Sand Banks Provincial Park (Lake Ontario) in Ontario

Trip Overview

I had always heard about the amazing sand dunes at Sand Banks Provincial Park on Lake Ontario in Ontario which is about an hour west of Kingston and about 2 hours east of Toronto. I couldn't have realized how amazing this park was once I reached it. We paddled out from the government dock in downtown Wellington (a cute little waterfront town).

It was about a 4km paddle each way. When I saw the magnitude of the first sandbank I was shocked. It's about 100 meters high and nothing but a giant dune. Of course, once we landed we had to climb it.

On top of the first dune was a valley of sand that rivaled any desertscape I've ever witnessed. It was clearly about 600 meters across. It's a place not to miss.

Truly one of the most memorable day paddles I've seen because of how different this looked from anywhere I've ever paddled before!!!

Accommodations:

B&B's everywhere, camping available

Fees:

No fee from the government docks in Wellington, no parking fee either.

Directions:

From the 401 head south about 15km toward Wellington. In the middle of town is a government dock, you can ask anyone in town, the folks are as friendly as they come.

Resources:

I used my Garmin GPS, but it's easy to find, just launch paddle south staying along the eastern shore of the reach. You might want to get out an explore the rock beach about 1/2 way out, pass under the old bridge and continue out to the giant sand dune. You certainly can't miss it!