Gorgeous park not far from downtown Erie features sandy beaches, great trails, and bike and boat rentals. Check out the Presque Island Lighthouse and Museum, too! read more

Presque Isle State Park - View of the beach and Lake Erie from the top of the Presque Island Lighthouse - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

This is a lovely venue year round. There's Lake Erie, beaches, boat rides, bike trails, lighthouses, bird watching, kite flying, and sooo many photo opportunities. This December, I drove the loop stopping at multiple lookout points and beaches with my big boy camera and phone camera and was not disappointed. read more

See all

Presque Isle continues to be my most favorite place to stop on the way to my parents house in NY. It is so dog friendly, yet very clean and well maintained. My dogs absolutely love the dog friendly beaches and dipping their toes in the water. Please make sure to check their website for what areas are dog friendly as it is not the entire park. There is so much to see and do here for outdoor enthusiasts and so much land to enjoy without ever feeling crowded. Now I have never been here on the weekend, but I have been on Summer evenings when I would expect a decent amount of people. Entrance to the park is free which is also amazing. There is ample parking, restrooms, picnic tables, walking trails, and so much more. read more

See all

Beautiful park! There is so much to do at this park. We spent the weekend and want to come back for more! We didn't do much planning ahead when coming to the park. We made a stop at the nature center visit and their our rangers and volunteers on duty that gave us great advice. We also took the time to drive the loop around the park and made a few stops along the way. A map is a must. Some highlights from the trip: Beach Zero - Exploring the beach for rocks and beach glass Beach Eight - great for swimming. Lots of parking and a handicap mat to roll out to the beach Multi purpose trail - great for bike riding Lagoons area boat tour - led by volunteers and free pontoon boat tour. Must get there an hour early to snag a spot since they fill up fast Surrey rentals - bikes to fit our family of 5 The park offers other boat tours, kayak and boat rentals, many beaches, lighthouse tours. It is great because you can make it what you want. Very scenic and peaceful. read more

See all

A treasure that is my sanctuary People come from thousands of miles away to visit this pristine park Crazy a lot of locals don't take advantage of beautiful beaches and trails read more

I spent the afternoon exploring the park, including stops at the lighthouses, the Perry Monument, a picnic area from which I was able to work and plug in my laptop, and just enjoy being on an island surrounded by water. A great spot for bike riding, I did pull out the electric bike and use it to get around a bit which was nice. It's a huge park and there are a lot of activities and things you can rent/see/do. Enjoy! [Review 1384 of 2024 - 661 in Pennsylvania - 22407 overall] read more

See all

For us folks lucky to have this just 2 hours north up 79, spending at least 1 weekend here a summer has been a must for the last decade. Whether your a rollerblader, bicyclist, or runner, you could not ask for a better laid out or more beautiful path. Plenty of areas to drop a line in or launch a boat or jet skis. The only thing more countless than the hours I've spent lounging in the sand is the number of wonderful memories I have from here read more

Beach 8: FREE! It's honestly a lot like the ocean! The life guards are pretty strict and the area they let you swim in isn't very long or wide so its kind of crowded. There was seaweed and bird feathers floating around every now and then because there were storms the day before. Very nice mild waves and your toes are in the sand the whole time. Sand beaches, big parking lots(FREE) , picnic tables, restrooms/changing rooms, and only 1 foot/body shower outside for the sand so the line is long They really need to clean the restrooms/ changing rooms better and more often! They are full of sand and soaking wet everywhere with overflowing trash cans. The sink was literally half full of sand. read more

See all

Beautiful beaches. Great for good excerise such as walking, running, biking, kayaking and swimming in the summer. There is a lot of event going on in the summer as well as selections of food trucks. Bikes and kayaks are available for rent in the park. This park is one of the best spot to watch the sunset and the fireworks Presque Isle is free and there are restroom available. (Restrooms are closed in the winter though) read more

See all

For free???!! - me the entire time. I wish I had planned an extra day or two to soak in all its glory. Expansive nooks of nature preserves and gorgeous sandy lake erie beaches to explore. Definitely stop in the visitor center- it's like a museum (again, for free!) Tour the lake erie lighthouse, and hop on a boat cruise -- both for a very low cost! read more

