The Jem on the Lake

Presque Isle is one of Erie's greatest attractions and provides a new and fun experience everytime you visit. Presque Isle was formed about 14,000 years ago when huge ice glaciers passed through the lake. Gradually the ice melted and more sand built up along the shores. Today the peninsula is 3,200 acres stretched out seven miles into Lake Erie. Public beaches line the northern side of Presque Isle and and over 30 miles of multi-purpose trails weave throught the interior. Because of its diverse habitats, Presque Isle is home to about 82 species of fish and crustaceans, over 635 species of plants, 320 species of birds, and 35 different butterflies and moths. Attendance tops four million visitors, which is more than attendance at Yellowstone National Park.

Multipurpose Bike Trail

This trail winds along the coast of the peninsula and provides many beautiful scences and experiences. Although this trail is usually heavily populated with bicyclists, rollerbladers, joggers, and walkers, during the colder months it seems to be abandoned, which allows you to really focus on the environment and the magnitude of the natural presence on Presque Isle.

Picnic Pavilions

These resting spots are scattered along the peninsula and provide shade and a break from activities. The pavilions can also be used for family or social gatherings and, of course, a place to eat. This particular pavilion is just before beach 11. It is fenced in to make sure that no little ones get out and it even has a little playground.


Perry Monument

Perry Monument is one of the most visited sites on Presque Isle. Located on Crystal Lake, it is the site where Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry settle during the battles of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The monument was erected there to commemerate Perry's victory. It provides a resting spot for the bike trail and is an excellent place to site-see.





Misery Bay

Misery Bay is the body of water surrounding Perry Monument. It is a great place for boating and fishing during the summer. During the cold months, however, it lives up to its name by being very, plain, boring, and almost depressing.

Marina

The marina is an interior dock for recreational boats. During the summer it is popular, but just like the bay, it was abondoned due to the cold weather.

Lighthouse

This lighthouse can be found on the nothern coast of Presque Isle along the bike trail. Although its tourist draw, it is currently a private residence. I figured that so many people, including myself, have photographed the lighthouse from the beach view that it was getting redundant. So instead I took a shot from the gate on the southern side to get more of a fresh perspective.

Beaches

Public beaches are scattered across the nothern shore of the peninsula and are one of the most popular attractions on Presque Isle. This is the beach accompanying the lighthouse. You can still see chunks of ice out in the water, which gives the photo a very naturalistic feel.


Pine Tree Beach

This is one of my favorite beaches because of its uniqueness and diversity. It has all of the essential beach items: sand and water. But it also has pine trees, hence the name, that make this beach so much better. The needles give new colors that really make this beach seem alive.


Beach 11

Beach 11, commonly known as the kid's beach, is named so because of its very shallow water. As a young lad this beach was the greatest, the doorway to grownup life. Now, however, it has lost most of its magic. Standing ankle deep in the water I contemplate what I saw in this beach all those years ago. Well, at least its a great spot to kayak.






Gull Point Trail

Despite its unbearable length, this is an amazing trail that winds you along endless photo-ops. It would have been amazing to travel this when the plants were in full bloom.




Gull Point

This is one of the world's most popular bird watching spots. It is the stop for more than a hundred migratory birds each year. As soon as I walked into the clearing I saw this lone tree struggling against the roaring wind. Despite the bad weather this tree persists on.






Coast Guard

This was the most pointless stop on the trip. We had to go completely out of our way to find the station only to find out that there was a ten foot fence surrounding it. Fortunately my mom knew where to get a nice shot from the opposite angle from across the channel, shown here.



North Coast Channel Lighthouse

This Site is pretty self-explanatory. Its a lighthouse, on the north coast of the channel. The only downside was to get this shot I had to walk down a very long, narrow dock in the freezing, windy cold.







Land Lighthouse

Technically this lighthouse is not on Presque Isle, but the handout for the project said both lighthouses AND the channel light. Getting confused and frustrated I took a shot of the Land lighthouse. Although its not on the peninsula, it still served an important role for travelers through the bay.




Nature

Throughout Presque Isle there are endless opportunities to lose yourself in nature every turn you make you can find a new plant, animal, or landscape. During this time of year geese heavily populate the more common stopping points along the peninsula. These two I found along side the road so I jumped out of the car and took a quick shot as they swam away. The second shot I took of nature was a landscape shot of the numerous cattail as the jutted out into the endless sky.