Port Stanley is a Lake Erie harbour village in the Municipality of Central Elgin. It has a working harbour with fishing boats, a lift bridge, four municipal beaches and a commercial area with free, time-limited street parking. This guide covers what Central Elgin’s own pages confirm.
Facts box
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Census, Central Elgin (2021) | Central Elgin: 13,746 people (2021 Census), up 9.0% from 12,607 in 2016; 5,845 private dwellings, 5,460 occupied by usual residents[1] |
| Drive to Port Stanley | Toronto: about 222 km, 2 h 47 min; Ottawa: about 656 km, 7 h 41 min; London: about 41 km, 0 h 44 min; Kitchener: about 137 km, 1 h 50 min. OSRM estimates; allow for traffic and stops[2] |
| Municipal office | 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas. Phone 519-631-4860, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.[3] |
| Events | The Municipality points to events.centralelgin.org.[4] |
Quick answer
Park once, walk the harbour and the commercial area, and spend the afternoon on a beach. The Municipality runs four beaches, the harbour and the boat launch, and it publishes the parking and lift bridge details below.[5][6]
The harbour
The harbour is home to several fishing vessels and welcomes transient boaters.[7]
- Lift bridge hours: May 1 to October 1, 4 am to 10 pm. October 1 to November 1, 4 am to 6 pm. Closed from November 1 until May 1, with on-call operations only. The operator’s phone is 519-782-3451. Another line on the same page says the bridge opens 4 am to 10 pm from May to October, so check the schedule table before a fall trip.[8]
- Boat launch: the parking lot is near the end of Carlow Road. Daily and seasonal passes are sold through the Municipality’s parking page, and a live camera shows conditions at the launch.[9]
- Daily berthage: $22.75, or $28.50 with hydro. Monthly rates start at $295 for vessels under 18 m. Renters sign a slip agreement and apply before docking, and a credit card is required.[10]
Beaches
Main Beach, Little Beach, Erie Rest Beach and Pumphouse Beach are municipal beaches. Main Beach has seasonal lifeguards from July through September, and dogs are not permitted on any of them.[11] Read Port Stanley beaches for parking, flags and rip currents.
Parking
Paid parking in municipal lots runs May 1 to September 30, 10 am to 5 pm daily, at $6 per hour. Daily rates are $20 to $30 depending on the lot.[12] Street parking is free. In the commercial area, time limits apply Friday to Monday from 10 am to 5 pm: 2 hours on Colborne Street (Bridge to Charlotte) and Joseph Street, 3 hours on Main, Bridge and William streets, and 5 hours elsewhere unless posted.[13] Overnight camping is not permitted in Port Stanley lots.[14]
Events and the BIA
The Municipality lists a Port Stanley Business Improvement Area, and it points visitors to its events page for the calendar.[15] We did not retrieve the BIA’s business directory, so we list no businesses.
What we did not confirm
Central Elgin’s pages did not cover Kettle Creek, the village’s history, the Terminal Rail line, the festival theatre or restaurants, so we do not describe them here. For those, use the businesses’ own sites and the BIA, and check hours before you drive.[16]
Essentials
Hospitals, groceries and gas are not covered in this guide.
FAQ
When does the Port Stanley lift bridge operate?
May 1 to October 1, 4 am to 10 pm. October 1 to November 1, 4 am to 6 pm. Closed November 1 to May 1, with on-call operations only. Checked November 3 2026.
Can I launch a boat in Port Stanley?
A boat launch lot is near the end of Carlow Road. Passes are sold through the Municipality’s parking page. Checked November 3 2026.
Is street parking free in Port Stanley?
Street parking is free. In the commercial area, time limits by street apply Friday to Monday, 10 am to 5 pm. Checked November 3 2026.
Cottages in this area
Browse cottages near Port Stanley or the whole Lake Erie Shores region.
Township Rules Check
Thinking of renting out a cottage here? Run the Township Rules Check. Rules for the Municipality of Central Elgin are being confirmed, so we state none here.
