Sandbanks Provincial Park - Ontario (enlarge)

Sandbanks Provincial Park is a provincial park located on Lake Ontario in

Prince Edward County near Picton, Ontario, Canada. It is noted for its

picturesque sand dunes and beaches. It also has the world's largest fresh

water sand bar and dune system.

To many Jim, this will just seem like an upward slope of sand, but if one searches the Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County, they will find that it is quite a place. When I was 5, we lived in Belleville, Ontario which is very close to Picton. Our Sunday drives most often had my Father taking us to the Sandbanks. My 2 brothers and I would get pieces of cardboard to sit on (the sand was too hot!!) and slide down the dunes like 'snow hills'. To this day I still think it was one of the most fun spots we ever visited. We camped there as well. But today, you have to book more than a year in advance to get a Camping Spot. In the middle of the last century some settlers cut down many trees whose roots helped keep the sand dunes stabilized - but with disasterous results. The dunes began to move inland. An entire settlement (a road, Hotel, Brick Factory, and some houses) were buried by the shifting sand. Settlers and various experts tried for over a hundred years to stop the sand invasion but to no avail. As strong westerly winds blew, valuable farmland was lost to the dunes. The provincial government finally did a major reforestation effort and where trees were planted the sand is now stable, but there are still areas that are unstable when bad storms occur. There were many years where the public was not allowed to enter the Sand Dunes as it was too dangerous. The history of the Dunes goes all the way back to the glaciers that once covered most of Canada; the receding glaciers leaving behind what is now known as the Sandbanks. There is another beach near by at the Outlet Provincial Park. There too, the sand is like silk and almost white like in the Tropics. My Dad's older sister, her daughter, and many of my cousins live in Picton and Cherry Valley. My husband's Mother's family grew up there as well. We usually go for a visit every summer. I worked as a Waitress at a Salvation Army Camp during the summers when I was a young teenager in nearby Ameliasburgh. The sandbanks was one of our favorite places to visit when we had some time off. If you search this place on the Internet, you will find that Jim Downs visited a place rich in History and a popular destination for Campers, Fishermen, Birders, and those who love Water Sports. There is an excellent article in the Canadian Geographic about this place, and an great U Tube Video taken from the air that enlightened even me. Thanks so much Jim for posting this photo. Favorite childhood memories came flooding back! (sorry for going on so....couldn't help it) Your photo truly shows how silky and fine the sand really is!

Thank you Gail for bring this place to life in ways that the photo didn't!

No problem Jim. It is such an amazing part of Ontario, and one as you have read that was a very big part of my childhood - memories that are among my fondest today. Some people might look at this and just think, big deal, just a hill of sand - nope! there is so much more to know about even the 'texture' of this beautiful sand.