About the Location
Natural Features
The
glaciers that covered much of Ontario during the last Ice Age left
their marks on the Wasaga Beach area. As ancient Lake Algonquin
receded, a series of shorelines were left behind. These ancient
beach ridges played an important role in determining the Wasaga
landscape today.
These unique geological features have preserved over 10,000 years
of history, painting a picture of the forces that have shaped our
landscape today. These forest covered landforms are researched and
studied for their ability to host threatened natural habitats and
provide interesting relationships between events of the past and
today's natural occurrences.
Park Facilities and Activities
Wasaga's
14-kilometre-long graceful crescent of shore sands on a gentle,
shallow bay draws thousands of visitors each summer. Families enjoy
swimming in the warm, shallow waters and playing on the wide sandy
beach. The park is divided into eight beach areas each with its
own parking lot.
While swimming is the big draw, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and
canoeing on the Nottawasaga River are some other activities to be
pursued in the park and area. Nottawasaga Bay is suitable for many
types of watercraft, especially large motorboats, sailboats and
windsurfers. Boats can be rented from one of several marinas in
the Town of Wasaga Beach.
The fragile dune environment in the Natural Environment Zone may
be explored over several interconnected trails called the Blueberry
Plains Trails, totalling some 26 kilometres in length. The park
also has a marked bicycle path along the shoreline.
Various interpretive programs are offered at the Nancy Island Historic
Site , where visitors learn about the natural and cultural history
of the area. Popular activities include spirit programs and weekly
outdoor Jazz concerts.
Wasaga
Beach offers some of the most exciting nordic ski terrain in Central
Ontario with 30 kilometres of trails. Expert skiers are challenged
on the groomed and track set "High Dunes Trail", or you
may choose a more leisurely ski on the "Blueberry Plains Trail".
The Blueberry Nordic Centre offers modern equipment rentals, warm-up
shelter and outback ski shelters to warm up a lunch on a crisp winters
day. A quiet skier will be rewarded with wildlife viewing as white-tailed
deer and winter birds are abundant.
From late March to mid October, the park is open from 8:15 a.m.
to 10:00 p.m. daily. A second operating period runs from early December
to late March. Outside these periods, the park is gated and vehicles
are not permitted to enter.
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