Length of stay: 3 day
Visited: November 2025

Pinery Provincial Park is located in western Ontario along the sandy shores of Lake Huron. It contains a variety of habitats including rare Oak Savanna and coastal sand dunes. It is open year-round and features a number of activities depending on the season.

Day 1: Hiking in the Forest

K had some vacation days that he had to use (or lose) by the end of year, so we planned to take a few extra long weekends from now until the end of the year. We picked out our Christmas tree last weekend and had set up all our decorations and lights outside. There was snow on the ground so we couldn’t do any yard work. And there really wasn’t much to do around the house so we figured we’d get away for the long weekend.

Pinery had some last minute availability so we booked one of their rustic cabins. The nice thing about visiting an Ontario provincial park this time of year is that the trails are typically quieter and there’s a better chance of being able to book one of the roofed accommodations. The drawback is that the days are shorter and the weather can be unpredictable with a high chance of rain or snow (or both). But we rolled the dice.

We prepped and packed Saturday morning and headed out just after 11am. From home it’s about a two and a half hour drive to get there. But we of course made some stops along the way to get coffee and some groceries. By the time we arrived at Pinery it was just after 3pm. There was no one at the front gate so we drove to the Park Store to check in. We were told the cabin wouldn’t be ready until 4pm. We figured we could all stretch our legs, including our little M. So we headed to the Visitor Centre to use the restrooms and hike one of the trails.

The Cedar Trail (2.3km) loops through the forest of eastern red cedar and oak. There’s also a connector path that leads through the sand dunes to the shore of Lake Huron. We planned to just do the loop as we weren’t sure whether M could hike that long on her own. The baby backpack carrier was packed away deep in the trunk of the car and we didn’t feel like rummaging to find it.

And so we set out on the trail. We had a bit of snow back home, but there was nothing here close by the lake. The last time we were at the Pinery was in February of 2023 when little M was only a few months old. This was actually the first ever park we took her too and the first ever hike we did together as a family. It felt nice to be back and see how much has changed since then.

New signs have been installed on the trail that talk about the role and importance of prescribed fires in the park. Pinery protects one of the last remaining healthy Oak Savanna in Canada. Fires in particular are necessary to maintain the rare ecosystem as it helps reduce invasive species and support native plants and wildlife. The signs indicated that prescribed burns took place in the park in 1989, 2008 and 2025.

The trail took nearly an hour to complete. We returned to the cabin and the door was unlocked. And it was nice and toasty warm inside. We unpacked the car then got started on settling in and making dinner. It started to lightly snow in the evening and the forecast was calling for 5-10cm of snow overnight.

Day 2: Hiking in the Snow

We woke up to a fresh layer of snow on the ground. The temperature was hovering just below freezing, so the snow was heavy and wet. And it was still lightly snowing, which would likely turn into rain later in the morning.

It didn’t get light outside until after 8am. We made a hot breakfast of eggs, hash browns and toast then ventured outdoors to go for a hike. We drove through the campground and were surprised to see a few tent campers and RVs. But for the most part there weren’t many people around, which is just how we like it.

We settled on the Heritage Trail (2.3km, loop), a trail we’ve hiked several times before. It weaves through an upland Oak Savanna habitat and contains a viewing platform overlooking the Old Ausable Channel. The snow was quite slushy and wet. We were the first ones to hike this trail for the day, besides the little creatures of the forest. We saw a few bunny prints crisscrossing the path.

Afterwards we stopped by the Visitor Centre to check out the indoor exhibits before returning to the cabin for an early lunch. M went down for her afternoon nap which gave us an opportunity to do some reading. It had stopped snowing/raining later in the afternoon but the wind had picked up. We opted to go for another hike to get some fresh air.

The Tall Pines trail (800m loop) weaves through the forest and offered some protection from the howling wind. The road through this part of the park is closed in the winter, but from the gate it’s a short walk to the trailhead. The trail weaves through a natural pine stand, which seemed a bit out of place in the Pinery where oak is the predominant tree.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening making Christmas cards. I don’t know who had more fun, me or little M.

Day 3: Going to the Beach

It was chillier this morning and the slushy snow froze overnight, becoming crusty, crunchy and icy. And it was still overcast and gloomy. We were in no rush to get moving. And so we had a leisurely morning of arts and crafts, making breakfast and packing up. Check out time was at 10am. So that’s when we headed out.

A visit to the Pinery isn’t complete without seeing the beach. So we hiked the Cedar Trail again, this time with the intent of taking the connector path to shore of Lake Huron. We were the only ones here on a Monday morning. Even though we hiked this trail two days ago, the forest looked different with a layer of snow.

We followed the connector path through the sand dunes and across the boardwalk. Once we were out of the forest we could feel the wind on our faces. The waves were mesmerizing, but we didn’t linger long on the beach. We retraced our steps back to the main trail then completed the rest of the loop.

And with that we were ready to head home.

L