Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: August 2021
Port Bruce Provincial Park is a day-use park that is located in the hamlet of Port Bruce. It’s main attraction is its 200 metre long beach along Lake Erie. Admission into the park is free and in addition to swimming, the park also provides picnic facilities and a few restrooms.
After going for a super short hike at Trillium Woods, we drove to Port Bruce to see whether its beach lived up to its reputation. We parked along the side of the road and traded in our hiking shoes for flip flops. We got changed in the restrooms and hit the beach.
There are several access points to the beach from the main road, which helped spread out the crowds. The beach itself is sandy near the road and becomes progressively more pebbly closer to the lake. We placed our towels on a piece of driftwood and tested out the water.
The water was quite pleasant. The only drawback were the pebbles which make it a bit challenging to get in and out of the water. It’s also a super steep drop off. Within a few feet from the shore, the water was already up to our waists.
After our swim, we sat on a piece of driftwood to dry off. We then got changed and drove down to the Bruce Port Pier, which is located just north of the park. We picked up some ice cream cones from the Pier Restaurant. We then walked down to the Port Bruce Pierhead Light and quickly ate our ice cream before it melted.
And with that it was time to head out.
L
My progress on the Ontario Parks Challenge can be found here
We are not fans of rock beaches either. Our worst experience was in Nice France, where I am sure our entry into and exit from the water made somebody’s YouTube channel. Port Bruce looks like a good place to relax and cool off. Stay well. Allan
There’s never a graceful way to enter or exit the water when it’s rocky. It’s even worse when it’s also wavy. Initially I tried wearing my flip flops in the water with me, but they are very annoying to swim around in, so I ended up taking them off and then had to walk back in. Thankfully the water was nice and warm, so it was worth it. Take care. Linda
It’s very a very pretty location and your ice cream photo is iconically summer! I don’t like pebble beaches either although wearing water shoes will help. I remember the beach at our hotel in Honolulu (my only visit several years back) was very pebbly and hidden by the water as the exposed beach portion was sandy. Quite a surprise!
The whole area felt very much like a beach town. We couldn’t resist getting some ice cream cones after going for a swim and eat them along the pier. Pebble beaches can be tricky to enter and exit. Water shoes sound like a good idea. We just assumed all the beaches along Lake Erie would be sandy so we didn’t bother packing them. We visited Maui a few years ago, but I would love to return someday to see Honolulu and the other islands.
The ice cream looks so good! A steep dropoff is a bit scary, what is down there!
It’s always nice to treat yourself while on holiday. Those ice cream cones were delicious and sure hit the spot. I was surprised at how steep the drop off was and was glad it wasn’t wavy. I like to think there is nothing but sand down there, but that being said, I’m always too afraid to swim under and touch the bottom!
Oh my gosh, me too! I grew up on a lake and was and still am creeped out by what you can’t see down there. The weeds always scared me, they may grab you and hold you underwater! 💀
I refuse to swim in weedy water. I can’t handle things touching my legs when swimming either. I think one of my scariest swimming moments was when we were in Roatan on a scuba diving trip and were on the boat to get to our dive site when we spotted some dolphins and were encouraged to jump in the water with them. I could see nothing but blue all around me and there were large dolphins zooming by and making their weird clicking noises. It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life.
Looks nice!! And ice cream😍
There’s nothing better than eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day …assuming you can finish before it melts that is! This was a lovely area to take a swim and just take a stroll along the waterfront.
We seem to find ice cream everywhere we go! Always a treat!!
This summer we made it a point to visit as many different ice cream places as we could when camping. Agreed, it’s always such a treat. Ice cream just reminds me of summer and brings back such fond memories.
Looks wonderful! Especially the ice cream!! I would probably have wanted to sift through the pebbles- are they the speckled ones like around Great Lakes?
There’s just something about ice cream and a hot summer’s day that go so well together. It was nice to eat our cones along the pier and just enjoy the views of the water. I honestly don’t even remember what the pebbles looked like. I was probably too focused on not falling over!
Looks like a great place to have ice cream at!
For sure. It was nice to take a break by the water and just enjoy our ice cream and our surroundings. And thankfully we managed to scarf down our ice cream before it melted!
That looked like such a wonderful outing, complete with flip flop weather and ice cream on the beach! 💕
I’m not a fan of pebbly beaches as well especially on a super hot day but the water and swim make up for it.
209 days till Summer 2022!
Thank goodness the water wasn’t wavy, otherwise that just adds to the challenge of getting in and out of the water!! I much prefer a sandy beach to a pebbly beach as well. It’s more comfortable on the feet and to sit on, even if it is a pain to clean up afterwards.
Summer will be here before we know it!! I’ll be using these winter months to plan out our vacation for next year.
That sounds wonderful. I believe next summer is East Coast right? Planning the trip is often quite satisfying and gives you something to get through these dark cold winter months! 🙏👍
For sure. It’s always nice to have something to look forward to. And yes, hoping to do the east coast next summer 🙂
Looks a great place for a swim but I’m not keen on shingle beaches either as it really hurts your feet getting in and out of the sea . Those ice cream cones look rather nice too.
There’s certainly no graceful way to enter or exit the water when it’s pebbly and rocky! Thankfully it wasn’t wavy though and there wasn’t a strong current. It was a real treat to eat ice cream afterwards and a nice way to conclude our visit to this beach.
