SandBanks Provincial Park

By Bri Vos

July 6^th, 2015

Prince Edward County

An island in Lake Ontario, Prince Edward County is a a paradise of wineries, world-class food, rich farmland, historic villages, artist communities and the world’s largest freshwater sandbank and dune system. One the west side of Prince Edward County lies Sandbanks Provincial Park. On one side of the park the beach stretches across the glassy waters of West Lake. On the other, the roar of the waves of Lake Ontario ricochet off the surrounding dunes as they beat back the sand.

Fighting Back the Sand

The land surrounding the Sandbanks is some of the richest agricultural soil in Canada and in the mid-1800’s farmers on the island cleared the 200+ yr old trees from area and allowed their livestock to graze the dunes in an effort to maximize farmland. With the removal of the natural vegetation on the dunes by cattle and the surrounding trees gone, the sands began to shift across the landscape. In the 1880’s the road into what is now the park had to be moved three times as the sand continued to move and bury it beneath the dunes.