The best camping near Turkey Point Provincial Park

The only Ontario provincial park with a golf course, Turkey Point—so-named for the many wild turkeys that once roosted here—offers an easy nine holes within walking distance of all three of its campgrounds. But the main attraction for most visitors is the beach. Big and broad, the sand stretches more than two kilometres along Lake Erie’s Long Point Bay. It’s shallow and warm, and a favourite of families, who can wade out a long way on the sandy bottom. Within a few kilometres of the park you’ll also find a busy marina, restaurants, shops, a winery, and even a zipline.

• Best for RVs: Walking Stick Woods, which includes large, pull-through sites
• Best for families: Whippoorwill Campground, which has a nice playground nearby
• Best for early risers: Fin and Feather Campground, which is radio-free

1. Because Turkey Point is near a village popular with tourists and boaters, summer is by far the busiest season to book a site—especially all of July and the first two weeks of August.
2. First-come, first-served sites may be available, especially midweek or in the off-season, but no sites are reserved for same-day arrivals, so you’ll be testing luck and fate if you leave it too long.
3. Victoria Day, Canada Day, the long weekend in August, and Labour Day are all often booked out months in advance.

Both the park and campground are open from halfway through May until the middle of October, and summer is very busy, so if you’re looking for solitude, this isn’t the time to visit. The waters of Lake Erie can be chilly, especially early in the season, and the best beach weather begins around the second week of June and stretches into early September. For a relatively brief period—roughly mid-September until mid-October—the Carolinian forest here explodes with fall colour, with the added bonus that late summer and autumn tends to be (blessedly) less buggy.    

• The park includes three hiking trails—the longest (Fin and Feather) traces an old hatchery pond, running a total four kilometres. Another one (Lookout Bluff) loops past nice views over Long Point Bay.
• You can mountain bike on trails within the park, or visit a nearby eco-adventure company for additional places to pedal and zipline.
• You’ll find two laundry facilities onsite at the comfort stations for both Whippoorwill and Walking Stick Woods campgrounds.
• If you or your child needs a personal flotation device (PFD), you can grab one, free-of-charge, at the entrance to the main parking lot (bring a small amount of cash for a security deposit).