Visitors pack Gatineau Park, Sandbanks Provincial Park on sunny Saturday

Gatineau Park beaches were popular on the first Saturday of July. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/NCC_GatPark)

OTTAWA — Visitors looking to enjoy the third last weekend before school starts have packed parks in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

Both Gatineau Park and Sandbanks Provincial Park closed parking lots to visitors on Saturday after reaching capacity on a sunny day.

In Gatineau Park, the parking lots P11, P12 and P13 around Meech Lake in Chelsea were full as of 11 a.m., while the parking lots in the Philippe Lake sector of Gatineau Park were full just before 12 p.m.

The NCC reported the parking lots in the La Peche Lake sector were full as of 1 p.m.

At Sandbanks Provincial Park in Picton, the park reached full capacity just after 12 p.m. and was closed for day-use.

Campers are still allowed to access Sandbanks Provincial Park.

Last month, residents of Prince Edward County expressed frustration with the surge in demand at the popular park. Sandbanks Provincial Park has had to close day-use access to the park due to demand.

As of July 28, Ontario Parks said day-use access to Sandbanks Provincial Park had been closed ten times due to increased demand.

There are 2,200 parking spots available.

Ontario Parks recommends that if you want to visit on a summer weekend, arrive at Sandbanks Provincial Park before 10 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m.