Oh those ice creams look delicious!! I like the name Port Bruce…for some reason I picture Bruce Willis welcoming everyone to the park and helping them on to boats across the water….probably not who it was named after haha! 🙂
Now everytime I’m in the Port Bruce area I’m totally going to think of Bruce Willis. That’s hilarious!!
Very different from most of your park posts but still a lovely day no doubt! I envy you, but truly appreciate you sharing your beautiful outings. 😏
Thanks for your lovely comment. This provincial park is definitely a bit different compared to some of the other parks we’ve visited this year. This is a relatively small park that doesn’t offer many activities besides swimming. There’s no hiking trails or camping. It was still nice to check it out, but I don’t think we’d ever return here to go swimming. There’s a few other parks that are nearby that have much nicer beaches. But hey, at least the water was warm and it wasn’t crowded, so I can’t complain too much.
Water safety signs always crack me up and also makes me feel sad because we live in such a litigious society.
I think my favourite water safety sign that we’ve seen so far said: parents, children are your responsibility.
Looks like a good swimming beach and the icecream look delicious!
I’m not really a fan of pebbly beaches, but the water was nice and warm and it wasn’t wavy. I initially tried to go swimming with my flip flops on, which were great to get in the water, but were very annoying to swim with. It didn’t last long. I got out to take them off and then waddled back in.
You could see it was a hot day, the ice-cream was melting already LOL, I miss those sunny days already🙂
Thankfully the ice cream cones weren’t massive and we were able to eat them before they made a mess!! It seems like summer was so long ago, but it’ll be here again before we know it. Hope you’re having a good weekend. Linda
Hopefully the summer will be back soon, yet the winter is knocking at the door, and I’m NOT ready yet🙂 This year flew by so fast, as well as the weekend hihi We are renovating the basement at the cottage, and will be busy all weekends for awhile.. I think you’re right, next summer will come again before we know it🙂
Christie
I regret not putting up my Christmas lights outside sooner. It’s going to be a bit of a challenge now that it’s colder and we have some snow. That’s exciting that you’re doing renovations in your cottage. All the more reason to get excited for next summer. Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay warm out there.
The ice cream looks better than the pebbly beach the day you were there. But it’s still a lovely park to visit — or so it seems.
I’m generally not a fan of pebbly beaches. It’s always awkward to get in and out of the water. Thank goodness it wasn’t wavy otherwise that would have just made entry and exit even more challenging. Either way, it was still nice to go for a swim and the water felt fantastic.
Looks like a lot of fun, and fairly easy to get at…you deserve it!
Julie
It was such a hot day outside and the best way to beat the heat is by going for a swim and then eating an ice cream cone. It felt like such a classic summer’s day.
My aunt lived near a rocky beach in Connecticut – we had to wear sneakers to cross the beach and wade in the water. The ice cream cones look terrific (even though I’m reading this on a snowy day). Is that a green tea flavor on the right?
I’d much rather prefer a sandy beach to a pebbly and rocky one. I initially tried wearing flip flops to enter into the water, but they were very annoying to swim with, so that was short lived. The ice cream cones afterwards were a great way to conclude our trip to the beach. The green one is actually mint chip. Mmm.
That’s so funny … it’s a hot day here and we just came back from a walk along our lagoon where we enjoyed an ice-cream! And guess what … here I read about your wonderful day – on a beach with an ice-cream!! Love it!!
There’s just something about a hot summer’s day and ice cream that work so well together! We had a big snowfall here over the weekend and I’m currently bundled up by the fireplace drinking a cup of tea. Oh how I wish it were still summer.
Ice cream, Lighthouse and Water View….these are what heavenly adventures are made of . Thank you. 🙏♥️
That’s for sure. There’s just something so relaxing about being by the water. Enjoy the rest of your week. Linda
A Canadian summer on a pleasant beach such as this gives me a more livable impression of Canada in general.
Canada is known for its rugged wilderness, but there are some big cities and charming towns as well. Port Bruce is such a lovely little hamlet that’s located along Lake Erie. It was nice place to go for a swim and eat some ice cream afterwards.
Geez, how did I miss this and last 4 parks?!?! Well … now I get to go on a longer vicarious trek!!! Getting caught up 😊
It’s been fun reliving our trips from the summer. Makes me miss the warm weather and all the greenery though. Oh well, next summer will be here before we know it!
Thanks for the vicarious journey
Thanks for virtually following along on our adventures 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Lovely. Perfect top off with ice cream
Ice cream is one of those quintessential treats on a hot summer’s day. It was the perfect way to end our visit to the beach.
Oh yeah …
I’m sure missing those warm summer days now that it’s winter. Oh well, it’ll be back before we know it.
Yes it will be summer again before we know it. And you’ve got such beautiful pix and memories to tide you over till then. 😊
Is there a buoyed off section (200 m) for swimming? This is the description in the provincial park details.
We didn’t see a buoyed off section for swimming when we visited. Granted, the shoreline is pretty long, so there very well could be one. We found that there’s a pretty steep drop off and within a few feet we were already up to our waists in water.
Yummy ice cream at the end of a swim, what can be better than that? 🙂
There’s just something about ice cream and summer that go so well together. While the park was sold out of park badges, at least we got some ice cream as a sweet consolation prize.