Portugal Cove – Rotary Sunshine Park

We’re staying in an area called Portugal Cove – St. Phillips, about 15 minutes away from the city. We had searched for a dog-friendly Airbnb rental in the city and couldn’t find anything available for our first month here; I’m so glad we ended up here instead!! I know I’ll want to be in the city by the time winter comes, but for summertime (and especially for quarantine!) this is such a beautiful place. There are lakes and oceans and cliffs and mountains all around, thick forests of rugged pines, and (now that we’re done with quarantine) we discovered this wonderful park nearby! We went out for a hike on a smooth gravel trail along the lake shore. The girls were definitely bored by the smooth, flat trail (they live for rugged, scrambly adventure type trails!) but they loved splashing on the rocks along the lake’s edge. We found a good rocky spot to sit by the water and they waded right out into the icy lake, delighting in the peaceful beauty and the still, clear water. We could’ve stayed there all day! On the way out, we discovered the other side of the park has more trails, a gravel swimming beach with a dock, even a bathroom, everything beautifully neat and tidy. We hadn’t brought our swimsuits, but they had no problem splashing around the lake in their hiking clothes (which include fluffy dresses, of course!)