Parks and Trails

Beavermead Park – 2011 Ashburnham Dr.

Beavermead Park on the southeast shore of Little Lake offers stunning views, nature areas, trails, a fully accessible playground, a beach, sport fields, six beach volleyball courts, and an outdoor gymnasium created through a partnership with local Rotary clubs. At 53 acres, it's one of the largest parks in the City. It has a large pavilion with 32 picnic tables that's available for booking, creating an attractive space next to Little Lake for family reunions and special events. The pavilion has access to water and electricity. Permits are required for all uses of the pavilion.

Beavermead includes a family campground operated by ORCA and it is next to the Peterborough GreenUP Ecology Park. If you want to get onto the water, Otonabee Conservation rents out canoes and kayaks at the park through Beavermead Campground.

Jackson Park – 610 Parkhill Rd.

Jackson Park is an oasis in the City. You can stand in the valley, among the trees, next to Jackson Creek, and feel like you're away from the urban centre. The park is a long, meandering green space along a section of Jackson Creek. At the eastern end of the park, a trail goes around a pond and there are open grassy areas as well as the historical Pagoda Bridge. The upper area of the park features playground equipment, picnic tables and a large wooded area. Heading west in the park, the trail connects to the Jackson Creek Kiwanis Trail, a 4 km section of the Trans-Canada Trail that follows alongside Jackson Creek.

Del Crary Park – 2 George St. N.

Del Crary Park is an open green space on the west shore of Little Lake and a short walk from downtown. It features a marina, several picnic tables and a covered stage that is used for concerts, events and festivals. In the summer, Del Crary Park is the location for the Peterborough Musicfest concert series on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Rotary Victoria Day Family Fireworks, Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Festival and Multicultural Canada Day are a few of the other major events that take place in the park. Please use our request form to book a park for an event.

Dogs are not permitted in this park from May 1 to October 31 (Service Animals excepted).

Millennium Park – 130 King St.

Millennium Park features a landscaped walking path along the west bank of the Otonabee River in downtown Peterborough, sculptures, extensive flower beds, a butterfly garden, grassy areas and benches. The boathouse in the park is the home of the Silver Bean Café that calls itself “Your waterfront cottage in the city” with its dockside tables and Peterborough Pedal ‘n' Paddle, where you can rent kayaks, canoes, paddle boats and bicycles. The main grassed area in the park is large enough for special events, making the park a wonderful venue for weddings, fundraisers, festivals, and outdoor music and theatre performances. Please use our request form to book a park for an event. 

Millennium Park is part of the Otonabee River Trail and connected to the Trans Canada Trail. Other features in the park include the Irish Monument, the Steve Chaisson Pond and the Aboriginal Monument.

The Display Room in Millennium Park is booked separately. Please call the Silver Bean Cafe at 705-749-0535 to inquire about availability.

Other major parks

A few of the other major parks in the City are:

• Ashburnham Memorial Park– 300 Hunter St. E. – With its 50 acres, the park on Armour Hill is the fourth largest park in the City. It features the Rube Brady ball diamond, one the most popular tobogganing spots in Peterborough and the Heritage Pavilion. The pavilion offers 15 large picnic tables with electricity access on site and portable washrooms. The park is next to the Peterborough Museum and Archives and close to the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site.
• Morrow Park – 171 Lansdowne St. W. – Morrow Park is a 20-acre greenspace on one of the City's busiest corridors. While it's largely made up of four ball diamonds, the space is also the home of the Peterborough Exhibition each year and the open field is used by the community when the ball diamonds aren't in use. The park is next to the Peterborough Memorial Centre, the City's premier major sport and event centre.
• Nicholls Oval – 725 Armour Rd. – Nicholls Oval is a popular park where many community events are held. The park includes a splash pad, a basketball court, playground equipment, a pavilion, and a premier sports field that is home to the Peterborough Pagans Rugby Club. The pavilion is often used for family reunions, walk-a-thons, weddings, picnics and community events. The pavilion has access to water and electricity and it has 32 picnic tables. A new washroom facility was constructed in 2018.
• Please use our request form to book a park for an event.
• Rogers Cove – 131 Maria St. – Rogers Cove includes a lakeside grassy area, an accessible splash pad, a playground, washrooms, a beach that's supervised in the summer and trails.
• Harper Park – Crawford Drive and Harper Road – Harper Park is a large naturally vegetated area in the City. It includes a large woodlot and substantial wetland.

Please use our request form to book a park for an event.

Permitting process

When you enquire about the availability of a venue and receive notice that it is available, the notice doesn't secure the booking. The permitting process requires that the user submit a request form. We review the request and, if the park is available, process the booking. The user then receives a rental agreement, which must be signed and returned to the City's Recreation division along with the payment. When the agreement is signed, returned and paid in full, the booking is confirmed. The user receives a permit to confirm the rental.

Special occasion permits

Please contact our Recreation division for more information about getting a Picnic/Special Event Permit for a City facility or park and ask for a copy of the Municipal Alcohol Policy.

Street closure application

If your event requires streets around the park to be temporarily closed, you must:

• Identify the road closure in your permit request
• Get a street closure application from the City Clerk's Office, City of Peterborough
• Submit a copy of the written approval to the Recreation division office

Site visits for park rentals

We may require a site visit with the event organizer to allow for a review and discussion of the details in-person at the event venue. We will arrange for a meeting prior to the event.

Refunds and cancellations for park rentals

A refund will be provided if an organizer cancels the booking for the event at least two weeks before the event. If the cancellation is within two weeks before the event was scheduled, there is no refund.

Fun fountain facts

• The fountain is composed of more than 30 tonnes of floating concrete
• The main jet shoots water 76m in the air, making it the highest in Canada
• The original main jet weighed 3200 pounds and was over 122 feet long
• The fountain is anchored by three, 1.5 tonne concrete anchors
• At night the fountain is illuminated with over 500 LED lights

Hours of operation

The fountain operates from 10 a.m. to midnight between May and October. The fountain lights are on from dusk until midnight.