Port Elgin, ON
We drove from KW to Port Elgin for the weekend. Our first stop en route was Point Farms Provincial Park. The Old Farms Trail took us through old farmyards and orchards – picture apples littering the ground and rabbits hopping across the paths up ahead. We also cut out onto the Ravine Trail for a more rugged trail. At one part, the path forks into two trails, the Hare and the Tortoise. Depending on your energy levels, you can choose your preferred option - they meet up again and the singular trail continues. For a nice cooldown at the end of our walk, we checked out the dog beach and Rita had a swim in Lake Huron under the sunset.
Our accommodation for the weekend was situated in Southampton. Driftwood Haus is an all-season motel-style collection of cabins centred around a common courtyard with firepits. I even made use of the hot tub and sauna. Cabin 2 was most comfortable and had everything we needed. I liked the full fridge and ability to cook. Their website requests guests to “Relax, enjoy yourself and please bring your dog.”, so that’s exactly what we did.
There are few activities more wholesome than apple-picking in the fall. Smith’s Apple and Farm Market had just opened for the season and was bustling. Aaron at the Apple Headquarters shared his knowledge of the different types of apples available, and the “eye to the sky and twist” technique of picking. We filled a 10lb bag for $20 (to last us a while!), with a mix of Gala, Gingergold and McIntosh. I browsed the store afterwards, which held many apple products, from fresh baked goods to candles. There’s also a (non-dog-friendly) corn maze and activities for kids.
MacGregor Point Provincial Park is the hotspot for recreation in Port Elgin. We parked at the south end of the park, visited the dog beach, and took the Old Shore Road rail to the other end, where there was another dog beach! It was a hot day so this suited Rita well. The trail meanders through a mixture of woodland, dunes and rocky beaches. The Huron Fringe shop along the way sells local artisan goods. There are several campgrounds in this park and playgrounds for kids. We walked a total of 10km and there were options for even more if we’d wanted.
The next day, we set off along the Saugeen Rail Trail, connecting Port Elgin and Southampton. This trail network comprises of 30km of trails, but we only completed a section. It’s a peaceful, flat, gravel trail and Rita had an enjoyable time wandering about off-leash. Afterwards, we visited the Abby Bolton Memorial Off Leash Dog Park. Formerly Saugeen Shores Dog Park, it was renamed in 2022 after Bolton, who had the original idea to turn the former landfill into an off-leash dog park and brought a plan for the site to Council. This is a large park with many waste bins, benches and a paddling pool!
As it was a hot day, we then made our way to North Shore Park Beach to enjoy the waterfront trail and dog-friendly beach area. Nearby is Wismer House, with a pup-friendly patio.
Photo credit: The Wismer House
We spent our final night enjoying Driftwood Haus. The property backs onto the beach and boardwalk, perfect for viewing the sunset over Lake Huron. In fact, crowds came out on this Sunday night to enjoy the evening show. We also enjoyed locating several lighthouses along the lake shores and islands; Chantry Island, McNab Point and Southampton River Range Beacon Stations.
Our last stop on our way home to KW was Inverhuron Provincial Park. This park is situated right next to Bruce Power Nuclear Power Plant, at one point the largest operating plant in the world. Interestingly, the park is owned by Ontario Power Generation and leased to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Overnight activities at the park were paused from 1975 to 2000 due to safety concerns surrounding heavy water production at the plant. Remnants of the saw mill and ancient artifacts from former townlands in the area have been found throughout the park.
We parked at the boat launch, at the Chain Trailhead, and walked this along the shoreline, past the rustic cabins available for booking, circling back through woodland towards the park office. To get back to our car, we took the Tulip Trail, lined with tulip trees, and then walked along the park roadways. This came to around 5.5km. There’s also a dog beach at the park.
