Visiting Sibbald Point Provincial Park: How to Experience the Best of Lake Simcoe Beaches

Lake Simcoe beaches can be challenging to choose from when you’re planning a visit, but Sibbald Point Provincial Park offers a wonderful way to enjoy the shores of this lake just north of Toronto. Whether you plan to swim, fish, get out on the water or camp, Sibbald Point is one of the best ways to enjoy Lake Simcoe Beaches.

Sibbald Point Provincial Park offers the gateway to enjoying some of the best Lake Simcoe beaches. Here in Canada, we are lucky to have access to some incredible outdoor adventures like amazing cycling routes, beautiful world wonders and world’s fresh water, so finding the time to enjoy the waters of Lake Simcoe is an essential summer activity.

Sibbald Point is a popular provincial park to visit no matter the time of year. You can take beautiful fall walks when the autumn leaves are showing off, or refreshing walks in the spring. During the summer months of July and August, it is an especially popular time to visit, so this article is designed to guide you to get the most out of your time while visiting the park.

What Sibbald Point Provincial Park is Known For

Sibbald Point Provincial Park is known primarily for having some of the best Lake Simcoe beaches. The sandy beach is perfectly light and soft on your toes, and the beach is expansive.

These Lake Simcoe beaches at Sibbald Point are also some of the best beaches for young families. The water is clear and shallow at the beach here. There are deeper waters if you go further out, but its sand bar location means that for young swimmers or uneasy swimmers, it’s easy to wade in and feel secure. For parents of young children, it’s a great place to introduce your child to lake swimming, and help them feel comfortable in the water.

It’s important to remember that even if the waters are shallow, water safety is still a priority. Kids can’t be unsupervised, and young swimmers need to have an adult in the water with them at all times.

In addition to its Lake Simcoe beaches, Sibbald Point offers over 600 campsites with various amenities all over the park. They can accommodate car camping, trailer camping or tented camping, and they even have some group campsites which can accommodate up to 50 people.

The campsites have access to different paths, all leading down to the water and beaches. It’s a great provincial park to camp at for families, since it’s so contained. If you’re travelling with a family and plan to camp a little farther from the water, it’s a good idea to bring a few bikes to get around the park and down to the beach. Many families bring their bikes when they’re at the campsite, since the land is very flat and easy to bike around for younger kids.

How to Get to the Lake Simcoe Beaches at Sibbald Point Provincial Park

Sibbald Point is an excellent beach park to get to from the Greater Toronto Area. Without traffic, it takes about an hour to drive from Toronto proper, and even less time if you’re coming from north of the city.

As is the case with many provincial parks, the only way to get to Sibbald Point Provincial Park is to go by car. From the GTA, take Highway 404 north all the way to its end near Keswick, and continue driving along Ravenshoe Road to Highway 48. After turning left on 48, the park is a short drive from the highway, and there are signs to lead you there. All things considered, it’s an easy and direct drive.

It’s recommended to reserve your vehicle permit in advance of visiting the park. Once you’ve checked in, you’ll follow the main road all the way through the park, to a sign for “Beach” with an arrow to the right. This brings you to the parking lot by the beach, getting you that much closer to enjoying Lake Simcoe beaches at the park.

Things to Do at Sibbald Point Provincial Park in the Summer

Sibbald Point Provincial Park is the perfect place to visit on a provincial park trip because it’s compact, and offers a lot to see and do.

Relax and Swim at The park’s Lake SImcoe Beaches

Sibbald Point Provincial Park Beach is an excellent place to go by yourself or with a larger group. A reason these are some of the favourite beaches here at Sibbald Point is they offer dog-friendly options. Having your furry friends along for the ride isn’t something you can do at every provincial park, so this is a big bonus for pet-friendly travel.

Whether you’re coming to the park for a day or overnight trip, there’s a large parking lot close to the beach. It’s tucked away enough that it isn’t a distraction, but it’s a nice feature for group gatherings or those travelling with families. If you have carload of beach umbrellas, chairs, food, etc, then the proximity of the parking lot to the beach is a big bonus.

The Lake Simcoe beaches at Sibbald Point also have a lot of picnic tables for gathering and eating at as a group. There is no shortage of places to enjoy lunch or sit and do an activity at a table. All of the tables have an unobstructed view of the water, too. This means that if you have older kids or family members you want to keep an eye on from a distance, there are many ways to do that here.

Get Out on the Water

Sibbald Point Provincial Park is a great park to come to if you’d like to enjoy the waters of Lake Simcoe.

Due to its shallow surroundings, it’s an excellent place to try your hand at new water sports or outdoor activities. You can bring a stand up paddleboard, kayak, or canoe to launch from its sandy beaches. If you’re unsure about paddleboarding for the first time, then its shallow waters will help to catch your fall if you aren’t as comfortable in deeper waters.

If you have a motorized boat that you’d like to bring to the park, there’s a designated boat launch area for you to use. This is an excellent way to explore more of Lake Simcoe and get out onto the open water.

Take a Short Walk or Nature Hike

There are two short walking paths to explore on a visit to Sibbald Point Provincial Park.

The Maidenhair Fern Trail is a 2km loop, and can be completed in about an hour or an hour and a half. This trail walk passes through many types of ecosystems at Sibbald Point, like forest and marsh. There are several birds in the area to keep an eye out for on the walk.

The Cultural History of Sibbald Point Provincial Park walk is a shorter 1km walk which takes about an hour. It begins at the Eildon Hall Park Museum, and walks down to St. George’s Anglican Church with large trees and expansive grassy fields.

Visit the Park’s Historical Museum

The Sibbald Point Provincial Park and many places in the area are named after Susan Mein Sibbald and her family. Susan Mein Sibbald was the daughter of Dr. Thomas Mein. She grew up in England and spent summers in Scotland at Eildon Hall. She married Colonel William Sibbald, and their family later made Sibbald Point their North American home for generations.

The Sibbald family was the last family to own the land before it became a provincial park. They were a wealthy family, who had an estate where the park is located today. When you visit Eildon Hall Museum, a collection of some of the Sibbald family artifacts is displayed. The collection includes paintings, books, china, and silver, each with a unique story connected to the family.

The Eildon Hall Museum at Sibbald Point Provincial Park.

Go Fishing

You can cast your fishing rod from any of the banks at Sibbald Point Provincial Park that don’t impact the swimming area. Lake Trout, bass, whitefish, pike, yellow pickerel and jumbo perch are common fishes to be caught in Lake Simcoe.

Preserving the Lake Simcoe Beach at Sibbald Point

Like with any visit to a natural area, it’s important to leave it better than when you found it. After a day spent at the park beach at Sibbald Point, do your part to pick up any trash or remnants aside from what you brought.

If we all work together, we can ensure that these Ontario Parks are kept in a beautiful condition for generations to come.