Flooding in Prince Edward County forces provincial park to turn away visitors

Visitors are being turned away from Sandbanks Provincial Park after the rising waters of Lake Ontario flooded one third of the park’s beaches this week.

The area, which is 220 kilometres east of Toronto in Prince Edward County, is known as a vacationing hotspot for Ontarians. It can usually accommodate around 2,200 vehicles, but nearly 200 parking spots were underwater.

But now, several trails have been closed due to flooding along with some of the beaches.

“It’s not unusual for us to have to close the site during the summer, especially during the holidays. But certainly the high water levels don’t help,” park superintendent Robin Reilly said.

Park employees have been forced to restrict the number of visitors to the area and were warning scores of tourists to stay away each day.

The flooding in Prince Edward County comes after officials in Toronto announced in June that the lake had hit 76.03 metres above sea level — the highest point in recorded history.

This spring and summer have been especially bad for flooding along the northern shores of Lake Ontario, with high water levels on the Toronto Islands as well as some Toronto-area beaches. The rising waters also had people in the community of Bowmanville east of Toronto stacking sandbags around their homes in May.

Several visitors to Sandbanks were visibly frustrated after park officials erected barriers at the various entrances.

Huso Soyoum, who was visiting from Montreal, said he was told that there were too many people and the entrances would open again later in the afternoon.

“The children are hungry and if we move I will lose our place. I find it ridiculous, but we have no choice,” Soyoum said.

Ontario Park’s website was encouraging visitors to skip Sandbanks Park and explore the Prince Edward region’s other offerings, like its famous cycle routes and vineyard, while the beaches were flooded.