Claims table
Checked 2026-11-03 by the SEO & Content Writer agent. Draft; needs the independent second-agent fact-check before publishing.
| # | claim | source URL | checked | |—|—|—|—| | 1 | Census, Central Elgin (2021) : Central Elgin: 13,746 people (2021 Census), up 9.0% from 12,607 in 2016; 5,845 private dwellings, 5,460 occupied by usual residents | https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000201 | 2026-11-03 | | 2 | Drive to Port Stanley : Toronto: about 222 km, 2 h 47 min; Ottawa: about 656 km, 7 h 41 min; London: about 41 km, 0 h 44 min; Kitchener: about 137 km, 1 h 50 min. OSRM estimates; allow for traffic and stops | https://router.project-osrm.org | 2026-11-03 | | 3 | Municipal office : 450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas. Phone 519-631-4860, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. | https://www.centralelgin.org | 2026-11-03 | | 4 | Events : The Municipality points to events.centralelgin.org. | https://www.centralelgin.org | 2026-11-03 | | 5 | Park once, walk the harbour and the commercial area, and spend the afternoon on a beach. The Municipality runs four beaches, the harbour and the boat launch, and it publishes the parking and lift bridge details below. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/beaches/ | 2026-11-03 | | 6 | | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/boating-harbour/ | 2026-11-03 | | 7 | The harbour is home to several fishing vessels and welcomes transient boaters. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/boating-harbour/ | 2026-11-03 | | 8 | Lift bridge hours: May 1 to October 1, 4 am to 10 pm. October 1 to November 1, 4 am to 6 pm. Closed from November 1 until May 1, with on-call operations only. The operator’s phone is 519-782-3451. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/boating-harbour/ | 2026-11-03 | | 9 | Boat launch: the parking lot is near the end of Carlow Road. Daily and seasonal passes are sold through the Municipality’s parking page, and a live camera shows conditions at the launch. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/boating-harbour/ | 2026-11-03 | | 10 | Daily berthage: $22.75, or $28.50 with hydro. Monthly rates start at $295 for vessels under 18 m. Renters sign a slip agreement and apply before docking, and a credit card is required. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/boating-harbour/ | 2026-11-03 | | 11 | Main Beach, Little Beach, Erie Rest Beach and Pumphouse Beach are municipal beaches. Main Beach has seasonal lifeguards from July through September, and dogs are not permitted on any of them. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/beaches/ | 2026-11-03 | | 12 | Paid parking in municipal lots runs May 1 to September 30, 10 am to 5 pm daily, at $6 per hour. Daily rates are $20 to $30 depending on the lot. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/beaches/parking/ | 2026-11-03 | | 13 | Street parking is free. In the commercial area, time limits apply Friday to Monday from 10 am to 5 pm: 2 hours on Colborne Street (Bridge to Charlotte) and Joseph Street, 3 hours on Main, Bridge and William streets, and 5 hours elsewhere unless posted. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/beaches/parking/ | 2026-11-03 | | 14 | Overnight camping is not permitted in Port Stanley lots. | https://www.centralelgin.org/parks-recreation/beaches/parking/ | 2026-11-03 | | 15 | The Municipality lists a Port Stanley Business Improvement Area, and it points visitors to its events page for the calendar. | https://www.centralelgin.org | 2026-11-03 | | 16 | Central Elgin’s pages did not cover Kettle Creek, the village’s history, the Terminal Rail line, the festival theatre or restaurants, so we do not describe them here. For those, use the businesses’ own sites and the BIA, and check hours before you drive. | https://www.centralelgin.org | 2026-11-03 | Fact-check 2026-11-03 (independent): 14 rows confirmed; rows 8 and 13 corrected (lift bridge page has two schedules; street parking is free at all times with Friday-to-Monday limits); "re-check each January" process line and link to an unpublished guide removed.
Photo: Howard Walsh, on Unsplash (Unsplash License).