The Park

This is what they mean when they say Presque Isle has the only "surf beaches" in Pennsylvania.

Presque Isle state park is a day use only park. It features hiking and biking trails and multiple access points to the only surf beaches in Pennsylvania. The park is as popular with birdwatchers as it is for swimmers. The Canadian peninsula of Long Point is due north of Presque Isle, making this relatively narrow stretch of Lake Erie a popular crossing point for migratory birds of all descriptions. Here is a map of the park.

The Isle is a long, curved peninsula that widens out on the eastern end into a wetland traversed by a series of shallow ponds and canals. Gasoline motors are prohibited on the interior waters but they may be freely explored by paddle-powered craft. If you didn't bring along a dingy, canoes and other small boats can be rented at the concession in the Graveyard Pond area near the monument.

The Lady Kate, a 65-foot tour boat, launches from the Perry Monument at Crystal Point for a 90-minute narrated tour of the harbor and outer beaches several times a day.

A charming feature of the park are the little yellow surreys you will see cruising along the 13-mile bike path. These pedal-powered versions of the golf carts so ubiquitous to Lake Erie's Western islands can be rented, along with other forms of yellow, human-powered transport at a concession across from the Waterworks dock. The park is large but is broken up into several smaller regions, each with their own parking and picnic facilities. The park can be quite crowded during the summer weekends and holidays.

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