We Camped Here on...

06-25-04 thru 06-27-04

Park Description from the State website

Here on Lake Huron, vast waves of sand dunes roll back from the shore to meet groups of towering oaks, the largest oak savanna woodlands remaining in North America. These ancient trees preside over a mosaic of prairie grasses, wildflowers and shrubs. Sun-drenched meadows teem with rare and unique butterflies, songbirds and reptiles. Go softly here along boardwalks and bicycle trails and endless sand beaches. Come, too, in winter to camp, stay overnight in a yurt, toboggan and ski on groomed trails.

Old Description: Towering Oak trees, sun flecks on a golden carpet of leaves, shrubs & wildflowers and a rich abundance of unique and rare organisms; to many, this is Pinery. Pinery Provincial Park contains much of the remaining Oak Savanna woodland to be found in North America. Explore this unique ecosystem, along park roads, trails, beaches or quiet reaches of the Old Ausable Channel. Today an Oak Savanna ecosystem rests atop an undulating sand dune topography that began forming over 6,000 years ago as glaciers retreated, leaving dunes more than 100 feet high. The panoramic view from lookouts presents a seemingly endless forest canopy, meeting Lake Huron's brilliant blue waters on the horizon.

Whether you want to quietly explore the woodlands along a trail, dip a paddle in the Old Ausable Channel, ride along the bike trail,or slide across crisp snow on a ski trail, Pinery is a special place year round.

Campground Info from the Park website

Pinery has a total of 1000 campsites in three campgrounds, 404 of which offer electrical hookups.

Riverside Campground is located beside the picturesque Ausable River, and has electrical and pull-through sites. Besides being the largest campground, Riverside is also open year round.

Burley Campground open from May to September, is the farthest away from the main gate, but is well worth the extra drive! These smaller, more secluded sites are nestled between older pines and within close walking distance to the beach. These campsites are perfect for those campers that don't need electricity or pull-through site capabilities.

Dunes Campground is within easy walking distance to the beach, outdoor amphitheater and Visitor Centre. Dunes campground provides a mix of electrical, pop-up trailer and tenting sites from May to September.

Twelve furnished campsites have just been located in Area 1 of Riverside campground. Each site includes an 8 sided tent-like structure called a "Yurt" that is attached to a wheelchair accessible platform. Each "Yurt" includes bunks for sleeping 6 people, table and chairs, electric lighting and a heater for cool weather camping. In addition, a gas barbecue and picnic shelter is supplied with each facility.

How to get to the Campground

Drive up to Port Huron on I-94. Go across the Blue Water bridge to Canada. Drive east on 402 for about 21½ miles to Hwy 21. Go north on 21 about 23 miles to the park.

Should be about a 2-hour drive for most of us.
These directions have NOT been verified.

Downloads from the web

Click here to display a large version (one that you can actually read) of the Park map shown below. You can print the map by right-clicking on it and selecting print.
Click here to download a nice printable map (Adobe pdf) of the entire Pinery Provincial Park as shown below but with more information. This is a large 2MB file and will take a while to download if you are connected to the internet via telephone.

Commentary

We all had bad experiences coming back home thru the border (Blue Water Bridge). It's just too far to drive. Stay here in Michigan.

Personal Rating

From Alan: none yet