Presque Isle State Park
State Park — National Natural Landmark · Erie, Pennsylvania
A curved sand spit reaching seven miles into Lake Erie from the city of Erie, and the busiest state park in Pennsylvania by a wide margin. It carries the only surf beaches in the state, a chain of lagoons and marshes behind them, a working lighthouse, and a thirteen-mile loop road with a paved multi-use trail beside it. The peninsula is also one of the most productive migratory bird sites on the Great Lakes, which is a completely separate reason to come and one most of its visitors know nothing about.
301 Peninsula Drive, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16505, United States
Open daily, generally 5 AM to sunset, free. Beaches are guarded only in summer, roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day, and swimming outside guarded hours is prohibited rather than merely unwise. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center at the park entrance is free and keeps daytime hours year round. Gull Point is closed to entry during the shorebird nesting season.
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