port burwell provincial park

We went specifically for the dog beach to allow some fun with our two golden retrievers. Very disappointing. We envisioned dozens of dogs running and playing on the beach as you see in the US. Even in the off leash area, people still kept their dogs leashed and dogs were not running and playing. People are way too uptight. If you are not going to enjoy the dog beach, stay on the other beach.

In May, 2013, we went canoeing & camping to Algonquin Park, hoping to relax, take photographs of ubiquitous moose wandering all over the park and just enjoy the park’s wilderness and serenity. Well, we did not take one thing into account: black flies! There were huge swarms of those tiny insects attacking us along with mosquitoes and we were forced to cut our trip short and left the park after just two nights. Not wanting to have a similar experience, in 2014 we decided to go to Port Burwell Provincial Park, where black flies were non-existent (yes, I had contacted the park superintendent beforehand to confirm this!).I had visited this park several times in the early 2000s; although it is obviously different from northern parks, I loved the sandy beach along Lake Erie. Port Burwell is just outside the park and it is quite a nice town, with a museum, old church, lighthouse and the newest attraction — an authentic, decommissioned submarine, open to the public. The submarine tour was the highlight of our trip! By the way, Fred Bodsworth (1918-2012), a Canadian naturalist, journalist and author (“Last of the Curlews”), was born in Port Burwell and is buried at the local cemetery.When we arrived at the park, the office was closed and we proceeded to a ‘host campsite’, where we bought firewood and proceeded to find a nice campsite. We were set up our tent on a campsite near a ravine and since all the campsites around us were vacant, we were able to enjoy total privacy and tranquility … for just two nights, when a group of young people decided, for inexplicable reasons, to set up their tent on the adjacent campsite, just meters from ours. Well, humans are undoubtedly intricate creatures!We also went to the beach (on Lake Erie), which is part of the park. There were several huge parking lots, now totally vacant. Since it must have rained quite heavy just a few days before, thick mist was coming off the beach and was enveloping the dunes and driftwood — the whole area resembled a scene from a horror movie and we just loved walking on the foggy shore.Although it would be rather unwise to canoe on Lake Erie, it is possible to canoe on the Big Otter Creek from Port Burwell at least to Vienna and back.We had a nice campfire every night and only a few raccoons showed up at night. The comfort stations were clean and had plenty of hot water! As it rained during the day, we explored nearby towns of Aylmer and its farmer/flea market (we met plenty of Mennonites) as well as the Ontario Police College nearby. Overall, a nice park!

We have visited numerous Provincial parks this summer and this is our favorite, a two hour drive from the Hamilton area. Park staff are friendly, numerous sites with plenty of privacy, nice grassy lots, wonderful place if you love to walk. Nice long beach, needed a little TLC but it was Thanksgiving. Comfort stations were well located , stocked and clean. Walking distance to the town of Port Burwell, easy access to tour the HMCS Ojibwa submarine. Handicap sites available A definite return for us.

Spent this past Canadian Thanksgiving weekend there in a camping trailer. Sites are huge and have more privacy than most other provincial parks. Sites are great- beautiful, level, and good drainage in case it rains. The beaches are beautiful and well kept for the most part... would love to visit again in the summer. The only criticism I had was the location of electrical posts on the site. I parked the trailer on the gravel pad provided on the site and still needed an additional 60 feet of extension cord on top of the 25ft trailer cord just to get to the post. Luckily, I had enough extension cords.Overall, this is one of the better PPs in this part of Ontario. We stayed here in a 24ft hybrid travel trailer and will definitely be back!

We have camped at Port Burwell quite a few times, but this past year we only went once. Although the campsites are generally good sized and fairly private, the beach is really declining. They no longer groom the beach, and it's now full of debris from Lake Erie, our least favourite Great Lake. Port Burwell does have a fabulous playground, though.

The Port Burwell Park and Beach are a wonderful place to relax and watch a sunset. I love to walk order to the break wall and from that area take some breath taking sunset photos. Just be careful swimming in the Port Burwell beach as it has been known to have undertow.

