Amherstburg is home to two amazing conservation areas: Holiday Beach and Collavino. Stroll along the Lake Erie shoreline at Holiday Beach, explore nature trails, and spot rare wildlife!

Holiday Beach Conservation Area

Visitors birdwatching from the top of the observational tower at Holiday Beach.

Holiday Beach offers a long sandy beach on the Lake Erie shoreline, plus many other amenities. It is ideal for a day at the beach, a beautiful picnic, or a vacation getaway. Holiday Beach Conservation Area has serviced seasonal campsites, a stunning rental cottage, new showers and washrooms, large shady picnic areas, a playground, nature trails, a boardwalk, and a three-storey observation tower. It is also one of the sites at which Conservation Education Field Studies are conducted.

  • Visitor Hours: 6am to 8pm daily from mid-April to Thanksgiving
  • Entry Cost: $12/car or $5 per cyclist/pedestrian collected by a credit-card friendly automated gate. Purchase a Seasonal pass to access this site all season long
  • Amenities: beach, trails, viewing tower, natural playground, seasonal nature centre, washrooms, fishing pond, cottage rental
  • Things to Do: cycling, bird-watching, kayaking, fishing, hiking, hunting, photography, picnicking, swimming, cross-country skiing
  • Hunting: controlled Waterfowl Hunting is permitted seasonally
  • Location: 6952 County Road 50, Amherstburg ON

Globally Significant Important Bird Area

Holiday Beach and Big Creek Conservation Areas received international recognition in 2000 as a globally significant Important Bird Area (IBA), joining BirdLife International’s global network of IBA sites. The designation is as a result of the significance of the area for raptor migration and as a known breeding area for Prothonotary Warblers (a nationally endangered species).

Visit the world renowned Festival of Hawks each September to witness the migration celebration as thousands of hawks, vultures, eagles, falcons and other birds of prey concentrate in the area before heading across the Detroit River towards warmer, more southerly destinations for the winter.

A hawk flying in the sky,

Collavino Conservation Area

Marshland at the Collavino Conservation Area.

Collavino Conservation Area is a 150 acre Provincially Significant Wetland and Environmentally Significant Area that provides important habitat for a number of Species at Risk, including Blanding’s Turtle, Eastern Foxsnake and Queensnake. The site is also recognized as a Priority Canadian Habitat Site in the Detroit River Area of Concern, making its long-term protection and stewardship an important contribution to regional conservation and biodiversity goals.

The property was donated by the Collavino family and features a 2.3 km mowed walking path around the wetland, with shaded picnic structures installed at strategic lookout points. The wetland is actively managed to enhance biodiversity, including serving as a biological control test site for invasive phragmites. Collavino Conservation Area is perfect for birdwatching and nature appreciation.

  • Amenities: trails, picnic tables, interpretive signage
  • Things to Do: cycling, bird-watching, hiking, photography, picnicking, cross-country skiing
    **horseback riding is not permitted at this site
  • Location: 1300 North Side Road, Amherstburg ON

Be a friend to nature and other visitors – follow trail etiquette while visiting this area.

Click here to learn more.

Contact

  • Email: admin@erca.org
  • Phone: 519-776-5209