I've been wanting to do a camping trip with my mom for ages now. And I've had my eye on Presqu'île and Clark-Denson Cottage in particular as a good location for it. The problem is, there's only one Clark-Denson Cottage and, if the availability grid is anything to go by, everyone wants to camp there. But, I still check periodically to see if anything's come available. And back in January I lucked out. Two nights of availability right at the end of May! So I grabbed it and figured I'd sort out the details later.
In the end, I ended up booking a second site -- one of their "explorer tents" -- and inviting my brother and his family as well. The kids took the tent and the adults took the cottage. It worked out quite well. (Aside from the fact that we all got COVID.)
The Park
We were only there for two nights and it rained for most of the day on our one full day there. So we didn't get to explore as much of the park as I would have liked. There are some nice trails and a boardwalk (which we didn't get a chance to do). There's a lighthouse right at the tip of the peninsula. You can't go inside, but it's still neat to look at. And there are a couple of bird-watching blinds out by the lighthouse as well. One noted to be a particularly good place for spotting warblers in season. (The plaque marked it as "the site of many 20-warbler days".) The other seemed to be geared toward ducks with a brief guide to the local waterfowl posted inside the shelter.The campgrounds are all on the near end of the peninsula, close to the gatehouse. So is the boardwalk. The day use area is in the middle. And the cottage and lighthouse are out at the very tip. The roads at the near end of the peninsula are all two way, but once you get past the campgrounds, you are on a one-way loop. Similar to the Pinery, they have one lane for cars + a dedicated bike lane.
Even though we didn't get to do much in the way of hiking in the park, we still got to enjoy lots of great vegetation. Driving along the main loop felt almost prehistoric. There were ferns everywhere! I think they were mostly ostrich ferns, but I saw at least two other species as well. And the may apples were also all in bloom. It was quite lovely.
The one drawback of all the lush vegetation and water is the bugs. The mosquitoes were pretty vicous and, as some of our party discovered, the ticks were also all too eager to hitch a ride. Even just walking from the tent site to the comfort station in shorts was a dangerous proposition! I definitely recommend wearing long pants at all times and doing a thorough tick check at the end of each day. A bug jacket is also handy to help deal with the mosquitoes. And DEET is useful for both. Although I wouldn't rely solely on the DEET but rather add it as an extra layer of protection in addition to your clothes.
Really though, the park was wonderful. And as long as you stay covered up and don't go tromping through the long grass or off the trails (which you shouldn't be doing anyway) the ticks are not a problem. The only time people ended up picking up ticks is when they went out in shorts or barefoot.
Oh, and it's also worth noting that, despite being on Lake Ontario very early in the season, the water was surprisingly warm. I didn't bother bringing my bathing suit because I figured it'd be too cold to swim anyway, but I was wrong! Everyone else was out swimming and having a grand old time!
There's no swimming allowed in the water directly outside the cottage. Apparently strong currents make it unsafe. But there are two day use beaches with excellent swimming opportunities. As noted, I didn't end up getting in the water. But everyone else did and they had a great time.
The Campground
There isn't really a campground associated with Clark-Denson Cottage. There are the campgrounds and then, three kilometers away, on the tip of the peninsula, there's the cottage. The explorer tents are all part of the regular campgrounds though. We had 128 in Maples.I didn't spend much time there, but the campground seemed to have all the usual amenities. There were dumpsters for garbage and recycling by the entrance. And there was a comfort station with flush toilets (and I believe showers) more toward the middle of the campground.
The sites all looked to be regular tent sites except for the one explorer tent. If I recall correctly there are some additional explorer tents set up in the other campgrounds.
The sites all looked to be well-treed and well-shaded. I can't really say much more than that as, like I said, most of my time was spent at the other end of the peninsula.
The Site
The cottage was even better than I'd hoped and very well appointed. The three bedrooms and the bathroom were all on the "back" side of the cottage, furthest from the water. The bedrooms and bathroom all open up into a narrow hallway connecting to the "side" door. On the other side of the hallway is the great room with the propane fireplace, sitting area, dining area, and kitchen. The kitchen is small, but has everything you'd expect a kitchen to have. There's a full-sized fridge with freezer, a four-burner stove with oven, a sink, a microwave, an electric kettle, and a coffee maker. No dishes or cookware are provided, but all the appliances are there.The "front" of the cottage contains a lovely sitting area plus a breakfast nook. It's full of windows that can be opened to better enjoy the sound of the waves on the shore. And the coffee table is furnishes with magazines full of information about the park and the local area.
Outside, there's a small deck with a propane barbecue. And to the side of the cottage, there's a firepit with a cooking grate.
The cottage itself is built almost impossibly close to the water. Closer, I think, than you'd be allowed to build today, but it was constructed in the 1930s and went by different rules. From the deck, there's only about 2-3m of pebble beach separating you from the water. It really is quite incredible.
The fireplace, while not designed to actually heat the cottage, does seem like it would give a lovely ambiance. Unfortunately we couldn't get it going while we were there. They did leave an instruction sheet on the bench beside the fire and my brother took a couple goes at getting it lit, but nothing seemed to work. I'm not sure if it was user error or if there was something wrong with it.
As with all roofed accommodations in provincial parks, they provide the beds (with mattresses), but do not provide any bedding/linnens. So plan on bringing sleeping bags or bed linnens from home. Likewise, there are no towels or hand towels in the bathroom. And no dishcloths in the kitchen. (Although there was a sponge.) They do provide soap in both the bathroom and the kitchen. Just bring your own linnens!
The bathroom appeared to have been retrofitted to make it more accessible. There was a barrier-free, walk-in shower with grab bars. None of us felt the need to use it during our short stay, but it was nice to know it was there.
In addition to all the other amenities, the cottage also has hot and cold running water and wifi. (I figured the kitchen sink and bathroom were a give-away that there was at least indoor plumbing available, but hot water isn't necessarily a given, so I felt it was worth mentioning.) I have to admit, I don't generally expect to have access to the internet when camping. Even in roofed accommodations. Maybe at the visitor centre, but not elsewhere in the park. So the wifi was a pleasant surprise. The password is posted on a board in the kitchen.
The cottage is relatively expensive and difficult to book but, having stayed there now, I can understand why it's so popular! It's comfortable, beautiful, private, and very well-appointed. The three bedrooms (with a double, two twins, and a queen bed respectively) mean that it can sleep qute a few people depending on who's willing to share a room and/or bed. And between the kitchen, barbecue, and firepit, you have a lot of options for how you want to cook your meals. And you really can't beat the location! It's just amazing. Definitely somewhere I'd like to revisit if I get the chance. The cottage would be lovely if I could get it, but I think it'd also be a lot of fun to stay in one of the explorer tents too.