We have loved every Canadian Provincial Park we've camped in before but this was an experience.We stopped on a rainy night so this will be reviewed with that in mind.This is not the place to stay when it rains!You are limited to very few sites when checking in late and all these sites were all near or under water.We decided to take any site that was accessible and luckily found one with a gravel base.Now the hunt for the electrical boxes was on. : (This park definitely went out of the way to hide the boxes in the woods so an extension cord is needed.The facilities were in great shape and looked to be newer than the campground.

We went to port burwell over the long weekend for a day trip, family trip with a dog. It was great because they had a great dog beach area.. which i thought would be dirty, but was actually the cleanest part of the beach! The sand was really nice! The beach could be a little cleaner from the seashells and stuff, but was still really nice. It was really quiet and i loved it. One thing i would like to see as it grows is maybe some beach side snack areas and washroom facilities closer to the beach...but i could imagine why its not there given that its not a high traffic area... definitely beats wassaga with the ppl on ppl and the dirtiness all over! I would def go back and go back camping this time.

We booked 6 sites for a Thu-Sun for our annual big family camping for the first time here and we were pleasantly surprised. The sites were private and well-shaded. The size was adequate HOWEVER they only allowed one car per site. This is a big turn-off for our group especially since there is enough space to park two cars. The washroom and shower facilities were nice and clean. Our site (161 - Leander) was in a strategic location for the washroom and the overflow parking lot but not for the water source. The beach was a bit of a drive from the site but it was clean and the water was clear. The water was a bit cold but not as cold as Cobourg off Lake Ontario. No algae this year which I heard was a concern last year.A big plus for us was the big baseball field, volleyball courts and playground in the middle of the campgrounds. There were not too many bugs and the racoons did not pay our site a visit.

We stayed at Port Burwell provincial park in early August at Campsite #125. We have 3 kids between ages 3 and 7 and they all loved it. PROS:1. Our campsite was within ear shot (and partial view thru the trees) of the playground which is great for us and the kids at this age.2. Every morning there was a interactive demonstration put on by the staff which the kids really enjoyed3. Trails are on the shorter side which is great for the younest kids4. Our campsite was large and spacious. Easily accommodated our 8 person tent, a 10x12 shelter, our car and still had PLENTY of room.5. Staff is very friendly.6. We only went to the town beach (not the provincial park one), literally a 1 min drive from the park, and it was GREAT for the kids as it's not deep at all. I was about 0.5KM in the water and it was only up to my waste.CONS:1. Wood bought from the campground is completely soaked. A small quantity of wood is in a shelter when you pick it up, but after making a trip to the beach we found out the majority is stored outdoors. It was completely soaked.2. Campsite #125 is a full dirt floor, wasn't a problem for our stay, but I figured I would mention it for those who don't like to stay on dirt.3. You have to driver to the beach, we didn't mind it, but I thought I would mention it.Overall, we definitely plan to return. We had nothing bad to say at all.

I went to Port Burwell last month AND I am actually returning this month as well. On first arriving to our site #93 we thought it was very shallow but it worked. The only thing is that when your fire pit is close to the road , everyone who walks by is in your business . In the future I will get spots that have a firepit further back. The great thing about this site is there was no campsite across the road and the bush and trees were thick enough to seclude our site from the others so it may not have been very deep but it was private. I did peek at the next site #152 and it is bigger, but there is less privacy between sites and more trees overhead. I don't think there will be much sunlight our site and it does look like its all sand and gravel.If it rains it might make it a bit messy . Fingers crossed I've come to realise I do like a little grass on the site.Now this is mostly preferential observations. Overall the bathrooms were very clean. The park seemed clean and quiet. The staff courteous .and helpful . The beach is off site but only a mile down the road and you get in free to the beach if you have a campsite ticket in your window. The beach is nicer than most (Emily provincial park was man made , small and the water murky) Review on this place coming next lol I would recommend Port Burwell park. Don't expect too much in the town to keep you busy , there is a submarine ( ??) a lighthouse but its a quaint town. ALSO make sure you stock up on groceries on the way, the store in Port Burwell is small and limited in stock.

camping is great on their large lots.their beach now is very dirty,not like a couple years ago when they groomed it. we use to play volleyball but now the weeds have taken over.you mite want to use public beach unless they did something about the problem.i would go again but not use beach

Have started going to the CO on the private beach this year. As per other reviews, yes its not the prettiest beach as they are going with a natural look but has what you need sand and water. Parking is affordable and if you plan to go regularly the seasons pass is the way to go.The private beach is a good 10-15 min walk from the parking lot 5. Depending on how and what you pack, a garden cart is advisable to help you carry all your needs ( chairs, sunshade, cooler, etc). The people are very friendly and as they see you there on multiple occasions will start to meet and greet. Many people go on a frequent basis. We will continue to go most weekends as schedule and weather permits.

