Sandbanks Provincial Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sandbanks Provincial Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Sandbanks Provincial Park
Location in Southern Ontario
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| Location | Southern Ontario, Canada |
| Nearest city | Belleville, Ontario |
| Area | 1,509 acres (6.11 km2) |
| Established | 1970 |
| Governing body | Ontario Parks |
Sandbanks Provincial Park is a special provincial park in Ontario, Canada. It is located right on the shores of Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County, close to the town of Picton. This park is famous for its amazing sand dunes and beautiful beaches. It even has the world's largest sand bar and dune system that formed in fresh water!
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What Can You Do at Sandbanks Park?
Sandbanks Provincial Park is managed by the government of Ontario. It offers many fun activities for visitors. The park has different areas for different types of recreation. Because some parts of the beach were already owned before the park was created, the beaches appear in short sections along the coast.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit Sandbanks Provincial Park and its nearby beaches every year. Many visitors come from big cities like Ottawa, Toronto, and Kingston in Ontario. People also travel from New York State and Quebec to enjoy the park.
Beaches and Camping at Sandbanks
Sandbanks is one of the most popular parks in Ontario. It has three main beaches: Outlet Beach, Dunes Beach, and Lakeshore Beach. One of these beaches is a special "pet zone" where you can bring your dog!
The park also has more than 600 campsites. You can choose between campsites with electricity or those without, located all over the park. A road called County Road 12 runs right through the park.
The History of Sandbanks' Shifting Sands
Long ago, the Sandbanks area was used by farmers to graze their cattle. By the mid-1850s, the land began to change a lot. Farmers cut down very old trees to clear the land for crops. They also built new buildings and roads.
To make more room for farming, cows were allowed to graze on the sand dunes. This removed the natural plants that held the sand in place. Without these plants, the sand dunes started to move and shift across the land. The moving sand buried everything in its path!
How the Dunes Were Controlled
By the 1880s, the shifting sand caused big problems for roads. One road, the West Lake road, had to be moved three times in 50 years because the sand kept burying it. In 1911, people tried planting White Willow trees to stop the sand, but it did not work well.
Today, Cottonwood trees grow on the dunes near West Lake. These trees have helped to slow down the sand's movement. The shifting sand is now mostly under control because new forests have grown back naturally.
Sandbanks Park in Movies and TV
Sandbanks Provincial Park is so beautiful that it has been used as a filming location for movies and television shows.
- In the 2002 TV movie Touching Wild Horses, Sandbanks pretended to be Sable Island.
- It also appeared in the movie Fly Away Home (1996).
- The park was featured in the film Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010).
- The music video for the 1985 song "Wave Babies" by the band Honeymoon Suite was filmed here.
Park Information for Visitors
When you arrive at the main entrance of Sandbanks Provincial Park, you can tune into two radio stations for helpful information:
- 89.5 FM (for English speakers)
- 91.9 FM (for French speakers)