See all

I drove up from Columbus for a Lake Erie beach vacation and it did not disappoint! I wanted to bring my dog, so was looking for pet friendly beaches. We hit the stretch of unguarded beach north-ish of Beach 8 for easy parking, pets allowed, and access to the changing rooms/restrooms with water bottle refill. We were able to snag a spot on top of a small dune under a tree and hung out until the shade went away. Folks were doing a great job keeping their pets on lead and we felt safe from roaming "HE"S FRIENDLY" attacks. I also enjoyed Sunset beach (large unguarded/pet allowable stretch) and the walking trail on the bay side of the peninsula. The roads/trails are well marked. We also visited the Perry monument and enjoyed that stretch of the isle. I'd certainly recommend for a weekend adventure! read more

Presque Isle State Park - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

See all

We decided to take a day trip to the beach. We researched the beaches beforehand and the state park website offers great descriptions for beaches. When we arrived, I wondered if there was a beach that was for adults only? I searched but couldn't find any. We decided to go to beach 10 and there were a lot of children. I guess it's the most popular beach for all, but it was not for us. Nothing against children, we took a day trip and just wanted some "adult" time. We left and scoped out other beaches in hopes to find a more adult crowd. Beach 11 was great and spacious, and we liked #6 too. It was fun to check out the north pier (beach 11). None of the concession stands were open at any of beaches we visited. We were surprised since its August. Presque is so awesome to explore, and we look forward to returning again. read more

Absolutely beautiful scenic sights. Always enjoy my time here. Plenty of beaches to visit and locations to see.

Was in Erie for a class for work and it was suggested that if we do nothing else we take a drive around the peninsula. So glad we did it was a well maintained and beautiful drive. The sunsets were amazing. If you're in Erie, it's real a must see park. read more

See all

I came to the park to run the Erie marathon in September. I stayed about a mile or so away from the park, and the day before came down to drive through the area, and parked so I could do a shake out run along the lake. Very nice path! On marathon day we were instructed to park at the water park, and walk down the hill. The race headquarters was at Beach 1, and the run started and the entire path was paved and smooth. It was two loops of the park, and I couldn't believe how great the entire route was. It was also perfect weather for a race too. read more

What a beautiful please so close to Pittsburgh. 2 1/2 hour trip. It was a wonderful sunny afternoon. We didn't get to swim but the walk on the beach was great highly recommend for a day trip - a picnic afternoon by the water. I will definitely be planning a trip for my family this coming summer or spring. It was clean and beautiful!!! read more

See all

(To show how much Yelping means to me, our visit here was in May of '20 and I'm just getting around to thinking about this now.  Obviously I forgot way more than I remember.) What a crazy world we lived in back in May 2020. Lockdowns everywhere and no one seemed to know what was acceptable or allowable or open. Strange Times. For some reason we decided to head to Erie over Memorial Day weekend. Normally I would never dream of travelling during that time as it's obviously way too busy but throw a pandemic into the equation and things were very, very different. Barely busy with only small groupings of people here and there. If you take a look at the below map the one thing that can't be stressed enough about Presque Isle is that the place is massive. It's over 3200 acres and the perimeter driving loop is about 13 miles. Perfect to socially distance and find your own space. elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1741414&DocName=PRES_ParkGuide.pdf Will we ever come back? Probably not. Even though we're only on the other side of the state, it's a bit far and once was honestly good enough. read more

What a great state park! This place has tons of parking as well as bathrooms. There are multiple beaches so you have variety and can look for somewhere with less crowds if you're into swimming/sunbathing. We brought our bikes to do the whole island route and we also stopped at various spots to hike the trails and see the beaches. Everything was clean and lovely! Plenty of wildlife to view. I'm a bad bike rider lol and this path was excellent for me - nice & smooth with good space to pass people. We'll be back to put our kayaks in and maybe bike again during our stay in Erie read more

I mean this place is so beautiful and a great bike ride. They even have festivals and live music. The festivals do tend to get crowded though. Oh and you can swim too! read more

What a gem! So naturally beautiful. Such a variety of activities options. We traveled from Ohio to bike and beach. The bike trail is amazing. The beaches are as good as one can expect for a Great Lake. read more

See all

We enjoyed our time in the park. It is beautiful and so much to see. Multiple guarded beaches are available for swimming.

