ball in between them as they danced... poor guy! Persistent, though!

    Anyway, aside from the dog beach, all other areas of the park require dogs to be leashed at all times.

    Parking

    I think pretty much all of the sites we saw looked big enough for a car to park (in addition to the camping equipment), and there are several parking lots throughout the campgrounds.

    The parking lot at the day use area is SO big, I honestly have to wonder about what absolute chaos that beach has to be on hot weekends.

    I guess at least they’re set up for it, parking-wise!

    2 part image showing landscape views of a mostly empty sandy beach on lake erie.

    Nearby Attractions

    Because of our short stay here, we really didn’t leave the park.

    That said, we did pass a few cute restaurants on the drive up the sand bar, and may have to check them out someday.

    Udderlee Kool is pictured below - a restaurant and grocery shop that definitely caught my eye on the way in!

    The underlee kool restaurant in long point.  There are 2 big metal palm trees in front.
    The palm trees DEFINITELY grabbed my attention as we drove past!

    Final Thoughts

    This campground had an entirely different vibe than we were expecting, and we loved it!

    I was shocked that it could be so packed, and still so quiet and respectful - I’d read that it had a big rep as a party campground!

    That said, we did visit on a Wednesday / Thursday, so I’d be curious to see what a longer stay / weekend stay would be like.

    The beach is fantastic, the fact that you can easily walk to it from any camp site is a huge plus, so all around a great experience!

    We’ll definitely be back!

    The sun setting over lake erie at Long Point provincial park.

    More Campground Reviews

    Want to read some more of what we have to say about the campgrounds we've stayed at? Here are some more reviews!

    Conestogo Lake Conservation Area
    Fifty Point Conservation Area
    Meaford Memorial Park
    Port Burwell Provincial Park
    Valens Lake Conservation Area
    Selkirk Provincial Park

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    A sandy path flaked with sand dunes, with lake erie in the distance.

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