Tips for the Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario from Michigan?

Ah, the weather man is saying a beautiful weekend here in SW Ontario, so you will get a good chance to check out the park. Like i said in my previous post, Area 1 is all pull-thru's, it's mostly where the larger trailers go...... so, by 11pm, you can hear a pin drop, but, area 4 is very kids/family oriented..... both are good. We did the walk and write down the sites thing.....be prepared to walk, it's big! You will have to pay to go thru the park. I will get that link for you in the a.m., we are off to Wheatly PP for the weekend..... close by, and a terrific little park

rickm wrote:
We stick mainly to Riverside 1 or 4. Both have their advantages over the other. RS1 is all pull-thru sites, close to the store, canoe rentals, and walking distance to the nature center. RS4 has some awesome Riverside sites, if you can get one

We're going this weekend without the trailer to check it out and write down some good sites for next year. A few people have said RS4 is nice.

rickm wrote:

There is a website out there that actually shows pics of most of the sites there .... I will send a link when I can find it.

A website other than the online reservation campsite pics? I'd love to see it.

We enjoy the Pinery ..... we make our annual visits in July, and also in October, when the park is at it's best.....meaning there is hardly anyone there, the colors are changing ....it's just totally back to nature. We stick mainly to Riverside 1 or 4. Both have their advantges over the other. RS1 is all pull-thru sites, close to the store, canoe rentals, and walking distance to the nature center. RS4 has some awesome Riverside sites, if you can get one, although there are many other nice sites off the river as well. Farther away from everything else, but that's a good thing sometimes. They have added Hydro to some of the sites in Riverside 2 and 3 this year ....that's a good thing. There are always things to do in the park, lots of activities going on .... great hiking/ biking trails. It is very busy in the summer, and yes, this year the beach was almost extinct. High water levels, as well as summer storms/winds brought water levels right up to the dunes. The new handi-cap beach access had to be rebuilt this spring .... we were there last October when the water was over the end of it. Very nice access for wheel chairs, they spent big bucks to build it. There is a website out there that actually shows pics of most of the sites there .... I will send a link when I can find it. The one thing you will find different about Provincial Parks as compared to State Parks, well , yes one is cost, but in PP, you are not on top of your neighbour .... they keep uor parks as natural as possible. You will enjoy the Pinery, I guarantee it!

Jebby14 wrote:
nothing to worry about. follow the rules and be honest and direct you wont have any trouble. secondary inspections happen. nothing to lose sleep over.

Agree, we have crossed both ways each winter for 10 years now, only have been inspected once and had some dog food taken (it was the "flavour of the month" on the restricted list, beef). The other time way back was when my university buddy and I hopped over to Detroit for a short trip, we were detained and questioned, it didn't help our cause that we laughed at the picture of "tricky Dickie" Nixon on the wall, it was at the time of his "troubles"!

The toll for our 39 ft. 5er and Dually is under $10 at the Ambassador bridge. When going back to the US be sure to use the correct lane, at the Ambassador bridge there is a dedicated RV lane. They don't appreciate you using the wrong lane. There is usually a dedicated rent-a-cop that directs you to the correct lane.

Answer the questions directly and don't try to embellish or make conversation and you will be fine.

As for gas cost, Pinery isn't a great distance from the border, if you fill up before crossing and don't do a lot of sightseeing you may make it back to the US without filling up. Worst case, it will cost you an extra $20 or so for a fill depending on your tank size.

nothing to worry about. follow the rules and be honest and direct you wont have any trouble. secondary inspections happen. nothing to lose sleep over.

Jebby14 wrote:
no need for a day pass. its included with your camping.

Good

Jebby14 wrote:

also plan on gas being expensive here and toll being brutal towing a trailer over the border. with the exchange it will take the sting out for ya.

Not horrible but it adds up. $3/car + $3/per axle I haven't looked at gas mileage the same since buying a travel trailer 2 years ago.

Jebby14 wrote:

the Pinery normally has an AMAZING beach but with the water the way it is this year its almost non existant. 5 or 6 feet instead of 100-150 ft

That sucks. The beach is the main reason we'd be going.

Really thinking I should take a drive over there without the trailer and check it out.

Edit: Only thing that scares me is getting back into the US. 15 years ago my then girlfriend and I went from sault sainte marie, MI into Canada and realized there was nothing to do there so we headed back to the bridge. Border agents sent us to the inspection area and I assume thought we were transporting drugs or something. They didn't tear apart our car or anything and probably realized we were just young dumb kids so they let us go. That was before 9/11 so who knows how they are now.

Thanks for the info.

no need for a day pass. its included with your camping. just book a site for the time you want to be there. also plan on gas being expensive here and toll being brutal towing a trailer over the border. with the exchange it will take the sting out for ya. oh and expect to drive. the park is massive if you want to see all over it. on a side note the Pinery normally has an AMAZING beach but with the water the way it is this year its almost non existant. 5 or 6 feet instead of 100-150 ft

Jebby14 wrote:
...I like riverside 4 but there are nice spots all over. GREAT spot for a canoe or kayak. expect to give your first born though Ontario parks are super pricy

Thanks, I'll check out Riverside 4 first. The state park campground I just stayed at only has 250 sites so 1,000 at the Pinery is a little crazy to sort through.

I just realized the exchange rate is in my favor, $50 site is $37 US.

I got sticker shock from the price of an annual day pass. $175. It's under $15 here for all the state parks. I need to find out if the camping permit requires a separate day-pass.

oh and book well in advance. the park books up

I also have a 19 footer. the pinery is one of my favorite parks. I like riverside 4 but there are nice spots all over. GREAT spot for a canoe or kayak. expect to give your first born though Ontario parks are super pricy