Beautiful beaches!!! We went to beach #10 &then #9 the next day... super clean sand, clear waters, definitely a must if visiting Erie Pa. !!! read more

Presque Isle State Park - Beach - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Years ago, my grandparents brought me to Presque Isle and I remember walking on the beaches and enjoying myself. Fast forward to the end of 2020. Yes, it is winter, but it is equally as beautiful, but in a different way. There are various spots along the way to veer off through a different path, and explore via vehicle, and various places where you can enjoy the views of Lake Erie. At one point, we pulled over at the side of the road and watched a huge heron, or crane fly a little, settle down, and then fly away. It was majestic and beautiful. There are many parking lots too to pull over and look at the water. Wear boots, and bring an SUV because these parking lots weren't plowed and you might get your car, or self stuck. My friend, who I was with, forgot to put on his boots and had sneakers on, so unfortunately we couldn't walk on the beach. It was nice watching the waves though from inside my car. There were bike rentals available. There are also house boats in one area of Presque Isle, which was really cool to see. read more

See all

Beautiful and free park of beaches along the Lake Erie shoreline of Erie, Pennsylvania. We visited a few of the beaches and only one was open for swimming due to the time of year. Though it was September, the water was still a very nice 76°. The beaches are clean and in places filled with beautiful stones. There are many miles of walking and bike paths, beaches for kite flying and water for sailing and boating. A gem of a park. read more

Presque Isle State Park - Beach one - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Just over two hours drive from Pittsburgh is a little slice of paradise! Presquile offers miles of sandy beaches and trails. Fun things to do on Presquile: Visit the beach!- There is 11 beaches with bathhouses, perfect for family fun. Visit the 3 light houses- One is located at the north pier and not open to visitors but you can still walk up to it. The second is near beach 8 I believe, it is open on certain days to climb for 8$ a person. the third is located off the island near the bay and is a land lighthouse. Pontoon boat tours- Every Saturday morning on Presquile, just past beach 10, is a little shop that does free tours. BUT they are only for the first 10 people to get there! Rent a bike- Tour the island by tandem bike or a pedal cart that fits four! Visit the turtle observation deck- Watch the turtles crawl and play in the hot sun! Play on the nature playground- baby swings, tunnels, stick forts, log steps and so much more. Fun things to do nearby: Tom Ridge environmental center- This is an amazing free educational and hands on museum that teaches all about the Erie area. A great place for kids! Erie Expierence Museum- A wonderful 3 floor science center for the kids to burn off energy. They have a play grocery store and a train that goes around the ceiling. Frontier park- This park is newly renovated and includes 3 huge 1000ft slides as well as a swing for an infant and adult to swing together. Waldameer water world- A water park and amusement park combined into one! Erie art museum- A beautiful collection of fine art and artifacts. Erie maritime meusum- Learn about the sunken ships in Erie lake and see some on display. Where to eat: Avantis- Scrumptious home-cooked breakfast until 2 at a great prices! Crazy oven- Deep dish pizza. Saras- This little hotdogs shop has alot to see. A dinosaur on the roof, larger than life Alvin and the chipmunks statues, a jukebox free little library... and so much more! They even have a drive-thru. Shoreline bar & grille- The patio is perfect for a family dinner while watching the sunset. Romolos Chocolates - AMAZING coffee, ice cream and cannolis icing on the Lake- best cupcakes around ye Ole sweet shoppe - scoop cookies! Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriot Bayfront- Located on the bay and has an infinity pool overlooking the lake. Spencer house bed and breakfast- located up the hill from the bayfront area, an historic house woth amazing homemade breakfast. The captains room is the best! read more

