Inverhuron Provincial Park

Swimming

With one of the best beaches on the coast this lovely little 2 kilometre (1.2 mile) stretch of beautiful sand makes for a perfect spot to spend a warm summer day.

The park is actually on a peninsula separating Holmes Bay from Inverhuron Bay but on both sides the perfectly crystal clear water is also fairly shallow and the sandy bottom deepens gradually, making for perfect swimming conditions.

Fully facilities are located at the beach and there is ample parking. The beach however does get fairly crowded in the summer as it is a known spot amongst locals.

Camping

With beautiful large campsites overlooking Lake Huron below the Inverhuron Provincial Park has always been an attractive destination for campers.

While closed for a number of years the park has been slowly re-opened by the government after having leased back the land in the early 1990’s.

Camping has now been extended to included 278 fully serviced campsites spread out over 3 campgrounds. Quite a few of the sizes are large enough to accommodate large-sized RV’s.

• • Gunn Point Campground
    • 76 Serviced sites
    • Showers
    • Close to beach
    • Hiking trails
    • Spectacular views from some sites (the best sites in Gunn Point are 60 to 76 excluding 69, 71 and 75)

• • Lime Kiln Campground
    • 85 serviced sites
    • Showers
    • Historic sites
    • Hiking Trails
    • Spectacular views from some sites (the best sites in Lime Kiln are 165, 166, 167 and 168)

• Holmes Bay Campground
  • 127 serviced sites
  • Close to Visitors Centre

Inverhuron Ghost Town

First settled in the late 1840’s by the next decade the small community had grown to include a post office, a log school, saw mill, grist mill and several small shops.

WIth the building of a pier in the early 1960’s the small town of 200 was the centre of the local economy. In the 1870’s the town built three large grain warehouses and dominated the local shipping trade.

The town peaked at a population of approximately 400 in the late 1870’s when everything came to an abrupt halt on the night of April 13 1882 when fire destroyed the pier and warehouses full of grain.

The loss was devastating and the town never did recover. The mills closed and the community barely hung on when tragedy struck again in 1887 and destroyed most of the remaining buildings.

By the early 1900’smost of the remaining buildings of the once thriving community were barely noticeable over the ever-encroaching sand dunes.

Today, these remains are found within the park and there are interpretative plaques at the town location.

Remains of the lime-kilns and quarry are still to be seen and the Cemetery on site dates from the 1850’s. Reamins of the Inverhuron Pier can also be seen at the mouth of the Little Sauble River.

Archaeological digs inside the park have also discovered that the site was used the natives for thousands of years.

Wildlife

With the same varied habitat as nearby MacGregor Point Provincial Park albeit on a lesser scale Inverhuron also falls along the main bird migration route.

Each spring during the Huron Fringe Birding Festival the park hosts a number of events and exhibits in celebration with MacGregor Point.

Eagles

For a number of years now the heat generated from the nuclear plant has warmed the waters of Lake Huron which subsequently attracts a large number of fish in the cold winter months.

This concentration of fish has now attracted a large number of Bald Eagles which can regularly be seen in the area especially in late February early March.

Other species to be found within the park include:

• White tailed deer
• Porcupine
• Raccoon
• Rabbits
• Fox

Canoeing and Kayaking

While the park is located on the shores of Lake Huron and there is a boat launch on site the waters are generally too open and thus not particularly suitable to the sport.

However, many paddlers do utilize the park as a home base as they head to the nearby Saugeen River Canoe Route located just 38 kilometres (23 miles) away.

Canoeing enthusiasts see this as one of the best canoe route in Southern Ontario. For more information visit my Saugeen Canoe Route page.

Boating

A public boat launch facility is available inside Inverhuron Provincial Park and coupled with the large campsites quite a few campers also bring their boats with them.

Popular activities include:

• waterskiing
• jet skiing
• windsurfing
• para sailing
• fishing

Please note that no docking facilities exist within the park.

Fishing

With the ability to launch small to larger sized boats directly onto Lake Huron make the park a popular destination amongst anglers looking to catch the big one.

Located directly in the middle between Kincardine and Port Elgin the park makes for a great place for participants in the two biggest fishing derbies on Lake Huron to utilize as a home base.

Even if not entered in a derby’s the waters off the park offer some of the best Lake Huron deepwater fishing available and anglers have a good chance to land:

• Salmon
• Lake Trout
• Pike
• Pickerel
• Bass
• Perch

Bruce Nuclear Power Station

Located along the Lake Huron coastline just north of the park lays the worlds largest collection of nuclear reactors. While not open to the public there is a Visitors Centre with exhibits with respect to the station and its Candu reactors. It is also possible to pre-arrange bus tours of the facility.

For more information visit: Bruce Power Visitor Centre

Huron Wind

Located directly across the street from the Bruce Power Visitor’s Centre is the site of the first commercial wind farm in Ontario.

With 5 turbines Huron Wind has now been eclipsed by the Endbridge Wind Farm located just a few kilometres (miles) south with 100 turbines.

Hiking

There is a small multi use trail that runs throughout the park and it does provide some stunning Lake views especially at sunset. Known as Scenic Drive Trail it is worth completing a few times if staying overnight in the park.

Cycling

The coastal multi use Scenic Drive Trail is available for the cyclist as are all park roads. The parks also falls along the Bruce County “Beaches South” cycling route which travels from Port Elgin to Kincardine.

By following this path cyclists can get to virtually anywhere in the province.

Winter Activities

The park is closed during the winter months.