Peasemarsh Beach and Conservation Area is located at 208525 Highway 26, in Thornbury, ON. The park is located where Indian Brook meets the Georgian Bay, and offers one of the nicest beaches in the whole area. It offers a scenic trail, as well as great fishing in the bay or creek. It is great as a beach stopover when visiting Craigleith. I visited in June 2025.
Peasemarsh offers:
- one of only sand beaches in the area
- washrooms in the main parking lot
- wide hiking/biking trails
- fishing for bass, trout, and whitefish in Indian Brook
- picnicking on scenic Nottawasaga Bay
- proximity to Thornbury and Blue Mountain
There's one trail.
Peasemarsh Trail - 0.6km, easy
This trail is a half kilometre loop showcasing all the nature preserve has to offer. Starting with the forested half, you'll meander through old growth past a marsh. Then a trail towards a second parking lot meanders left. If you stayed right, you'll have seen an Indian Brook access point, before the trail runs parallel to the beach on the return to the parking lot. I recommend walking the beach instead of the trail - it's more picturesque.
There are two entrances:
Main (east) entrance: Offering a parking lot and washrooms. This is where the main trail entrance is, as well as the main beach access with picnic tables.
Fishing (west) entrance: Just offering a parking lot. This one is right alongside Indian Brook. There is a trail to access the Peasemarsh Trailfrom there.
I recommend the west entrance, because it is often less busy, but because of the park's size, proximity isn't much of an issue.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Red Osier Dogwood
Driftwood
Ostrich ferns
Coniferous forests
Visit from Craigleith.
Bike here from nearby towns - use the Georgian Trail.
To access from the Georgian Trail, you must exit the trail on Woodland Park Road, and bike up the shoulder of Highway 26 to the lot.
This is one of the only public sandy beaches for miles. And plus, it's a beautiful one. Unlike Northwinds Beach just a few miles east, this beach is much more natural, secluded and recieves less traffic due to it having less homes nearby. The area is very picturesque, especially at the mouth of the Indian Brook. You'll often see families throwing sticks in the water for their dogs (or kids lol), and boys of all ages fly fishing in the brook. The beach at Peasemarsh is the obvious highlight of not only the park, but one of the recreational highlights of the area. Visit.
Don't swim at Craigleith. Swim here. And lest we forget, it's a nice day hike as well. It's a cool place to be. A solid 7/10 beach at a 6.4/10 park.
There is no map online, but one on the park sign.
