“Erie’s largest outdoor playground, Presque Isle State Park is a National Natural Landmark nestled between the shores of Lake Erie and beautiful Presque Isle Bay. Presque Isle State Park is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2021! Welcoming over 4 million visitors each year, enjoy seven miles of sandy surf beaches to stretch out on, fly a kite, build a sandcastle or just soak in some rays. Open year-round and free to the public, Presque Isle offers swimming, surfing, hiking, biking, rollerblading, boating, kayaking, surreys, ice-kiting, cross country skiing, canoeing, birding, fishing and world-class sunsets. Recreation equipment rentals are available inside the Park.
“Presque Isle State Park is part of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, an America’s Byway™, a 518-mile scenic driving route that follows the shores of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River in New York and Pennsylvania.” Source: VisitErie.com
Birding at Presque Isle:
“A National Natural Landmark, Presque Isle is a favorite spot for migrating birds. Because of the many unique habitats, Presque Isle contains a greater number of the state’s endangered, threatened, and rare species than any other area of comparable size in Pennsylvania.” Source: DCNR
The Tom Ridge Environmental Center:
“Begin your Presque Isle adventure by stopping in The Tom Ridge Environmental Center and Erie Visitor Center. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center is the gateway to Presque Isle State Park and the gateway to discovery. Our 65,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, green-designed facility encourages visitors to discover Presque Isle State Park and the many different forms of life that inhabit the Peninsula.” Source: VisitErie
Presque Isle State Park Season/Hours:
Daily: 5:00 a.m. to Sunset*
*Day use areas close at dusk; only tenants or those with visitor passes and engaged in evening driving are permitted in the park after dusk.
Images: Presque Isle Sunset – 6 and Presque Isle Sunset – 5 by Christopher Lane Photography under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / Lake Erie, Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania by Ken Lund under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Entrance to Presque Isle State Park by J. Stephen Conn under CC BY-NC 2.0
