Presque Isle Up Close
This Pennsylvania state park is well known for its miles of sandy white beaches. But, as writer Kara Murphy discovers, it’s worth getting off your beach towel to do a bit more exploring.
My kids and I are on a mission: to make the 13-mile bike ride loop around Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania. They’re young — and this will be their longest ride ever. That means we embrace a slow roll, with lots of time to soak in the sights along the way.
We live in Erie, so we often visit Presque Isle, but rarely journey the whole length of the park. What strikes me on this expedition is its diversity. We start near the peninsula’s entrance on the Presque Isle Bay side, where picturesque sailboats and more utilitarian fishing boats share space on the smooth blue water.
Ducks quack, and a sign warns of dive-bombing red-winged blackbirds protective of their nests. Luckily, we dodge any attacks.
As we pedal, we travel from the shady canopy of trees to marshes and ponds, where my son has to halt for a line of goslings waddling behind their mother crossing our path and — just around the corner — we spot turtles sunning themselves on exposed logs.
It’s a fascinatingly different world from the other side of the peninsula, where the views go from lush green growth to sand dunes and long stretches of beautiful beaches. We stop again near the entrance of a beach, this time to let kids in colorful swimsuits run by, their parents more slowly lugging beach gear behind.
Along with the ecological import of Presque Isle, the history is interesting here — even to my 8- and 10-year-olds. Many fascinating stories around the War of 1812 originate at Presque Isle, including the fact that Oliver Hazard Perry built several of his warships at the peninsula.
There’s also the picturesque Presque Isle Lighthouse, the third oldest on Lake Erie. My kids love the stories of the lighthouse keeper’s children making their way to school from the peninsula back in the late 1800s.
History continues to play out right before our eyes on Presque Isle. The effect of record water levels in the Great Lakes is on full display, flooding many of the interior trails and eroding some of the beach. Water even sloshes up onto the bike trail near the Perry Monument, forcing us to walk around.
But those are brief images as we make the loop around the peninsula.
“I feel like we’re on vacation,” my daughter says to me, as we take off our helmets back at the car.
We are, I tell her, certainly lucky to live here.
We live in Erie, so we often visit Presque Isle, but rarely journey the whole length of the park. What strikes me on this expedition is its diversity. We start near the peninsula’s entrance on the Presque Isle Bay side, where picturesque sailboats and more utilitarian fishing boats share space on the smooth blue water.
Ducks quack, and a sign warns of dive-bombing red-winged blackbirds protective of their nests. Luckily, we dodge any attacks.
As we pedal, we travel from the shady canopy of trees to marshes and ponds, where my son has to halt for a line of goslings waddling behind their mother crossing our path and — just around the corner — we spot turtles sunning themselves on exposed logs.
It’s a fascinatingly different world from the other side of the peninsula, where the views go from lush green growth to sand dunes and long stretches of beautiful beaches. We stop again near the entrance of a beach, this time to let kids in colorful swimsuits run by, their parents more slowly lugging beach gear behind.
Along with the ecological import of Presque Isle, the history is interesting here — even to my 8- and 10-year-olds. Many fascinating stories around the War of 1812 originate at Presque Isle, including the fact that Oliver Hazard Perry built several of his warships at the peninsula.
There’s also the picturesque Presque Isle Lighthouse, the third oldest on Lake Erie. My kids love the stories of the lighthouse keeper’s children making their way to school from the peninsula back in the late 1800s.
History continues to play out right before our eyes on Presque Isle. The effect of record water levels in the Great Lakes is on full display, flooding many of the interior trails and eroding some of the beach. Water even sloshes up onto the bike trail near the Perry Monument, forcing us to walk around.
But those are brief images as we make the loop around the peninsula.
“I feel like we’re on vacation,” my daughter says to me, as we take off our helmets back at the car.
We are, I tell her, certainly lucky to live here.
Story:
Kara Murphy
2020 July/August