Port Burwell Provincial Park

Port Burwell Provincial Park sits on the Lake Erie shoreline about 20 km south of Aylmer and is the most popular summer destination for local families. The park has a long sandy beach that is one of the better swimming beaches on the north shore of Lake Erie — the water warms up reliably by July — and a campground that books up well in advance for summer weekends.

Beyond the beach, the historic Port Burwell lighthouse is a short walk up the bluff. The 1840 wooden lighthouse is a charming structure, white-painted and square-tapered, and the view from the base down the beach is good. The small fishing harbour nearby still has some activity and is a pleasant walk in the early morning.

things to do sight swimming park
A story
The lighthouse at Port Burwell is the oldest surviving wooden lighthouse on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, built in 1840 when the harbour was an important commercial port for the agricultural communities of Elgin County. The harbour has long since silted up and the commercial traffic is gone, but the lighthouse stands on the bluff above the beach, restored and open to visitors in summer.