I love Presque Isle! If you live in Pittsburgh, it's only two hours away and it's definitely worth the drive. We also like to either go fishing or find a secluded beach and just hang out. It's a very clean park and it is huge! There are options to rent bikes as well. All of the pictures speak for themselves; Presque Isle is definitely worth a visit! read more

Presque Isle State Park - Beach - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

See all

Quite possibly the last of the warm weekends before winter, so took a day trip to Presque Isle. Beach 1 never disappoints in terms of beautiful rocks. Also visited Perry's Monument and the lighthouse. Well worth the two hour drive. read more

Presque Isle State Park - If you're into painting rocks or collecting beach glass, beach 1 is perfect - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

See all

It's a little bit of a ride from Buffalo ( about 1 1/2 hrs ) but so worth it.. This State Park is huge! There are around 12 or 13 separate beaches, some have life guards, some not. I took a tour guide boat around Presque Isle and the history is amazing! The cost is minimal.. $18. For 90 minutes of great info surrounding the war of 1812, Misery Bay, the lighthouses, the twenty four 125+ year old houseboats that still stand and are still occupied as of now. There are also boat rentals, pontoon rentals, kayak and water bike rentals. Also plenty of walking trails.. but back to the beaches..OMG, white sand and lots of fun... Now, one star was held back from this review because I stopped at Sara's hot dog restaurant ( which there were tons of people ) for a hot dog only to find out it was $9.59 FOR ONE HOTDOG. I don't care if the hotdog was made of gold, I am not spending that much $ for one . I was so shocked at the price I didn't even look at the price of shakes & fries.... Pooey on that.. eat before or after you leave the park. But all in all, I had a great time and it was just absolutely beautiful! read more

See all

Gonna be honest with y'all, but I have lived in Pennsylvania my whole life and never explored the shores of Lake Erie. Mostly because of the stigma Lake Erie holds and mostly because when you think of beach you don't think of a lake. The pandemic has kind of made me view things a bit differently and I am kind of glad it has. Presque Isle State Park is located within the Erie area and is basically Pennsylvania's only beach front area. Presque Isle is a state park within the commonwealth which means it falls under all the same rules that cover state parks. If you don't know when they open, that means sunrise to dusk (sunset). Another thing to note is that PI is a peninsula, one way in, one way out. It offers numerous beaches that allows you to sunbath, splash around in the water, and take a sandy walk if you like. All the beaches are connected, so that means you could literally walk this whole area on the beaches. Like most state parks there are areas to relieve yourself which double as changing areas and places to shower if you please. Quite the beautiful experience and it was a nice getaway within the state. It is a definite destination place to visit, and if hard pressed, can fill in for a beach vacation in a pinch. read more

Very unique park, it's like an island but you can drive to. It has beach everywhere, and i went to the kite beach, very interesting. We also drove around the whole park, thought this park is obviously the local favorite but it doesn't seem to be crowded at all. There is also rental house on the water. Looks very interesting! read more

See all

This state park is more or less a hidden gem when it comes to all that you could want to find on a random adventure as there is multiple beaches here as well as a really pretty scenic loop drive that is just perfect to escape for a little while! So my friend and I kinda stumbled upon this park as we were out and about enjoying all that is Pennsylvania and both of us just wanted to see the beach and what were we to find this beautiful park that's complete with many trails along the shoreline. There was also a huge monument known as The Perry Monument it was standing tall for all to see and definitely one of the coolest things we found on this random adventure into this awesome state park! There are several beaches here I'm guessing they are pretty popular during the summer season as who doesn't love a nice dip in the lake to cool off from that forever summer heat! Overall this was a great adventure with some beautiful sights this park really is a super cool spot that I hope to visit again at some point! read more

See all

So we were having a hard time finding a spot to go to with our dogs for the July 4th weekend. He grew up in PA but never knew about this spot and neither did I. He came home after doing some research because I NEEDED to be at the beach. I had been land locked long enough! Well needless to say we had the BEST time. Erie is so cute and so different from where we live currently. The park was so peaceful in the morning and if you were at the right beaches would be that way all day. We avoided going to the human filled beaches except for one time which wasn't all that bad. We mainly posted up at the dog friendly beaches so our girls could play. We agreed that we will come back every year, it's so worth it. I can't explain what it is but Presque Isle is amazing. Everyday was just different. read more

