Whistlewood Nature Preserve, the site of a former girl scout camp, is now a beautiful preserve that sits right on Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is one of our favorite Lakes, and any preserve on this Lake is automatically on our hit list. Whistlewood Preserve is a genuinely lovely destination and perfect for everyone who adores exploring beaches or hiking wooded trails. This park has an ample supply of both.
Dog-Friendly – Yes
Terrain– Rocky and Hilly
Stroller Friendly – No
Explore the Lakeshore
Like many of the Lakeside preserves, a large portion of the Lake Ontario lakeshore is available to walk down. This is an ideal destination for beachcombers. We always seem to find cool stuff when we are walking along the beach, especially on Lake Ontario. This is also a perfect place to catch a sunrise or a sunset. You can park fairly close to the beach, so you don’t have to walk far to get an unobscured view of the horizon.
Hike the Woods & Cliffside
This is a great place to hike, especially if you are looking for solitude, as most people are here to visit the beach.
Several trails go through the woods and eventually follow the cliffside above the beach. Beaver Creek flows out of this area through the Lakeshore Marshes. You can hike around this creek, but it is fairly wide up near the lake. The trails are marked, but they aren’t marked well. If you have your phone with you, the trails can be viewed on Google Maps. That was how we navigated around the Preserve.
Lakeshore Marshes & Beaver Creek
Whistlewood Nature Preserve is located next to the Lake Ontario Lakeshore Marshes and Beaver Creek. You can hike through the woods alongside the preserve, but the dense brush along the shore makes it difficult to get close to the creek. However, you can catch glimpses of it every once in a while. Once you reach the beach, you can enjoy a fantastic view of the creek.
Getting to Whistlewood Preserve
Address: 8130 Dutch Street Rd, Wolcott, NY
Google Map Link
If you drive to the very end of the road, there is a parking lot for the beach. There is also a parking area for the trails further up the road. (You will see a placard on the right side of the road.)