I wouldn’t normally write a review. Working as a customer service agent for years, I understand mistakes when it happens. But this park has upset me in such a way, that I had to resort to writing a negative review in hopes that this will rectify something, as earlier today, nothing was done. I would have expected the staff at Port Burwell Provincial Park to fix the error their staff had made today. But no, in the end, my family had to pay the consequences by losing our family vacation and my one and only week holiday this summer.As a family, we have been going to Port Burwell every summer for the past 25+ years. In the past, we have always booked a non-reservable site by heading up the day before, getting on the waitlist, and hoping for a site to become available. We would book for a week, and if felt like it, book for another week. In the past, rules have been to tell the front desk you want to continue your stay before 11AM the day of your departure. 1st complaint: Thanks staff for informing us of the new rule! You now have to tell front desk the DAY before your departure. Would have been nice to know this beforehand. Which brings me to complaint #2: Can your staff read a calendar!? We went to extend our stay “till Friday” (which anyone will know by looking at a calendar is August 1st). Well not this particular staff member. She entered our departure date as July 31st. Well, thanks for A) confirming the check-out date with us before we paid and B) entering the wrong date! Had my mother not come to the desk today to register an extra vehicle, we would experience an awkward situation while the next guest you booked on that site showed up to set up. Which brings me to complaint #3. I understand you imputed the wrong departure date. It happens. But when YOU make an error, YOU fix it! And let me tell you how this should have been done. You should have extended our stay (as it should have been anyway), and informed those next customers that YOU made a booking error, and there actually isn’t a site available. Apologize for YOUR error, and perhaps offer them an alternative date, or whatever. Why did WE have to leave when it was YOUR fault!? Again, I understand these things happen. What’s done is done. We’re all human. And I can’t get back my week holiday this summer. But the way you handled and dealt with the situation has made our family most upset. You can almost guarantee we will be sharing this horrible experience with our family and friends (which by the way, many of them stay at your grounds), and you can almost guarantee you have lost our business for the future. We will now be looking and recommending other camp grounds in the area. It’s a shame we had to end, what normally is a great time, this horrible way.[May I also use this thread to add a suggestion for future trailer campers? When it’s time for campers to move sites, and they have a trailer to move, it’s clear a truck will be needed. Sometimes, this vehicle isn’t on site (perhaps a friend is using the trailer). Can you please allow this truck on the premises for at least two hours to move this trailer! Making them pay $14 to move a trailer from one site to another is outrageous. This is another issue we came across this past week.]

I went camping for the weekend at Port Burwell Provincial Park with my boyfriend and another couple. We stayed in the Alzora campground in an non-serviced site for two tents (#34). The site was spacious and had a large picnic table. The fire pit was in fairly poor condition (holes rusted through) but it worked well and it didn't look like other sites had the same issue. There was a retractable rack over part of the fire pit that came in handy. The bathrooms were very nice - stainless steel counter tops and were generally quite clean and bug-free. There were hooks on the walls to hang bags, which was a nice feature. The only minor annoyance we had was that you cannot have two vehicles on the site - one has to go in the additional parking lot (which was close by), but it just resulted in us having to transfer all of our stuff into one vehicle. We appreciated the park store, as there were a few things we ended up needing, being inexperienced campers. There are not any chain stores close by (closest Canadian Tire is 25 minutes away I believe we were told) so try to plan ahead in that way. Port Burwell has some attractions to check out as well - we went for a tour of the HMS Objibwa (a Cold War era submarine) and loved it!I would recommend camping here for a quick weekend getaway!