See all

This is my favorite beach because you can enjoy the lake and sand with family and not too crowded at some of the beaches. I really like how the restrooms are fairly close to each of the beaches. This is just overall a very nice park and very fun for the family. read more

Presque Isle State Park - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

We live hours out of the area but the trip is always worth it when the end result is Presque Isle SP! Due to a recent incident, I want to warn you of the bicyclists. While most ride slowly, there are a growing amount of bicyclists who are racers, and roar even through a crowd of people without stopping, and creating some VERY scary and dangerous situations! We were in a small crowd of abt 10 ppl when all of a sudden a rider roared through, and within seconds another sped through, slowing only for a second because the JERK almost hit two women in our stationary group! No warning was given, and they sped on without so much as a "sorry" or warning! I hope many will report to the local grounds keepers their stories of dangerous near-misses or worst, in order to record such incidents so the SP will be able to do something. Otherwise, a great place to ride/walk and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities! The sunsets are often gorgeous!! Wear a hat in summer and watch out for the tiny mosquitos which are worst at night than during the day! read more

See all

This state park had zero charges for us! We stopped at beach 1. No charge for entry or parking. Bathroom was open and clean (for a park). We walked a bit before heading out. Tables on beach for sitting and picnics. Wish I could have stayed a day! read more

I'm not really a beach person, but if I do want to go to a Lake Erie beach, I always choose this place. 13 beaches in total on the island (although many were closed this time around, I'm guessing it was COVID restrictions related) and lots of other activities to partake in on your visit.(hiking, lighthouse tours, kayaking, etc) The water was refreshing and beach was super clean, people were doing fairly well with social distancing and many lifeguards were on duty. The only thing that was inconvenient was that the parking lot was pretty flooded from the rain they had the night before .... you had to wade in water ankle deep to get to the beach and back. I had an enjoyable day and I will return ! read more

See all

This place is for everyone!!! Do you like picnics, do you like walking, do you like swimming at the beach, taking walks along the water or in the woods, riding a bike, kayaking, and the list goes on???!!!! We came here overnight just to have a relaxing weekend and this was a Sunday drive through the park to pass the time away. You could literally spend a few days here taking in all the sights on this isle. On the trip we drove around to get a feeling for this place. We ended up sitting for about a 1/2 hours taking in the water and the peacefulness and then walked around by Perry's monument hoping to get a chance to ride on a boat but we were too late. Lady Kate will be on our next adventure here. We did get a map of the isle park so we can plan our next trip, but on our way back we found the Presque Isle Light house. We ventured up the 78 steps and had a beautiful view of Lake Erie. It did cost a little but was well worth the cost. We did look at one of the beaches. Very clean and serene. This is a well kept place for everyone. Nice trip 90 minutes from home (Buffalo). read more

See all

What a beautiful state park. There is ample parking everywhere. Me and my girlfriend spent a few hours here this spring. The sound of the calming waters, the icicles on the tree branches...everything was just so serene. I caught glimpse of the cutest dogs with the hugest of tree branches. They were so adorable and looked so triumphant too. It truly is the little things in life. I imagine this is quite the hot spot during warmer months. I most certainly would love to come back. read more

Found this place my first week in Erie and was so relieved when I learned that dogs were allowed on some of the beaches! My dogs absolutely loved being able to play fetch and run into the water read more

Presque Isle State Park - Parks Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

See all

Presque Isle was worth the drive from Buffalo. We went on a lovely day and after a bit stopped at the lighthouse. The gift shop gave us a map of the park that described the amenities at each beach. We stopped at Beach 8. There was more than adequate parking, bathrooms, and changing rooms. Surprisingly, the beach and lake bottom were soft sand. There were 3 lifeguards spread out along the shore. There were even a few trees we could sit under. It was like a mini-vacation. read more